Acts: Jesus Is The Savior of the World
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PREACHING CHRIST THROUGH THE BIBLE
Acts: Jesus is the Savior of the World
Key Verse: Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Intro:
I have a fun question for us today. Do you enjoy movie sequels? And what makes a great sequel? Rolling Stone Magazine polled its readers about the greatest movie sequels and the top 5 were: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ 'The Dark Knight,’ 'Aliens,’ 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,’ 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day,' and the top was was, 'The Godfather: Part II.’ What makes these sequels so great is that the writers of these movies had a compelling story to tell after their original films. They were too great of a story to pass up.
Did you know we have a book in the Bible is also a sequel to another book? It’s not just the books that had 2nd on them. Acts is a continuation of the narrative written by Dr. Luke after his gospel account. So, technically, in our bibles, Luke should precede Acts. We can see this in Acts 1:1, which says, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” The Gospel of Luke is this first book, and the second one is the book of Acts.
There is a story here in Acts, or should we say, history, so real and compelling that Luke had to share it with Theophilus and his readers, and ultimately with us. This is why every believer should read the book of Acts as it gives us such an excellent description of what had happened after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and how this seemingly impotent faith community started, and how it would be the most incredible spiritual movement that changed all of history.
Background:
To understand this book a little better, let me give you some background information about this book. The book of Luke is the longest in the NT, the book of Acts is the second longest book. The events recorded in Acts span about 30 years, beginning with the ascension of Jesus in A.D. 33 to Paul’s two-year house arrest in Rome in A.D. 62. As we have said, Luke is the author of Acts who was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he wrote this book. He was a friend, a fellow missionary, and a physician to Paul. Luke is part of the action in the book of Acts. If you read any passage that uses the first person plural pronouns like “we” or “our,” that means Luke himself was there in that particular event he was describing (16:10-40; 20:5—21:18; 27:1—28:16).
The book of Acts is like a bridge from the life of Christ, up to the life of His church. This book is also like a staircase in which the churches’ origins to which Paul sent letters can clearly fit into the historical narratives of the book of Acts. Acts can be outlined using our key verse in Acts 1:8 as the witness of Christ spread through these significant locations. The spread came first in Jerusalem (Chs. 1-7), to Judea and Samaria (Chs. 8-12), and to the ends of the Earth (Chs. 13-28).
At its core, the book of Acts presents Jesus as the Savior of all. Even though Jesus is no longer physically present in its pages, Jesus is still the main character here. Scholars believe one of the purposes of why Luke wrote this account is to give a defense of Christianity and Jesus Himself. Luke gave his readers three prominent themes that authenticate and support the validity of Christianity and Jesus Himself as the Savior of the world. These three themes will be our three main points today.
I. The Holy Spirit
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...”
Before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, He promised His disciples that another Comforter would be with them in John 17. In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit takes a much more prominent role than ever before. We realize that the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead or the Trinity, and he has been sent to the believers to empower them for something so much greater than what they could ever imagine.
In our key verse, we see the promise that Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to them, and so they were told to wait. Before continuing in our message, one pretty interesting tidbit is that if you open your bibles, you’ll see that the complete title of the book of Acts is actually “the Acts of the Apostles.” This is the traditional name given by the early church leaders for this book. However, some scholars see this title as insufficient because the apostles aren’t the center topic for this book. The commentator J. Vernon Mcgee suggests that the complete title should be “The Lord Jesus Christ at Work by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles.” Jesus Christ is still the main character, and everything was only made possible in Acts through the Holy Spirit’s work in the apostles.
Back to our discussion of the Holy Spirit; In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit finally descend upon God’s people. During the Pentecost, the apostles were found in a house altogether. Then, we get a glimpse of this magnificent event in Acts 2:2-3. “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” What was happening here?
To get an idea, we have to go back to the Old Testament wherein the presence of God was upon the Tabernacle of God (Num 9:15). The presence of God was also upon the temple of God built by Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:1). This presence and the glory of God were visibly seen through fire over these establishments signifying God Himself was there. Now in Acts, fire came upon these believers signifying that the presence of God through the Holy Spirit was upon them. Now the believers have basically become the mobile tabernacle and the temple of God upon whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
This indwelling also meant empowerment. To prove that the apostles’ message was true, they were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also revealed God’s will for this group of believers. They were doing signs and wonders like speaking in tongues, healings, driving out demons, and many more miracles. These signs weren’t because of how strong the Apostles’ faith was. It was how the Holy Spirit was using them to lead more people to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit’s work changed their lives forever.
So what does this have to do with us today? If I could just be honest with us today, there is a struggle within me because I see the church struggling. I’m not just talking about BCI, but the church’s whole entity, especially here in the West. I struggle because when I compare the present church to the early church, there’s such a disconnect. We don’t have that fire, that passion, that power that the early church had. We would rather be comfortable in our seats being entertained rather than fulfilling the heavenly calling God has for us; we are letting the world dictate our passions, letting our selves be deceived by our desires and selfishness while being numb to the Spirit’s work and call in our lives. Instead of growing and maturing, we are rotting because of our indifference to God and His beautiful will for us. Instead of leading people and building the kingdom of God, we’d instead do our own thing, live our own lives in our ways, and live this Christian life in a rut.
What if I tell you that the Holy Spirit is real today? If you are a believer of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is living and indwelling you today. What if I tell you that today, the Holy Spirit is working in us to for us to experience the life Jesus has for us and to exalt Christ in everything we are doing. Let’s be sensitive to the Spirit’s work in us, and let’s surrender to Him. If the Holy Spirit is really in our lives, how would it impact our lives today?
II. The Message
“... and you will be my witnesses...”
As the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled in them. They became witnesses. In our present times, we usually hear the term “witnesses” in court. They’re called upon because they’ve “witnessed” something important to the case at hand. For the apostles and disciples, they became witnesses because they were to give an account of their personal physical experience of Jesus. Being a witness of Jesus means they had a story to share, a message to proclaim as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. This message is none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A quick note on the term “gospel”; did you know when Greeks used the term, usually it wasn’t about anything spiritual? When the emperor would often have a decree or a royal command to the empire, it would be considered “gospel” or good news. Or, when Rome would conquer a land, a messenger would come back to the empire from the battle and declare the “gospel,” the good news that Rome had won. So, the “gospel” back then was a message that would change the reality of an empire and its people. It didn’t matter if one believed it or not. However, they had to submit to whatever the implication was coming from this “gospel.” For the disciples; This gospel was the incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Salvation from sure condemnation is possible through Jesus Christ alone. This Gospel was an actual historical event. It is Good news that should change reality itself. With this, let me just talk about some characteristics of their Gospel message.
A. Their message was offensive
You see, the apostles and disciples first proclaimed this message towards the Jewish people. However, they met some strong resistance. Why? Because the Gospel of Jesus was offensive to many of the teachings of Judaism. It’s not that the Gospel was contrary to the laws they were following, but the believers back then were saying that the point of those traditions, feasts, laws, and essentially all of the Old Testament was none other than Jesus Himself. They were saying that the Jewish teacher and leaders missed the point of Jesus to the extent that they were the ones who killed the Messiah they’ve been longing for all this time.
If you read Acts 3, you find there a whole sermon of Peter telling them of the Gospel and how they need to repent and turn to Jesus. This was the response of the religious leaders back then. Acts 4:1-4, 1And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. You would see the disciples preaching the Gospel message all over Acts, and even if they were offending the Jewish communities they once belonged to, they wouldn’t stop proclaiming it, for this Gospel changed everything and they were willing to stand upon its truth.
B. Their message was disruptive.
The Apostles’ message wasn’t just offensive; it was also disruptive. After the Jews largely rejected their message in Jerusalem, many were persecuted, and so believers back then were spread all over the Roman empire. Paul was the one who was the Apostle sent out to the Gentiles or for those who aren’t Jewish. As much as I would like to talk to you about Paul’s life, we wouldn’t have enough time. However, just know that once Paul was converted, he became a faithful Apostle, and with his missionary team, they went all around the empire preaching the Gospel message. Everywhere they went, they’d have people listening, and many would believe, but many also were angry at their message? Why? Because they were disrupting the status quo. More than that, they were challenging what the Greco-Roman societies valued.
In that culture, people believed in multiple greek gods as they were part of the societal DNA. Gods like Zeus, Apollo, Athena were all important to the lifestyle of people back then. Paul and his team then came preaching that Jesus trumps them all, and He was the One True God who alone can save them. Not just that, but even in terms of their political ideology, Paul disrupted it too. Cesar or whoever was emperor back then was considered divine. They had a saying in the Roman empire, “Kaiser Kurios”, which means, “Cesar is Lord.” Paul and other Christians came challenging that idea and said, “Jesus is Lord,” or that “Jesus was King” they got into big trouble because of the message they were proclaiming.
Christians had caused so much disruption that people accused them of ruining their societies. We see a glimpse of that in Acts 17:6, “And when they could not find them (Paul and other missionaries), they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,” They were persecuted, even to the point of death, but they continued to preach and proclaim this message. Why?
C. Their message was transformative
The Gospel of Jesus was their message to the world. However, This message captivated their hearts first, and compelled them to a life beyond their own. It changed their realities and their very view of the world. It changed everything for them. It was so real for them that it affected every part of their lives. The Gospel message drove them for a life beyond their own. They stood on this Gospel message that it made them the most caring and loving community, and yet they did not stop telling this story of how Jesus came, died for their sins, and rose again and will one day come back to make all things new.
And so let me ask us, do we truly believe in this Gospel message? Does it captivate us, move us, and liberate us to live the way Christ wants us to live? And not to only live it, but to share this Gospel to others? Has it changed the way we view our world, other people, and our own lives? It can be offensive, and disruptive to others, but for us, the Gospel message should always transform us to be more like Christ and to love like Him. The Gospel can still transform for in it is the power of God to save. (Rom 1:16)
III. The Church
“in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The last point we have is about the church itself. One of the primary purposes of the book of Acts was to chronicle the growth and spread of the church. The church in the book of Acts was not a building. The church is made of believers united by their faith in Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and bearing witness to the gospel of salvation. The church started in Acts 2 during the Pentecost. God created this brand new organism, or a living body if you will to experience God’s presence and covenant promises. They were also to fulfill the task that God had for them.
When we think of churches today, we may have a very different outlook. The early church met in homes or by the Jerusalem temple where they would sing hymns, pray for each other, listen to God’s Word through the apostles, live in community, and experience this brand new faith movement altogether; They weren’t a special group of people. They were ordinary people who, after hearing the Gospel, received it wholeheartedly and radically followed their Savior. They took care of the poor and the vulnerable while preaching and proclaiming the salvation found in Jesus. It was not a perfect community, but it was a vibrant church whom God was using mightily. We see a glimpse of this community in Acts 2:42; 46-47 “42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
I know we can’t go into detail and go on every beat about the spread of the church in the book of Acts. Still, hopefully, I can give you just a general picture of how this seemingly insignificant group of people overcame challenges and make Jesus known. They started in Jerusalem as their central location. But, as they grew in numbers, the Jewish leaders became more and more threatened by the existence of these Jesus believers. And so, they were persecuted from the city of Jerusalem.
We would think it was only the prominent apostles like Peter and Paul who was responsible for growing the church; really it was these “normal believers” who were dispersed through all of the Roman empire. They built small faith communities much like the one in Jerusalem. People thought that this new religion was just another sect of Judaism because they were initially just preaching to the Jews about Jesus. It was not. This new faith was not just for the Jews because Jesus was for the whole world.
As the church spread to those, who are not Jewish people, we see stories of Philip preaching in Samaria and the people there receiving the Holy Spirit as well. There’s also the event of the Ethiopian eunuch being saved and baptized (Acts 8). Then the church spread all across the region of Judea and Samaria. During this time, Peter was given a vision from God. This vision concluded that this new faith was also for the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. Salvation is also for them as it was for the Jews who put their faith in Jesus alone (Acts 10).
Then, we see in Antioch; a multi-ethnic church is growing and thriving. After Saul’s conversion to Paul, this is where he stayed and got discipled. In this Antioch church is where the first believers were first called Christians (Acts 13:26). This church also became the first missionary-sending church. Paul and Barnabas were sent out and became missionaries to the major parts of the Roman Empire. Paul himself went on three different missionary journeys alongside different people, planting and supporting churches on his way. As with the other disciples, Paul faced persecutions, beatings, imprisonment for preaching the Gospel, but he wouldn’t stop. In all these things, the Holy Spirit was upon the people of God as the church grew and grew. Finally, in the last section of Acts, we see a seemingly abrupt ending. Paul is in house arrest in Rome, encouraging believers to continue in their walk and calling in Christ while proclaiming that Jesus is the Savior of the world.
How does the book of Acts impact us today? Do you know why the book of Acts seems to have a very unusual ending? Maybe this book isn’t finished yet. What if Luke is still writing Acts in heaven? Jesus promised the disciples that He would be with them as they would be witnesses to the ends of the earth. That certainly didn’t happen yet in the book of Acts. What if today’s church is a part of the book of Acts still? What if we are the witnesses to the ends of the earth?
However, you may see the church today; we have the same Holy Spirit in us. We have the same message we are proclaiming. We come from the same body the church as the early Christians. If so, BCI, we’re not finished yet. We have the incredible privilege to show that Jesus is the Savior of the world through demonstrating His love to others by caring for the vulnerable and proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I’d also like to challenge us to be disciples that are making disciples. If we want to learn more, join us for our E12 Breakthrough so we can challenge each other on how we as a church will continue the mission imparted to us. BCI, We have the Holy Spirit in us, the Gospel message flowing through us, and we embody the church of Christ today. We are witnesses that proclaims and demonstrates that Jesus is the Savior of the World. How will these truth change our lives today?
-Rev. Jerusalem Ona