Good morning to everyone. Good to see you all here this morning. We're going to be starting a new book this morning, the book of Acts. You know, it's always exciting to start a new book, and sometimes I have a great trepidation in starting a new series of messages I did with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John because you tend to think about the hard sections and the places you have questions and you kind of wonder how you're going to get through those. 

But when you start with a basic framework and understanding of who the author is, who his audience is, what the intent of the book is, when you begin to dig in and go verse by verse, line upon line, precept upon precept, there's always a tremendous reward. There's always edification. There's always learning and growing and coming to know and understand more about who Jesus is and what He's done for us. 

And that's what we're going to do in the book of Acts, Lord willing. Today we'll begin a new journey, a pursuit of knowing Jesus more, understanding the Gospel more, realizing our need more, and I think in a unique way, in the book of Acts, understanding the nature and the importance of our mission more. This is a book that is like the rest of the Scriptures, all about Jesus. But it's particularly true in this book because it is testimony about Jesus. 

And that's really the message that I want for us to take home as we introduce this book and kind of go over these first few verses. It's a book that is all testimony concerning Jesus. We might think that this book is about the apostles. After all, it's titled The Acts of the Apostles. But it is mostly about the ministries of Peter and Paul, and the essence of their ministries was going about preaching and teaching and testifying about Jesus Christ. 

Paul summarized this in Acts 20.24 when he said, "Nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." We might think that this book is all about the Holy Spirit. Certainly, we see amazing manifestations of the power of the Spirit. Signs and wonders and marvelous works. But what does the Spirit do? What is the role of the Holy Spirit? It is to testify about Jesus. 

In John 15.26, speaking of this time in the book of Acts, Jesus said, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me." The role of the Holy Spirit, His work, is to testify about Jesus. We could even apply this to the Old Testament Scriptures. All through the book of Acts, we're going to see that the apostles quote, use, and apply the Old Testament Scriptures to Jesus. 

And this is consistent with what Jesus taught. He said to the Jewish leaders in John 5.39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me." This amazing record of the beginning of the church, of the establishing of the church, and the witness to Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth is all about a testimony about Jesus Christ. 

This truth, this principle, will guide us through the study of the book and keep us from going off track, being distracted by some wrong emphasis or wrong application. The beloved Luke wrote this book. The doctor Luke. He wrote it as the second part of a two-part work to a man named Theophilus. Most excellent Theophilus, he calls him in his gospel. 

The historical record tells us that this man was a prominent man in Antioch, perhaps part of the Roman rule. We don't know for sure, but it may be that Luke was from that region and certainly Luke was familiar with this man and knew him and wrote these letters to him. He first wrote the gospel of Luke to lay out an accurate account of the details of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. 

And we see a very important and interesting detail at the beginning of Luke's second volume in the book of Acts. If you look at verse 1, he says, "...the former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach." Luke says, "...in my gospel I wrote to you to give you an account of all that Jesus began to do and to teach." 

And this is so interesting to me as we think about the nature of the book before us, as we try to get a big picture idea as to what it's about and what the intent of the author is, who his audience is, and what the central message or teaching that we are to take from it is. Luke indicates that the first volume, the gospel, was meant to record the work and teaching that Jesus began. 

That really caught my attention because I thought that the gospel was all about the work that Jesus finished. We love that truth, don't we? Jesus finished the work on the cross and his death, burial, and resurrection. And this is true. This is foundational, that Jesus finished the work of redemption, in his one-time death on the cross for my sins in my place, he satisfied the wrath of God. 

He was the full payment for my sins. And he died, was buried, and on the third day he rose again showing the power, with power, that he is the Son of God. And proving that God was fully satisfied with his payment. He conquered sin and death and hell and Satan. He finished the work of salvation at the cross. And the great truth of the gospel, of the testimony about Jesus Christ that the men and women of the early church in the book of Acts would bring, is that through faith alone in Jesus alone and what he finished on the cross, we can receive his righteousness, his salvation as a free gift by faith. 

What a truth. What a promise we have that Jesus has finished the work. But Luke says here Jesus began a work. He began to do and teach. And this gives us great insight as to what this book is all about and who is really doing the work. 

Let's consider this truth and these words before us in verses 1-4 as we introduce and begin to study this wonderful account of the acts of Jesus Christ through his people, including the apostles. Look at verse 1 with me, please. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and 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 had also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many infallible proofs being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 

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, and let's pick up verse 5, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 

Well, I've given you three points on your outline for our text. First, we see that Jesus began. Second, Jesus gave. And third, Jesus sent. Well, Luke writes here in verse 1 that his former account, part one of his letters to the most excellent Theophilus, was all about what Jesus began to do and to teach. 

As we've said, Jesus finished the work of salvation, of redemption at the cross. There's nothing more to be done in this respect. However, in another sense, Jesus only began to do and to teach concerning the full intent of his salvation plan and his will concerning establishing his church and, as Paul says in Ephesians 1.10, the consummation of all things in Christ. 

Jesus finished work on the cross and his death, burial, and resurrection forms the foundation for the message that he gave to the disciples to take to the world. The message through which he intends to save those who believe, to form the body, the church, his bride. This work he only began to do and to teach. This work is the work that he would continue. 

And here's the key, I think, to understanding the book of Acts. Jesus began to do and to teach and now in the church age, through his people, through the believers, Jesus would continue his work through the power of the Holy Spirit bringing this message of the gospel of grace to Jerusalem, to Judea, and to the ends of the earth. 

My friends, this is the record of the book of Acts. And this is the ministry that continues through the body of believers even today. Even in our lives as we bring that same gospel truth, that testimony about Jesus, to the world. And we do this that men might hear. And that hearing they might believe and believing they might be saved. They must hear a message about Jesus Christ in order to believe. 

In this way, Jesus continues his work. This book, this historical account of the forming of the early church is really the acts of Jesus by the Spirit through his people. It is the establishing of the new covenant time. The church age where the mystery would be revealed, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Where it is not I who live, but Christ lives in me. 

In the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. When Jesus lifted that cup at the Last Supper and instituted the new covenant in his blood, he began this work. We're going to read and study and explore all that Peter and Paul and Philip and others did in the establishment of the church. 

But what we must see and know and understand is that it is Jesus, it is Jesus who was and who is continuing his work of bringing the truth, the finished work of the cross, to the men of this world so that they can believe and be saved. 

Well, at the end of Acts 2, the chapter that contains the birth of the church at Pentecost, the amazing clear message that Peter preached in the conversion of thousands, at the end of that chapter in the last part of that last verse, I want you to listen to what it says. It says, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." 

In Acts 11 and 19, it says, "Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene who when they had come to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus." And verse 21 says, "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord." 

We see here that the great truth, that the gospel was now available, salvation was available to the Gentiles, but the key to understand is that it was the power of the Lord. That it was Jesus who was working here to turn their hearts to Himself through the message preached. In Acts 16 and 13, it says, "On the Sabbath day, we went out of the city to the riverside where prayer was customarily made, and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worshipped God. 

Listen to what it says, "The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul." We read of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19, and an evil spirit that they tried to cast out, and the spirit said to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" And he attacked them and sent them out naked, and there was a great witness through this whole thing. It says, "Many believed and came confessing and telling their deeds and burning their magic books." And in verse 20 it says, "The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." 

It was the word of the Lord which came with power. The dunamis, the dynamite, it's the testimony about Jesus and the Lord Himself working through His people that produces salvation. At the very end of the book of Acts, we see a great testimony concerning Paul's ministry. It says, "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding Him." 

My brothers and sisters, what we see in the book of Acts is the continuing work of Jesus Christ through the believers who preached, who testified concerning Jesus in order to bring men to faith. This book is all about Jesus and His work to build His church. 

So we see first that Jesus began. Next we see that Jesus gave. In verse 1 again, "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and 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 forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." 

Jesus gave commandments. He chose the apostles and He gave them commandments. It's interesting to study the Gospels, the account of Jesus' life and ministry. I've taught through the Gospel of Matthew a couple of times and it's so instructive for us to see the structure and the intent of that book written to the Jews showing Jesus as the Messiah, as the King. 

We see clearly in those first 11 chapters of Matthew that Jesus came to His own, to the Jews, and He came offering Himself as the King and the kingdom for Israel with Him. He came preaching the kingdom. A literal, physical, millennial kingdom for Israel. And He sent His disciples out preaching that message as well. Remember Matthew 10, only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

What we see in the historical accounts of the Gospels is that Israel rejected her Messiah. They rejected the King and the offer of the kingdom. And this comes to a head in Matthew 12 where the leaders of Israel fully and finally reject Jesus, committing the unpardonable sin, attributing to the devil the works of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus tells them that there will be no more signs. There will be no more works befitting the kingdom, but only the sign of Jonah, speaking of His death, burial, and resurrection at the cross, as He now set His face toward Jerusalem and His sacrifice for our sins. 

What is fascinating to see is that Jesus in Matthew 13 begins to turn His attention to preparing the disciples for the ministry that they would have beginning in the book of Acts. Teaching them parables, describing the ministry they would have in the church age, such as the parable of the soils, and the wheat, and the tares, and so forth. 

And He began to teach them about the cross. Remember Matthew 16, where Jesus talked about His death, burial, and resurrection. Peter rebuked Him for such a notion, not having any understanding of the gospel. All these teachings that Jesus gave would be brought back to their remembrance by the Holy Spirit later as they ministered after Pentecost. 

Jesus gave the apostles commandments and a summary of His commands for their new ministry where they would go to all the world, not just to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but where they would preach the new covenant gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, not just that of the physical kingdom of God. 

All of these commandments are wrapped up in what we call the Great Commission. It's interesting to note that the last recorded fact about Jesus in the book of Matthew is the resurrection. And this is also recorded in the first chapter of Acts. The last recorded act of Jesus in Mark is the ascension, also recorded in the first chapter of Acts. In Luke, the last recorded fact is the promise of the Holy Spirit, also contained in Acts 1. 

And the last recorded promise in John is of that of His second coming, again recorded in the first chapter of Acts. J. Verna McGee comments that it is as if the four gospels were poured into a funnel and they all came down into this jug that is the first chapter of Acts. The command that summarizes the intent of the continuing work of Jesus Christ through His people on earth and the commands He gave to His apostles is the Great Commission. 

We find that in Matthew 28, but we also find it in Acts 1.8. And this is really the theme of this book, Acts 1.8, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

Jesus gave a clear command, a clear purpose to His disciples, and this would constitute their ministry for the rest of their lives, establishing the church, the doctrine, the message that we are to preach today. If we're going to carry out this Great Commission that Jesus gave to us, we must be clear about the message that He has given to us to preach. 

The apostles, the disciples of the early church, were abundantly clear about the centrality of a clear message about Jesus Christ. They preached Christ and Him crucified and risen. The resurrection is so prominent in their preaching and teaching. The message of the cross and the need of man and the full provision of Christ is what they taught, it's what they preached because that's what Jesus commanded them to do. 

You shall be witnesses to Me, He said. First in Jerusalem, that's the first section of the book. Second in Judea, that's the second section of the book. And then to the ends of the earth, as we see in the last section, Paul making it to Rome, the center of the Gentile world. 

My friends, we continue that work today. Two thousand years later, bringing the message to the ends of the earth, to all men, giving testimony about Jesus Christ, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we better be clear about that message as well. 

Jesus began to do and to teach. Jesus gave us commandments to take that message and to live that message, to do and to teach as He works in us by His power, by the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will in the church. 

And our last point this morning is that Jesus sent. Jesus sent. Acts 1, verse 4, it says, "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." 

In verse 4, we see that Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. What is the promise of the Father? Way back in Ezekiel 36, we see the promise of the Father in the New Covenant. Ezekiel 36, verse 25, God promised to Israel, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, and I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes. You will keep My judgments and do them." 

This was a covenant, the New Covenant, made with Israel, with the house of Judah. The author of Hebrews makes this clear in chapter 8. But when Israel rejected Christ, Jesus still instituted that New Covenant at the Last Supper, and now we see a pre-fillment of these promises in the church. We experience these blessings today in the church. 

God promised that in the New Covenant, He would send His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. In John 1.33, John the Baptist said, "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." In John 7.37, it says, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 

But this He spoke concerning the Holy Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. In John 14, He makes the promise of the Spirit, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth." The promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit. 

And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as He promised, and as was promised consistently by the Father. Turn to John 16.7 with me, please. John 16.7, we see that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. John writes, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you." 

The pastor and I have talked many times about what it would have been like to live with Jesus, to experience those miracles and see those signs, or even in the book of Acts. But would it be better to live in our time? To have the completed Word of God, to have the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in us, rather than just being with Him? 

That's what we see in the New Covenant. And this is so significant to the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit is the truth teacher, the one who gives understanding to that which is spiritually discerned. He's the power that works in us. He fills and controls us as we abide in Christ. 

The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, the one that Jesus had spoken of, the Holy Spirit. And they needed to wait. Do you see that? They needed to wait. They were in no way equipped to carry out the ministry that Jesus had for them. Remember, they were hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They did not really understand the Gospel, the Kingdom of God that would exist now in the hearts of those who believe. The New Covenant and salvation for the Gentiles and the message. 

The message. They didn't even understand the message. They didn't even understand the Gospel. They were so fixed on the Kingdom. Even in Acts 1-8, they asked Him, will you bring the physical Kingdom to Israel now? My friends, they were a bunch of rag-tag fishermen for the most part, who were not really skilled at anything else. They were not great speakers. They were not educated. They had no social or political influence. They were what Paul would call in 1 Corinthians 1, the off-scouring of the earth. The not many wise. The not many noble. They were powerless in and of themselves. 

But when the Spirit comes to live in them, how things changed. Look at Acts 2. Let's flip over a page at Acts 2. Let's read Peter's sermon. Peter, previous to Pentecost, was hiding behind a locked door for fear of the Jews, with no understanding, confused. Look what he says in Acts 2.14, "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. 

For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my manservants and on my maidservants, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 

The sun shall not be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 

For David says concerning him, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence." 

Peter continues, "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 

Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool." Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 

Peter went from hiding behind a locked door, afraid of the Jews, to standing up and preaching a message that confronted their sin and their need and cut them to the quick, piercing their heart. He went from asking in Acts 1.8 if Jesus would bring the earthly kingdom now, not really understanding the ministry he was to carry out and the message he was to preach, to absolutely, boldly, clearly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ publicly to thousands in Acts 2. 

What happened, my friends? What happened to Peter? What happened was the promise of the Father. The Holy Spirit came and filled Peter and others and gave them understanding, and gave them boldness, and gave them clarity of the message, and my brothers and sisters, he gave them power. What is the result of this indwelling, of this power that would now live in them permanently? The result is testimony about Jesus. 

Over and over in the book of Acts, we see the phrase, filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. And do you know what the result was every time? I want you to just look at a couple of examples. We just read that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he said, and he gave that long sermon. In Acts 4.31, it says, "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness." 

In Acts 13.9, it says, "Then Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, O fool of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" I wonder if we should speak to false teachers in such boldness today to make it clear. 

Verse 11, "And now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. What we see over and over and over in the book of Acts is that when a man is filled with the Spirit, he speaks, he opens his mouth. And what does he say? He speaks the Word of the Lord. He testifies about Jesus. He speaks the truth. 

Every man who turns to Jesus, who believes in him, is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, is given the promise of the Father. In Romans 8, Paul said, if a man does not have the Spirit, he is not his. Everyone who believes receives the Spirit. But to be filled with the Spirit is a command of the New Testament. 

To be filled is to be controlled. We see this clearly in Ephesians 5.18, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be being filled with the Spirit." Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Do not be controlled, he says, influenced with wine. Don't let drunkenness control your outward actions, but rather be controlled by the Holy Spirit. 

Being filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit, to have His power work through us, to produce the will of God, to testify about Jesus, to bring Him glory, and to produce the fruit of the Spirit. And this is what we see in the book of Acts. When they were filled, controlled by the Spirit, they spoke. They spoke the truth. They spoke the gospel. They spoke the word of the Lord. 

The apostles are sent the gift of the Holy Spirit. They are indwelt permanently, as the Father promised, and then continually we see that they're filled as they speak about Jesus. The book of Acts is about Jesus continuing to do and to teach, to work through His people, the believers, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to build His church, to bring men to Himself, and to produce fruit that brings glory to God. 

This is what we're going to study. I was trying to think how long we might study this. It could be a couple of years. It's a long book. At least many months. This amazing, exciting time. At the birth, the very beginning of the church, and the institution of the new covenant promises, where Jesus continues His work through His people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to accomplish His will. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we're so thankful for this record of Your witnesses, Your men whom You chose, and empowered by Your Spirit, and gave to them a message about Jesus. Thank You for that truth, that gospel. Thank You for the opportunities we have to bring it to the world, to lost men. Thank You for the faithful men who brought it to us. Thank You for the truth, that for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved. Everyone who believes Jesus, and trusts in Him alone, can know that they have eternal life. Help us to be witnesses. Help us to understand the mission You have for us, Lord. Help us to be clear and bold preaching the message. In Jesus' name we pray.