Category: Encouragement

Acts 2:37-41

• Preacher Jim Denison from TX, when in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized. During the service, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. He asked the pastor of the congregation about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized and told Denison, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.”  Her father was a Muslim.  The same things often happens in India, when one converts to be Christian from the Hinduism.
• Context:
  • Peter has been preaching the very first full gospel sermon. In a spiritual sense Peter is using the keys of the kingdom opening it up for those listening.
  • What did Peter use to give evidence that Jesus was indeed the Christ? O.T. prophecies.
  • Peter tells the crowd the he and the others apostles are witnesses of Jesus resurrection.  And delivers some words that shake the many up. 
• Acts 2:36
• 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
  • Peter has just told them they killed their Messiah
• Acts 2:37
• 37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
  • What is it the Jews want from Peter? What can they do… are they without hope? Is there anything they can do to find God’s favor again?
  • Did the Jews believe what Peter shared with them? Yes… They believe Jesus is the Messiah, at least some did.
  • So we see Peter tells them what they need to do:
• Acts 2:38
• 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
  • What is the first thing Peter tells them to do?
    • Repent…Repent in the Greek is in the plural so a more literal translation would be “all you all repent”… In the N.T. almost every time we see the word repent in the N.T. linguistically or contextually it is used plural…Everyone needs to repent.  So this whole group of Jews are to repent. 
  • Why didn’t Peter tell to have faith?
    • Because they already believe what Peter had told them.
  • What does repentance mean?
    • A change of thinking… a change of direction… this idea of returning to God… it is more than just being sorry for sin.   Consider how Josephus used it. A Jewish General capture by Rome.  He writes a history of his time.  When the Jews were under siege by Rome supposedly he went to the city wall and told them to surrender to Rome. The Jews on the wall said, “You are only saying that because your family is in Jerusalem with us and you are afraid we will kill them.” 
    • He spoke this back to them, “Repent and believe in me.” Sounds like Jesus doesn’t it.  
  • What did he mean by repent?
    • He wants them to change allegiance and come over to His side. 
  • So Peter is telling them to repent is not telling these Jews to be good but rather repent from you sins turn to God.  For many there it would include repenting from the sin of unbelief in Jesus as the Messiah.  Peter telling they need to repent, change allegiance and come over to the side of Jesus and be apart of the kingdom of Jesus.
  • What is the next thing Peter tells the Jews, cut to the heart?
    • Be baptized… Which is a transliterated word.  When the King James Bible was translated in 1612 from the Greek to English.  The Greek word “baptismo” which means to immerse, submerge, dip or plunge. It was not translated that way it became baptize.  Why would they do that? The king had not been baptized that way, maybe… beside the King James was footing the bill for the translation.
    • So how was the word “Baptismo “used in the first century?  The ship sank “baptismo”, Go wash “Baptismo” your hands in that bucket.
  • Who all did this apply to?
    • every one of you…All those who heard and believed what Peter was saying about Jesus and about them.
  • Was this just any kind of baptism?
    • It was to be done, in the name of Jesus Christ… This happens at the point of conversion… when they have faith and are willing to repent, switch sides they are baptized into the name of Jesus. 
  • What are the two promises connected to these two acts of faith?
    • Forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit
  • What is the purpose or repentance and baptism?
    • For the forgiveness of your sins… Now we are forgiven by what Jesus did on the cross for us.  “FOR” into or in order that your sins be forgiven. These Jews who are repenting and being baptized “for”, into a state of forgiveness of sins. 
  • The word “for” is used 1,767 in the N.T. and it is used overwhelmingly to mean “into or unto”.  So the nature reading of the text is that repentance and baptism leads a convert into the realm of forgiveness
    • (Some have tried to say the word “for” should be translated “because” which would change the meaning of the verse… “Repent and be baptized because you’re forgiven.”  This is done to fit their theology, thus one is baptized as a result of being saved, not as an act of conversion.)
  • Is baptism a man’s work or God’s work?
    • See Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:27 
    • Whose idea was baptism? God’s.
  • Colossians 2:12-13
    • 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 
  • Galatian 3:27
    • 27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
      • This where we initially put on Christ.
  • What kind of work is baptism?
    • See 1Peter 3:21 
    • A work of faith. An appeal to God for a clean conscience. Faith without works is dead. A faith that claims to believe in Jesus but doesn’t do what he commands is bogus. So what did Jesus tell us to do when we encounter Him? He is looking for faith, faith in Christ and commands us to Repent and be immersed into the name of Jesus Christ
    • 1 Peter 3:21
      • 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
    • The apostle Paul teaches Christians baptism connects to Christ death and His resurrection.
  • The first promise was forgiveness, what is the second promise?
    • And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   
    • What have these Jews seen and heard?
      • Evidence of the Holy Spirit and now Peter makes a promise… You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! This is a good promise. 
  • Do you think there was rush for those Jews to get baptized?
    • The Jews knew about baptism not in Jesus name but for cleansing and separation from unclean things they may have come in contact with, like Gentiles or something dead.  
    • No this would have been a self-baptism practiced by the Jews. Self-washing the unclean off of you. 
  • How does Christian baptism differ from the Jewish baptism at that time?
    • It was far more than ceremonial cleansing. To become a Christian and be in Christ you are baptized into the Name of Christ brings about forgiveness for sin and connection to Jesus… but unites you with the Body of Christ…. It is a communal act. You are joined with not only Christ but with other Christians. 
  • Does a person receive the Holy Spirit through immersion into Jesus name?
    • See Ephesians 1:13, John 3:5, 1 Corinthians 12:13 & Titus 3:4-5
    • The Holy Spirit is granted to those who believe. The Holy Spirit is connected to baptism in scripture, like what we see here in Acts 2:38.
    • The Spirit indwelling the Christian at baptism does not exclude the Holy Spirit choosing to empower, fill and indwell those He wants to work thru for God’s purpose.
    • Ephesians 1:13
      • 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 
    • John 3:5
      • 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
    • 1 Corinthians 12:13
      • 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
    • Titus 3:4-5
      • 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:39-40
• 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!”
  • So who is this for?
    • Who would be the children of the Jews?  More Jews… Who are those who a far off?  This is a reference to the non- Jews all over their world. Peter doesn’t get what he is saying. Peter thinks this is just for the Jews.  It would take a vision years later and people coming to get Peter to a Gentile for Peter to get it. We get it from our perspective.
  • So does Peter keep doing?
    • He keeps preaching
  • What does the gospel give people an opportunity to do?
    • Be saved!
• Acts 2:41
• 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.
  • What was the result of the first preaching of the gospel on the Day of Pentecost?
    • Those who believed Peter’s message had faith, they accepted it.  Those same people were baptized. And those same people were added.  All in one day. 
  • Why doesn’t this thing happen anymore?
    • Well, it does still happen.  We may not see it happen to that scale here but it is happening in other places in the world. 
• TAKE AWAY
  • What does this response of faith seen in repentance and baptism do?
    • Makes disciples — Matthew 28:19
    • It brings us into the New Covenant-
      • Colossians 2:1-12
    • This is when we put on Christ 
    • Where we are granted forgiveness of sin
    • Through baptism this we are promised the Holy Spirit
    • Baptism saves us as the culmination of conversion
      • Mark 16:16
        • 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
    • It serves as a ritual of remembrance and community.
    • It alleviates guilt through God‘s forgiveness and shame through being brought into the community. 

Acts 2:1-16

• Context:
  • Chapter 2 of Acts opens with the day of Pentecost which meant 50th of something.  Specifically 50 days from the Passover feast.  This feast is also called the feast of weeks or feast of first fruits.  It always fell on the 1st day of the week Sunday. It was also the anniversary of the beginning of the Law of Moses.  Because of the timing of the feast in the warm time of year it made travel safer by ship consequently it was the best attended feast of the 3 God commanded for the Jews.
    • Do you remember what the apostles were to wait for?
    • What did Jesus want the apostles to be for Him?  
• Act: 2:1-4
• When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.
• Just as Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit was about to come on the apostles in a dramatic way
  • The day on which this occurred was the Day of Pentecost. In the Jewish calendar, Pentecost was the second of the three major feasts
  • More important than the day in the Jewish calendar was what Pentecost came to represent. With eh giving of the Spirit, this day became the birthday of the church. As James D.G. Dunn observes, Pentecost was the dividing line between the Old Covenant and the New
  • The ascension recorded in Acts 1 serves to prepare for the momentous event of Pentecost in Acs 2. Pentecost, says Dunn, “inaugurates the age of the Church”
• The place in which they were gathered may have been the upper room referred to in 1:13
• The group that was gathered is spoken of as “they”
  • It is not easy to decide whether this pronoun describes only the apostles or also the 120 believers. Grammatically speaking, the nearest antecedent is “the apostles” in 1:26
  • This reference also seems likely in light of the promise Jesus made to the apostles that they would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to become His witnesses
  • Some scholars, however, point to the prophecy of Joel in Acts 2:18 as an indication that women were included in the group which gathered at this time. They also find in the gathering of the great crowd an indication that the Spirit fell on more than just the twelve apostles
  • What was experienced is recorded in some detail
    • The Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven. He arrived in a manner that was both seen and heard
      • A sound suddenly filled the room, which reminded them of a powerful, roaring wind from heaven
      • Flames (glõssai) of fire appeared which seems to shoot out and hover above the head of each one there
  • The significance of these elements is first in the fact that they are miraculous displays of divine power
    • More particularly, the experience was a reminder of the numerous times that the Spirit was compared to the wind
      • Ezekiel spoke of how the wind blew and God breathed life into the dry bones
      • Jesus told Nicodemus that the Spirit, like the wind, produces results which are obvious though no one seems Him
      • John the Baptist had predicted that Jesus would soon baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire
  • Along with these sings of the Spirit’s coming there also came the ability to speak with “other tongues”
    • The term for “tongues” (glõssai) is often used to speak of languages used throughout the world, and here the context dictates that this meaning is intended
    • The crowd was amazes that these Galileans could speak words in so many languages spoken outside of Galilee. Here were twelve men who by a miracle of God were speaking in languages they should not have known
  • The explanation of this miracle is included in the narrative
    • “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit” in such a way that the Spirit “enabled them” to speak the languages of the audience which had gathered
    • Little detail is supplied here regarding the mechanics of this miracle of speech
      • The term “enabled” does not appear to include the idea of ecstatic speech, though it does carry the idea of speaking in an inspired way
      • The filling of the Spirit is mentioned in Acts 9:17 in the case of Saul of Tarsus. For the apostles it corresponds to the promise of the baptism of the Spirit. The language of Acts 11:16-17 suggests that the experience of the apostles and that of Cornelius established an expectation that the Spirit, in some form, would be given to all believers. Acts 2:39 reinforces this wide availability of God’s Spirit 
  • The mention of speaking in these languages invites comparisons with Paul’s words in I Corinthians 12:14
    • Many commentators argue that what is there referred to as “spiritual gifts” is not the same phenomenon described in Acts. The basis for the distinction is the tPaul’s language characterizes “speaking in tongues” as a “praise language” addressed only to God and  unintelligible to everyone else
    • By contrast, Acts 2 portrays speaking in tongues as languages understood by those who were visiting in Jerusalem
    • Both passages, however, use the term glõssa in reference to the gift. In 2:11 the content of their speaking in tongues is “declaring the wonders of God,” a phrase that bears similarities with Paul’s description in I Corinthians 14:13-17 
• Acts 2:5-8
• 5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?
  • The commotion caused by the Spirit’s descent could not be hidden
    • Whether it was the sound of the roaring wind or the noisy speaking from the apostles, a crowd began to gather, probably from eh temple area This location would be the only place where 3,000 people could assemble
  • How did those witnessing this event respond?
    • Bewildered & utterly- flabbergasted & amazed… This is a Wow! Moment, that don’t know what to make of this.
  • What are these people hearing?
    • Their own language human language … the scripture seems to indicate the miracle is not in their hearing but in the speaking right down to the dialect.
  • The 3 times we hear of tongues in Acts, it was used by God to validate SPECIFIC GROUPs:
    • The Apostles- 
    • Cornelius and his gentile household- 
    • And Christian baptism over John’s baptism in Acts 19.  
    • So in Acts Tongues are used has a sign. In I Corinthians tongues are used as a gift to serve the congregation.  Remember Paul called this the least of gifts from the Spirit and that not everyone can expect to receive the gift of tongues.
  • What do those hearing the apostles speak, notice about them?
    • “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?   Why & how did they notice that?  The dress of the apostles… maybe their accents came thru. People from Galilee were considered Hillbillies of the Jews. They would not be expected to know foreign languages.
• Acts 2:9-13
• 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”
  • Where are these Jews from?
    • To emphasize the far-reaching nature of these languages, Luke now includes a list of nations represented in the gathering
      • He reports that in Jerusalem resided devout Jews from every nation under heaven. Whether thee residents were pilgrims to Jerusalem because of Pentecost or permanent residents form the communities of Diaspora Jews is not clear. Whichever the case, these Jews were startled to hear the apostles speaking in languages other than Aramaic, Hebrew, or Greek
    • God brings the Jews back to hear the gospel… many will take back to the people in their communities.
    • There 14 people groups within the names nations mention but only 12 men speaking, how do we explain this? Some of the groups spoke the same language
      • The list of nations here is a rough sweep that begins in the eastern part of the Roman world and works its way west. The list begins in present-day Iran (Parthia) and mentions Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, all territories which are located east of the Euphrates River
      • These areas held large concentrations of the Jews since the days of the exiles
      • The next areas mentioned are located westward and northward. Judea is given, possible as a substitute for Syria. Then attention swings north to Cappadocia and Pontus, territories in central and northern Turkey
      • Next comes Asia on the western coast, followed by Phrygia and Pamphylia farther inland
      • Now a full circle is completed with the mention of territoris in North Africa. Egypt and Libya are included at this point in the list. Then comes the mention of Rome, the island of Crete and finally Arabia, the first-century Nabatean kingdom east of the Dead Sea
      • Plenty of evidence has been found to establish the presence of Jews in all of these locations sufficient for the account given here by Luke. In additions to Jews, 2:11 suggests that Gentiles were a part of the audience hearing the apostles
  • What are the apostles speaking about in these foreign languages?
    • Look at verse 11 we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.
  • What do you have to do to become a convert to Judaism?
    • Converts to Judaism 3 different levels.  Highest level is being circumcised. You are a Jew.  Greeks and Romans were not willing to this often… Lovers of Yahweh they refused to be circumcision.  Were called proselytes of the gate.  They could not go pass the gate in the court of Gentiles.  Another level was to Gentiles paid for sacrifices to be made…showed respect, but were not really converts.
  • What is the question that comes to the mind of the people hearing all this?
    • What does this mean?  A better translations of the Greek is “What will become of this?”
  • Who is it that is not amazed about all this?
    • See verse 13  The critics… Some here means, “Not some of the same type”- These were others.   The apostles are being accused of being drunk.  The wine the Jews drank especially if you were poor was very diluted with water… so the critics could be calling them wimps when it came to drinking wine or real drunks.  
• Acts 2:14-16
• 14 Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. 16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
  • Why does Peter speak up first?
    • Matthew 16:18-19 
    • “18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”
    • Peter was given the keys to the kingdom… the Gospel message about Jesus and what He did on the cross for us and His resurrection.
  • What is Peter’s defense to that they are drunk?
    • Too early in the morning… and this is from God, Joel the prophet spoke about it.
• TAKE AWAY
  • Does Jesus Keep His promise? See John 14:15-17 & John 15:26-27
    • John 14:15-17
    • 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.
    • John 15:26-27
    • 26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
  • Did Jesus kept His promise!
    • Is this a big deal?  The Holy coming makes the birth of the church possible, just like the Holy Spirit was behind the birth of Jesus.
  • Will the Holy Spirit work differently going forward than in the Old Testament?
    • Yes …there is no indwelling of the Holy Spirt until after Jesus ascended.

Acts 1:12-26

• Acts 1:12-14
• 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
  • Returning from the Mount of Olives was an uphill climb on a winding road with some spectacular views of Jerusalem to the west and the Dead Sea to the east. This notation by Luke give the location of the ascension at a place just outside of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. The apostles walked “a Sabbath’s day’s walk” to get to Jerusalem. This distance was about 3/4 of a mile and was the longest distance one could walk without breaking the Sabbath day regulation established by rabbinic tradition
  • When they arrived, the apostles went to a room upstairs
    • The term describes a space which was generally found on the third floor of a large Palestinian house. These rooms were normally reached by outside steps and were often used as dining rooms or as places of study. Sometimes they were also sublet to poorer families
    • No information is given as to the owner of the house, though some suggest that it may have belonged to Mary, mother of Mark. It may have been the same upper room used for Jesus’ last supper with His disciples
  • At this point the list of apostles is given
    • The list differs only slightly from similar ones given in the Gospels. The order of the names shows some variation and Judas Iscariot is obviously omitted
    • James son of Alphaeus is probably the same disciple called James the younger in Mark 15
    • Simon is called “the Zealot” which is likely a reference to his connections with the group of militant Jews fighting for political independence in the latter part of the first century
      • Though scholars today admit that the evidence for the existence of the Zealots in any organized way prior to 66 is slight, Josephus dates the beginning of the group to 6
    • Also mentioned here are women who were part of the fellowship of believers
      • Included among the women were those who had followed Jesus from Galilees. Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James are mentioned in Mark 15. In some cases, the women may have been relatives of the apostles, or even their wives. Mary the mother of Jesus was there
      • In addition, the “brothers” of Jesus were present
        • In Mark 6, the names of Jesus’ four brothers are given as James, Judas, Joseph, and Simon, and the presence of sisters is also mentioned
        • These family members were not convinced of Jesus credibility at first, but by the time of His ascension, had become believers. Later, James would even become a leader in the church and author of the Book of James
    • This group of apostles, friends, and family members was continuing in prayer as they waited in Jerusalem for the promise of God
      • The expression Luke uses is an important one. The disciples “continually united in prayer”. There were together just in the sense of being together in the same place, but they remained together in the sense of unity of mind and purpose. This expression of oneness (homothymadon) will appear several more times in Acts
      • Luke’s motive is to show how the believers carried out their ministry and worship with a spirit of harmony. It is no surprise that such unity should follow when Christians are praying and waiting for the Spirit
• Acts 1:15-20
• 15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters—the number of people who were together was about a hundred twenty—and said, 16 “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” 18 Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field is called Hakeldama (that is, “Field of Blood”). 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: “Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and let someone else take his position.”
  • Peter’s ability as a leader among believers became vital at a time when frustration and aimlessness could have overwhelmed the follower of Jesus
    • These believers had witnessed the cruel death of the Savior, and after a brief, unexpected reunion with Him, they had once again been separated from Him at the ascension
    • The group had been deprived of one of its leaders when Judas turned traitor
    • Under these circumstances Peter stood to address the bewildered group of believers
    • “In those days” refers to the period between the ascension and the Day of Pentecost
  • We are told that the number of the disciples was about 120. That is one of the most uplifting things in the NT
    • There were only 120 or so pledged to Christ, and it is very unlikely that any of them had ever been outside the narrow confines of Palestine—but these 120 ordinary men and women were told to go out and make disciples of the whole world. If ever anything began from small beginnings, the Christian Church did. These disciples gallantly faced their task, and so must we; and it may be that we too will be the small beginning from which the kingdom in our area of life will spread
  • Addressing the assembly, Peter’s first thought was the scriptural authors for taking action
    • He cited two OT verses—Psalm 69:25 and 109:8
      • 69:25 “Make their fortification desolate; may no one live in their tents.”; 109:8 “Let his days be few; let another take over his position.”
      • Psalm 69:25 is a prayer by the psalmist that the home of his enemy will become deserted. Psalm 109:8 is a prayer that the enemy of the psalmist will die prematurely and be replaced in his position by someone else
      • Peter thus implied the the abdication of Judas and the opportunity to replace him had been foreseen by God. In stating this, Peter also expressed his confidence in the Scriptures as the very voice of God. The prophetic word had been spoken “by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of” the human spokesman, David. The word of God is authoritative because it originates from God
    • Many of the Psalms, especially those which are called “royal” or “coronation,” were considered Messianic in the first century. It is possible that lists of such OT references were used by the earliest Christians as they evangelized among the Jews
  • Peter’s description of the need called attention to what happened to Judas Iscariot
    • He reminded the apostles that Judas had been a full member of their ministry. Luke adds a parenthetical remark that Judas had used the money to purchase a field (or estate). Because of the gruesome nature of his death on this property the place became known later as “Field of Blood”. The name of the place is translated from the Aramaic for the benefit of Luke’s Greek readers. The language indicates that he fell “headlong” and his body “burst open”
    • Matthew’s account of this incident indicates that Judas returned the 30 pieces of sliver to the temple, throwing it down, and then went away and hanged himself
      • The best way to harmonize these accounts is to assume that the priests used the silver to purchase the estate after the death of Judas. This assumes that his death occurred by hanging, and that the body of Judas, having become decomposed, fell from the place where he had committed suicide. Luke’s reason for providing such gory details is to remind the reader of the consequences of isn. This point is reinforced in 1:25 where Peter says that Judas abandoned his role “to go where he belongs”—a less than subtle reference to eternal punishment
    • What the Greek means here is actually unclear; but in Matthew’s account we are left with no doubt that Judas committed suicide. It will always be a matter of speculation why Judas betrayed Jesus. Various suggestions that have been put forward include
      • The name Iscariot means man of Kerioth
        • If that is correct, Judas was the only non-Galilean among the apostles. It may be that he felt himself the odd one out and grew so embittered that he did this terrible thing
      • It may be that Judas became an informer to save his own skin and then saw the enormity of what he had done
      • It may be that he did it simply out of greed for money
        • If he did, it was the most dreadful bargain in history—for he sold his Lord for 30 pieces of silver, which was the equivalent of a little under 6-month’s pay for the average worker
      • It may be that Judas came to hate Jesus
        • From others he could disguise the evil intentions of his heart; but the eyes of Jesus could penetrate to the inmost corners of his being. It may be that in the end he was driven to destroy the one who knew him for what he was
      • It may be that Iscariot is a form of a Greek word which means a dagger-bearer
        • They were a band of violent nationalists who were prepared to undertake assassination and murder in a campaign to set Israel free. Perhaps Judas saw in Jesus the very person who could lead the nationalists to triumph; and, when he saw that Jesus refused that way, he turned against Him and in his bitter disappointment betrayed Him
      • It is likeliest of all that Judas never meant Jesus to die, but betrayed Him with the intention of forcing His hand
        • If that is so, Judas had the tragic experience of seeing his plan go desperately wrong, and in his bitter remorse he committed suicide
      • Whatever the reason for his actions, Judas goes down in history as the most wicked name of all. There can never be any peace for anyone who betrays Christ
• Acts 1:21-26
• 21 “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.
  • After this explanation, the address of Peter resumes
    • His use of the Psalms argues the need for selecting new leader. This need was made explicit as Peter explained the qualifications required of the successor of Judas
    • The position of Judas would not be filled randomly. The field was narrowed to include only those who had “been with us”, that is, full participants in the earthly ministry of Jesus
      • In Acts it is always the twelve who are called apostles, except in 14 where Paul and Barnabas are designated as “apostles.” Paul’s use of the term seems broader, however, and includes not only himself (Gal. 1:1), but also Junias and Andronicus (Romans 16:7), and maybe Barnabas (I Cor. 9:6) and James (I Cor. 15:5; Gal 1:19). 
  • Beyond this requirement, the successor must have been a participant in this ministry fro the full period of time beginning from John’s baptizing in the Jordan River and including Christ’s ascension. This experience would serve to boost the credentials of the new apostle for being a “witness” of Christ’s resurrection
  • Two candidates, Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias, were set forth by the apostles
    • Others may also have been qualified for this role, but these two were placed before the congregation for consideration. There names are not mentioned again in the NT
  • The last step in the process was prayer and the casting of lots
    • The prayer was simple, but beautiful. God was addressed in a way quite appropriate for the occasion. He is “Lord,” but also the one who knows every heart
      • “Lord” describes His absolute control over circumstances and events. As the one who knows everyone’s heart, His assistance was necessary in the selection of a spiritual leader upon whom much would depend. The simple request was that the all-knowing Lord would reveal the proper choice
  • Having asked for divine help, the apostles completed the selection with the casting of lots. Lots were usually a collection of marked sones or sticks placed in a jar and then shake out. The one whose lot fell out was the one chosen
    • This was how offices in the Temple were selected
  • Though this method may seem far too random, we must remember that the OT had already sanctioned the casting of lots for use in some important situations. Now the apostles were using this method in connection wit a process that had already narrowed the field of candidates by a rational means, and had brought them down to two perhaps equally qualified men. Thus they prayed for God’s choice to be revealed in this final step. They trusted as they did so that the truth of Proverbs 16:33 would apply “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
  • In this manner, Matthias was “added to the eleven apostles”
    • This is the only instance in the NT when an apostle is chosen with human hands. Later, when James was martyred, there was no effort to replace him. The position of apostle was a unique and irreplaceable one. As eyewitnesses to the resurrection, their testimony would form the basis for the preaching of the gospel

Acts 1:1-11

• Acts 1:1-3
• I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
  • As we mentioned the last couple of weeks, we don’t know much about the identity of Theophilus. In Luke’s Gospel he is also named and is described as “most excellent”. This designation suggests that he was a person of some status
  • Theophilus was a common name in the first century, and the custom of dedicating important literary works to someone was also common
  • Luke describes his Gospel as “the former book” or “first narrative” because he sees Acts as the second volume of his work
    • Any document which covered more than one roll of papyrus might be referred to as a “book”
    • In this case Luke uses “first” or “former” (prõton) to mean the first of two volumes. He aptly summarizes the content of the Gospel as “all that Jesus began to do and teach.” Both His miracles and His sayings are recorded there
    • The word “began” probably does not mean that Acts represents a continuation of this ministry. The phrase is a Hebrew expression implying that the former book deals with what Jesus did and taught “from the beginning”
    • Events recorded in the Gospel of Luke lead up to the day Jesus was “taken up to heaven.” Fittingly enough, Luke’s Gospel ends where the Book of Acts begins—the ascension of Jesus. The disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven, but only after He appeared to them over a span of forty days
    • During this time, Jesus gave instructions to His disciples through the Holy Spirit. Jesus had previously testified that the Holy Spirit was working through Him. Acts continues this theme here by noting that Jesus’ final instructions to the Apostles were delivered under the guidance of the Spirit. Later in Acts the Spirit’s role in Jesus’ ministry of miracles and healing will be mentioned
    • The time of this instruction was a period “after His suffering.” During the next forty days after His death and resurrection, Jesus made appearances to the apostles. He would come and go again in such a way that those who saw Him were convinced that this was the Jesus whom they had known. The word for “convincing proofs” (tekmẽrion) is a term which was used in logic to speak of a demonstration of evidence clinching the case. The sight of the risen Lord and their experiences with Him were all the evidence needed to conclude that Jesus was alive again
    • Demonstrating that He was alive was not the only reason that Christ appeared to His apostles. He also spent this time telling them things about the Kingdom of God. The term “kingdom” is used to speak of God’s reign or run, whether in heaven or on earth. His subjects include all whose allegiance is to Christ. The Kingdom of God was important in the preaching of Jesus and continued to be emphasized by His early disciples
• Acts 1:4-8
• 4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
  • Included among these “things about the Kingdom of God” which Christ taught His disciples was the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus used an occasion of eating with His disciples to issue His command. Luke also describes another resurrection appearance which involved a meal. Luke 24:42-43, “42 So they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.” In the present context one particular concern is mentioned by Luke. Jesus wanted His discipled to be ready for the coming of the Holy Spirit
  • By commanding them to wait in Jerusalem, Jesus was fulfilling expectations which extended back to the OT prophets
    • Isaiah 2:3 predicted, “The Law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” His own teaching had confirmed this anticipation. Jesus had told them they would “receive power from on high”. Jerusalem would be the place. Though they might be tempted to leave Jerusalem and go back to Galilee or to avoid persecution by returning to their previous way of life, Jesus was telling them to stay in the city
  • The “power from on high” of which Jesus had spoken would arrive shortly. As to the specific nature of this power, the only words from Jesus we have are the well-known passages from John 14-16
    • There Jesus encouraged His disciples not to think of His separation from them as a reason to lose heart. He promised them that the Father will send “another Counselor” who would guide them into all truth. Here Jesus was contrasting the coming gift of the Spirit with what was found in the baptism of John. The apostles would experience a power that was unlike anything experienced by those baptized by John
  • Luke 3:16 records the testimony of John the Baptist
    • When baptizing those who came to him, John told the people that the one coming after him would baptize them “with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Now Jesus was reminding the apostles of this promise. What Jesus was predicting for the apostles would be more than they could imagine. The Holy Spirit was going to be poured out from heaven in a way that would include flames of fire. The days of fulfillment described by the OT prophets were dawning
  • It is easy to see what the apostles thought about the coming of the Spirit
    • Evidently His description of the outpouring of the Spirit caused them to begin thinking about the end of the age. One the day of Jesus’ ascension the group was conversing on the Mount of Olives. The apostles saw their opportunity to ask a burning questions. Would this time be the moment for the restoration of the kingdom of Israel
    • The form of their question indicates that they expected a political reign
      • “Restore” suggests a return to the national independence enjoyed under former kings. On numerous occasions the apostles had shown that this expectation dominated their thinking. They were eager to see the restoration of dominion to Israel and to share positions of authority in the new political order. Even at their last supper with Jesus this issue had surfaced.
      • Without confronting their misconception directly, Jesus was now reminding them that their position did not permit them such privileged information. They would not be given details about “the times or dates” for the fulfillment of God’s purposes. Their concern was not to speculate as to when, but to commit themselves as to what their role would be in the Lord’s completing of His divine plan
  • “My witnesses” is what Jesus said they would be
    • With its background in the courtroom, “witness” (martyria) implies the act of testifying. They would serve as proclaimers of the earthly ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. As eyewitnesses they were in the perfect position to do so
  • The OT prophet had called on Israel to be God’s witnesses in the world
    • Their failure in this mission made the ministry of Jesus even more essential. If Israel would not become the “servant of the Lord,” then Jesus, and those whom He commissioned, must take up the task
  • The apostles were to become Christ’s witness-bearers
    • The extent of this witnessing would be worldwide. Beginning in Jerusalem they would proclaim the gospel in ever-widening geographical circles. It would be proclaimed also in “all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 thus becomes 4th them of the entire book
    • Roughly speaking, Acts 1-7 describes the impact of the gospel in Jerusalem. Then, Acts 8-12 carries the account forward, depicting the effects of the gospel in several places in Judea and Samaria. Lastly, Acts 13-28 highlights the spread of the gospel to major cities of the whole Roman Empire, the ends of the civilized word
  • We must note certain things about this Christ witness
    • First, a witness is someone that says: “I know this is true.” IN a court of law, hearsay is not accepted as evidence; witnesses must give an account of their own personal  experiences. A witness does not say “I think so”, but “I know.”
    • Second, the real witness is not of words but of deeds. When the journalist Sir Henry Morton Stanley had discovered David Livingstone in central Africa and had spent some time with him, he said: “If I had been with him any longer, I would have been compelled to be a Christian—and he never spoke to me about it at all.” The witness of Livingstone’s life was irresistible 
  • Proclaiming the gospel on such a broad scale was an incredible undertaking
    • Sufferings and hardships would accompany the apostles on the way. Help from God was vital. Thus Jesus addressed the very real need of the apostles when he reminded them of what the Father had promised for them. They would receive power in the form of the Holy Spirit. Only then could they serve as witnesses. With this power (dynamis)—the very power which worked in the ministry of Christ on earth—the apostles would be propelled into the activity of witnessing. Such proclamation of the Christ would lead to a restored Israel in spiritual glory as the kingdom was advanced on a universal scale
  • Without the Spirit there could be no witnessing for Jesus. Yet without the focus of witnessing for Jesus the power of the Spirit has no purpose. Wherever disciples of Jesus become distracted from their witness for Him, the power is drained away
• Acts 1:9-11
• 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
  • The words of Jesus had hardly been spoken before the apostles were witnessing Jesus being lifted toward heaven
    • The language indicates that the even occurred before their very eyes. Christ’s ascension was unlike His many resurrection appearances to the disciples in which He suddenly appeared and then just as suddenly disappeared (as He did on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24). Neither is there any sign of external forces such as a whirlwind or heavenly wonder. No earthly power assisted the ascension.Rather, Jesus simply began lifting into heaven in a way that may be described as dignified or majestic
  • A cloud appeared after He began to ascend, and hid Jesus from their gaze
    • The apostle may well have remembered that during the transfiguration of Christ it was a cloud which enveloped them, covering the brilliance of His glory. The appearance of such a cloud also sparks memories of the OT accounts of the nation of Israel being led in the wilderness by the cloud from which the force of God was heard or the temple filled with the cloud of God’s glory
  • Intently gazing on the unfolding drama in the sky, the apostles were interrupted by two men standing beside them
    • It was obvious they were angels because of their white garments. The message of the heavenly visitors was filled with rebuke and promise. Addressing the apostles as “men of Galilee,” the angels were calling attention to the fact that the apostles, except for Judas Iscariot, were not only native Galileans, but they also had spent most of their time with Jesus in Galilee. The questions put to the apostles contains a hint of rebuke. Why were they standing there as if Jesus would become visible again? This ascension was not like the transfiguration. Then Jesus was present the moment the cloud was gone. Those days were over. The apostles would have to say good-by to the experience of having Jesus with them in the flesh. But this did not mean He would be far from them when they stood before their persecutors or when the call came for ministry
  • More importantly, Jesus Christ would be back again
    • The words of the two angels also contained a promise. Jesus is coming again. But the promise is quite specific. The one who will come again is “this same Jesus.” He is the very one who ministered with them, and was taken from them in the crucifixion, resurrection, and finally, the ascension. His return would be a personal coming
  • The ascension of Jesus Christ is, then, a meaningful moment in the purposes of God
    • It prepares the way for such NT doctrines as the exultation of Christ as heavenly king and the role of Christ as mediator. Without the ascension of Jesus His existence would be confined to this world. His acceptance into the presence of God assures believers that His mission has been accomplished. His exaltation at the right hand of God means that His new status as Lord and Christ has been confirmed by God

Introduction to Acts Continued

• Theme of Acts
  • Acts opens with a statement from Jesus which seems to set the tone for the entire work. Jesus promises the Apostles that they will receive power in the form of the Holy Spirit. He then tells them that they will  “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This theme of being a witness for the gospel is carried throughout the Book of Acts
  • Consider the following verses:
    • 1:22; the replacement for Judas had to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection
      • 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
    • 2:32; Peters sermon on Pentecost emphasized that the apostles were witnesses of the resurrection
      • 32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this.
    • 3:15; after healing the beggar Peter proclaimed the resurrected Christ and that the apostles were witnesses
      • 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.
    • 4:20; the apostles told the Jewish authorities they could not help proclaiming what they had seen and heard
      • 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
    • 5:32; when the apostles were again persecuted they said they must obey God because they were witnesses along with the Holy Spirit
      • 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
    • 8:25; Peter and John went to Samaria where they “testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord”
      • 25 So, after they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
    • 10:39; Peter proclaimed to Cornelius that he was a witness to the ministry of Jesus
      • 39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.
    • 13:31; Paul told the crowd in Pisidian Antioch that Jesus’ followers had witnessed Christ’s resurrection
      • 31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
    • 22:15; Ananias went to Paul with the message that Paul would be a witness to all men of what he had seen and heard
      • 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
    • 23:11; God appeared to Paul encouraging him that he would testify in Rome concerning the Lord
      • 11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”
    • These references don’t include the numerous passages in which individuals are found witnessing falsely
  • As witnesses for Christ carried the gospel toward the far reaches of the world, the church advance everywhere. This them is also important in Acts. The expansion of the church is presented in a historical context. Luke even dates some of the events in his record by using key Roman names and events as reference points.
  • As Acts 1:8 indicates, Luke shows how the gospel prevailed wherever it was proclaimed. In Jerusalem, huge numbers were baptized on the Day of Pentecost. Later, thousands were added, even though the believers were being persecuted by the Jewish authorities. Such incidents as the striking down of Ananias and Sapphira and the dissension over the ministry to the Hellenistic widows did not slow down the rapid increase of converts to the gospel
  • Beyond the walls of Jerusalem, the gospel also found fertile ground for growth. After the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and saw its numbers increasing. Peter’s work in Lydda bore rich fruit and his raising of Tabitha in Joppa brought many to believe in the Lord
  • The ever-widening influence of the gospel was felt beyond Judea and Samaria as well. Antioch saw increasing numbers of believers especially among the Gentile populations. The cities of southern Galatia felt the gospel’s impact as Paul and Barnabas evangelized in places like Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe. Later, Paul and Silas revisited these cities and more growth came. On this same missionary journey Paul and Silas even crossed into Macedonia where the results were the same. The gospel continued to conquer hearts and minds for Christ with each passing day
  • Through all of Luke’s record, the role of the Holy Spirit is highlighted. From the Day of Pentecost when He was poured out, the Spirit was essential to God’s purposes for the proclamation of the gospel. When the men were chosen administer the benevolence to widows, Stephen was appointed because he was a man full of “faith and of the Holy Spirit”. In Samaria the new converts received a visit from the apostles who placed their hands on them, granting them the power of the Holy Spirit. This was a power which Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy. Philip heard from the Spirit that he was to go to the chariot of the Ethiopian. While Peter was preaching to Cornelius, the Holy Spirit came on the listeners, interrupting Peter’s address. Barnabas and Saul were first selected as missionaries at Antioch when the Spirit spoke to the church. Their travels were guided by the Holy Spirit and in Ephesus Paul rebaptized believers who had not received the Spirit. When Paul addressed the Ephesian elders, he reminded them that they had become leaders because of the Spirit’s ministry
  • While Acts emphasizes that the apostles received the power of the Spirit, it also emphasizes how they used this power. They faithfully bore witness for Christ. Acts underscores the work of the apostles, or at least some of the apostles
    • Roughly speaking,  1-12 focuses on the work of Peter. His role in the choosing of a successor for Judas and the preaching on the Day of Pentecost open the book. Almost every chapter which follows contains some report on the work of Peter. He and John heal the lame man, and then stand before the Sanhedrin. He confronts Ananias and Sapphira and Simon the Sorcerer. He experiences the vision which results in the preaching to Cornelius and the conversion of his family. He then defends his actions before the church leaders in Jerusalem. Finally, he miraculously escapes imprisonment by Herod
    • With Acts 13 the spotlight shifts to Paul. Paul and Barnabas are sent from Antioch as missionaries. Their report at the Jerusalem conference is crucial, and though they cannot agree any John Mark, a second missionary journey is undertaken by Paul and Silas. The second journey is followed immediately by a third, and then comes the account of Paul’s tragic visit to Jerusalem and his arrest in the temple 
    • The rest f the book describes the series of hearings Paul endures and his transport to Caesarea and on to Rome. Paul’s ministry as a Roman prisoner is the focus of the final comment in Acts. For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ
• The Purpose of Acts
  • For years scholars have puzzled over why Luke produced Acts. Comparing the opening of Acts with that of Luke’s Gospel shows that a particular disciple named Theophilus was central to Luke’s motives. But we mentioned last week that we don’t know anything about Theophilus
    • We can only speculate who Theophilus was. Luke 1:3 calls him “most honorable Theophilus”. The phrase literally means “Your Excellency” and indicates a man high up in the service of the Roman government. There are three possibilities
      • Theophilus may not be a real name at all
        • In this time, it might have been dangerous to be a Christian. Theophilus comes from two Greek words—theos, which means God, and philein, which means to love. It may be that Luke wrote to someone who loved God, whose real name he did not mention for safety’s sake
      • If Theophilus was a real person, he must have been a high government official
        • Perhaps Luke wrote to show him that Christianity was a lovely thing and that Christians were good people. Maybe his writing was an attempt to persuade a government official not to persecute Christians
      • Based on the fact that Luke was a doctor, there is another theory
        • Doctors in these days were often slaves. It has been suggested that Luke was the doctor of Theophilus, and that Theophilus had been healed by Luke’s skill. Then Theophilus, as a thank you, gave Luke his freedom. Then, it may be, that Luke wanted to show how grateful he was for this gift; and since the most precious thing he had was the story of Jesus, he wrote it down and sent it
  • Luke implies in the opening of the gospel that he had carefully researched his material. He was concerned to provide a proper sequence of events. He shows awareness of other accounts which have been written concerning Jesus 
  • One purpose often noted is a historical one. Luke wanted to provide a historical record of the events of Jesus’ life and the progress of the first-century church. Though some scholars argue that his reasons had to do with his concerns  about the return of Christ, it is possible that he saw the end of the apostolic age coming. Perhaps Luke wanted a written record of the apostles’ work in carrying on the ministry of Jesus
  • The immediate purpose of Luke may be indicated in his words in the opening of the gospel. He tells Theophilus that he writes so that this believer will know the certainty of things he had been taught. This comment may indicate that the two-volume work was meant for Christian instruction
  • The apologetic value of Acts has often been noted. Some have wondered if Luke’s work was intended to serve as a defense brief for Paul as he stood before Caesar. The problem with this suggestion is that Luke includes so much material that has nothing to do with Paul’s defense. Why wud he include the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord? Why would he focus on the Apostle Peter in the early chapters of Acts? Acts would be very tedious reading if the main purpose were a defense of Paul
  • Nevertheless, it is true that much of Acts emphasizes that the believers posed no threat to the Roman Empire. When the apostles are summoned before  the Jerusalem authorities, their only crime is healing the lame man. When Stephen is martyred, his only fault is his zeal for the faith. Peter’s imprisonment at the hands of Herod Agrippa I is due to no fault of the Apostle. Paul’s hearing before Gallio is a matter of questions about the Jewish Law. The series of trials experienced by Paul repeatedly emphasizes his innocence. The cumulative effect of these statements establishes that the church was never any real threat to Caesar
  • Beyond these purposes, Acts has a theological purpose. Luke intends to show how the apostles began the work Jesus initiated on the earth. Acts 1:1 describes Luke’s Gospel as an account of all that Jesus began to do an teach. Acts intends to describe how the apostles continued this this work of Jesus. The Gospel begins in Jerusalem and fans out over the whole Roman world to the Imperial City itself. The salvation of the Lord is, in Paul’s language, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Acts records how God used human means to send out the divine message of salvation in Christ

Introduction to Acts

• Outside of the gospels, Acts can be considered the most important book in the NT. It is the simple truth that, if we did not posses Acts, we would have no information about the early Church outside of what we can deduce from the letters of Paul
• There are two ways of writing history
  • There is the way which attempts to trace the course of events from week to week and day to day; and there is the way which opens a series of windows and gives us vivid glimpses of the great moments and personalities of any period. Acts seems to fit into the second category
• Many call this The Acts of the Apostles. But the book neither gives nor claims to give an exhaustive account of the acts of the apostles. Apart from Paul, only three apostles are mentioned in t. In Acts 12:2, we are told in one brief sentence that James, the brother of John, was executed by Herod. John appears in the narrative, but never speaks. It is only about Peter that the book gives any real information—and very soon, as a leading player, he passes from the scene
  • In the Greek, there is no “The” before Acts; the correct title is Acts of Apostolic Men; and what Acts aims to do is to give us a series of typical exploits of the heroic figures of the early Church
• The Author
  • Although the book never says, from the earliest times Luke has been held to be its writer. About Luke we really know very little; there are only three references to him in the NT—Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24, II Timothy 4:11
  • From these, we can say two things with certainty. First, Luke was a doctor; second, he was one of Paul’s most valued helpers and loyal friends, for he was a companion of Paul in his last imprisonment
  • We can deduce the fact that he was a Gentile from Colossians. In 4:11, a list of mentions and greetings is concluded from men of Jewish background, and in verse 12, a new list begins. We naturally conclude this new list is of Gentiles. So we have the very interesting fact that Luke is the only Gentile author in the NT
• The Recipient
  • Luke wrote both his gospel and Acts to a man named Theophilus. We can only speculate who Theophilus was. Luke 1:3 calls him “most honorable Theophilus”. The phrase literally means “Your Excellency” and indicates a man high up in the service of the Roman government. There are three possibilities
    • Theophilus may not be a real name at all
      • In this time, it might have been dangerous to be a Christian. Theophilus comes from two Greek words—theos, which means God, and philein, which means to love. It may be that Luke wrote to someone who loved God, whose real name he did not mention for safety’s sake
    • If Theophilus was a real person, he must have been a high government official
      • Perhaps Luke wrote to show him that Christianity was a lovely thing and that Christians were good people. Maybe his writing was an attempt to persuade a government official not to persecute Christians
    • Based on the fact that Luke was a doctor, there is another theory
      • Doctors in these days were often slaves. It has been suggested that Luke was the doctor of Theophilus, and that Theophilus had been healed by Luke’s skill. Then Theophilus, as a thank you, gave Luke his freedom. Then, it may be, that Luke wanted to show how grateful he was for this gift; and since the most precious thing he had was the story of Jesus, he wrote it down and sent it
• The Aim in Writing Acts
  • One of his reasons was to comment Christianity to the Roman government
    • Over and over, he goes out of his way to show how courteous Roman magistrates were to Paul. In 13:12, Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus, becomes a Christians. In 18:12, Gallio is absolutely fair minded in Corinth. In 16:35, the magistrates at Philippi discover their mistake and apologize publicly to Paul. In 19:31, the provincial officials in Ephesus are shown to be concerned that no harm should come to Paul
    • Luke was pointing out that in the years before he wrote, Roman officials had often been well-disposed and always just and fair to Christianity
    • Further, Luke takes pains to show that Christians were good and loyal citizens and had always been regarded as such. In 18:14 Gallio declares that there is no question of crime or villainy. In 19:37, the secretary of Ephesus gives the Christians a good report. In 23:29, Claudius Lysias is careful to say that he has nothing against Paul. In 25:25, Festus declares that Paul has done nothing worthy of death and in the same chapter Festus and Agrippa agree that Paul might well have been released had he not appealed to Caesar
    • Luke was writing in the days when Christians were disliked and persecuted; and he told his story in such a way as to show that the Roman magistrates had always been perfectly fair to Christianity and the they had never regarded the Christians as evil. In fact, the very interesting suggestion has been made that Acts is nothing other than the brief prepared for Paul’s defense when he stood trial before Caesar
  • One of Luke’s aims was to show that Christianity was for all people of every country
    • This was one of the things that many Jews found hard to grasp. They had the idea that they were God’s chosen people and that God had no use for any other nation. Luke sets out to prove otherwise. He shows Philip preaching to the Samaritans; he shows Stephen making Christianity universal and being killed for it; he shows Peter accepting Cornelius into the Church; he shows the Christians preaching to the Gentiles at Antioch; he shows Paul traveling far and wide winning men and women of every kind for Chris; and in Acts 15 he shows the Church making the monumental decision to accept the Gentiles on equal terms with the Jews
  • But these were merely secondary aims. Luke’s chief purpose is set out in the words of the risen Christ in 1:8; “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
    • It was to show the expansion of Christianity—to show how that religion which began in a little corner of Palestine had in just over 30 years reached Rome
    • The Church historian C. H. Turner has pointed out that Acts falls into six panels, each ending with what might be called a progress report. The six are as follows
      • 1:1-6:7; this tells of the church at Jerusalem and the preaching of Peter; and it finishes with the summary; “7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.”
      • 6:8-9:31; this describes the spread of Christianity through Palestine and the martyrdom of Stephen, followed by the preaching in Samaria. It ends with the summary; “31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”
      • 9:32-12:24; this includes the conversion of Paul, the extension of the Church to Antioch, and the reception of Cornelius into the Church by Peter. Its summary is: “24 But the word of God spread and multiplied.”
      • 12:25-16:5; this tells too the extension of the church through Asia Minor and the preaching tour of Galatia. It ends; “5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”
      • 16:6-19:20; This describes the extension of the Church to Europe and the work of Paul in great Gentile cities like Corinth and Ephesus. Its summary; “20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.”
      • 19:21-28:31; this tells of the arrival of Paul in Rome and his imprisonment there. It ends with Paul “31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
    • This plan of Acts answers its most puzzling question—why does it finish where it does? It finishes with Paul in prison awaiting judgement. We would have like to know what happened to him; and the end remains a mystery. But Luke stopped there because he had achieved his purpose; he had shown how Christianity began in Jerusalem and swept across the world until it reached Rome. One NT scholar has said that the title of Acts might be: “How they brought the Good News from Jerusalem to Rome.”
• Luke’s Sources
  • Luke was a historian, and the sources from which a historian draws information are all important. Where did Luke get his facts? We actually see two parts to this in Acts
    • There are the first fifteen chapters, describing events of which Luke had no personal knowledge. He most probably had access to two sources
      • There were the records of the local churches. They may never have been set down in writing, but the churches had their stories. In this section, we can distinguish three records
        • There is the record of the Jerusalem church, which is found in chapters 1-5 and in 15-16. There is the record of the church at Caesarea, which covers 8:26-40 and 9:31-10:48. There is the record of the church at Antioch, which includes 11:19-30 and 12:25-14:28
      • It is very likely that there were cycles of stories which were the Acts of Peter, the Acts of John, the Acts of Philip, and the Acts of Stephen. Beyond a doubt, Lukes’ friendship with Paul would bring him into touch with all the great figures of all the churches, and their stories would be at his disposal
    • There are chapters 16-28. Luke had personal knowledge of much that is included in this section
      • When we read Acts, we notice a strange thing. Most of the time, Luke’s narrative is in the third-person plural; but in certain passages it changes over to the first-person plural, and they becomes we. On all these occasions, Luke apparently was present, and  in these passages we have eyewitness accounts
      • As for the times when he was not present, many were the hours he must have spent in prison with Paul, and many were the stories Paul must have told him. There can have been no great figure Luke did not know, and in every case he must have gotten his story from someone who was there
  • When we read Acts, we may be quite sure that no historian ever had better sources or used those sources more accurately
• Date of writing
  • Acts 1:1 indicates that Luke wanted Acts to serve as the second volume of a two-volume work. For this reason Acts must be dated at the same time or later than the gospel of Luke. The earliest dates that scholars assign to Luke are  in the late 50s. Festus had already ascended to power when Acts was written, an even which is dated in 60. So those things set the earliest Acts could be dated
  • The real question is how late can Acts be dates. Some radical Bible critics have dated Acts as late as 115-130. This date reduces the chances that Luke was the author. Many scholars fix the date between 70-80. The reasons often given for this date have to do with the subject matter of Luke’s gospel, especially Luke 21:5-38. In these verses Jesus speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem. His description is so vivid that many scholars believe Luke must have recorded it after the even had occurred in 70
  • One question which must arise in discussing the dat of Acts has to do with the last verses. Acts closes with a description of Paul under house arrest in Rome. He was taken there to stand trial before Caesar. The account ends by nothing that he remained there “Two whole years” preaching the gospel as he waited for his accusers to arrive. Tradition indicates that he was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero 54-68. The question to be answered is whether Paul was martyred during this Roman imprisonment. If so, why didn’t Luke record Paul’s death in Acts? Is the absence of any word on Paul’s death significant? Was Luke avoiding the issue in order to preserve his focus on the victorious progress of the church? If so, maybe Acts was meant to end at this point in the story. This would allow for Acts to be written later than the year of Paul’s death. The dat of writing could then be fixed somewhere between 70-80
  • On the other hand, it may be that Luke does not record Paul’s death because it had not occurred when he wrote Acts, meaning that the dating of Acts would be earlier. If Luke finished Acts before Paul’s death occurred, the work must be dated somewhere in the early or mid 60s. Church tradition, especially Jerome and Eusebius, dates Paul’s martyrdom in Rome around 67-68. Many scholars believe, however, that Paul was released from his house arrest described in Acts 28. They argue that he resumed his missionary travels until the day he was once again arrested and take to Rome. They also contend that the Pastoral letters (I & II Timothy, Titus) were written before this second imprisonment. If this is true, then Acts may have been written at the end of Paul’s first imprisonment, or around 63 

Jude 17-25

• Jude 17-19
• 17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.
  • Jude points out to his own people that nothing has happened which they might not have expected. The apostles had given warning that evil people would come and such people are now among them
    • The actual words of Jude’s quotation are not in any NT book. He may be doing any one of three things
      • He may be quoting from some apostolic book which we no longer possess
      • He may be quoting not a book but some oral tradition of the apostolic preaching, or some sermon which he himself had heard from the apostles
      • He may be giving the general sense of a passage like I Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. 3 They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods that God created to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth.”
  • In any event, he is telling his people that error was only to be expected in the Church. From this passage we can see some of the characteristics of these evil people
    • They mock at goodness, and their conduct is governed by their own evil desires
      • These two things go together. The opponents of Jude had two characteristics, as we have already seen. They believed that the body, being matter, was evil; and that it made no difference if they satisfied their desires to the full. Further, they argued that since grace could forgive any sin, sin did not matter. These heretics had a third characteristic. They believed that they were the progressive thinkers; and they regarded those who observed the old moral standards as old-fashioned and out of date
      • That point of view is by no means dead. There are still those who believe that the once accepted standards of morality, especially in matters of sex, are quite out of date. Psalm 53:1 states, “The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.”
      • In that text, fools does not mean brainless individuals; it means people who are playing the fool. And the fact that they say there is no God is entirely due to wishful thinking. They know that, if there is a God, they are wrong and can expect judgment; therefore, they eliminate God. In the last analysis, those who eliminate the moral law and give free rein to their passions and desires do so because they want to do as they like. They listen to themselves instead of listening to God—and they forget that there will come a day when they will be compelled to listen to Him
    • These evil people have a second characteristic. They set up divisions—they are worldly, not having the Spirit
      • To set up divisions in the Church is always sin. These people set up divisions in two ways
        • As we have already seen, even at the love feasts they had their own little groups. By their conduct, they were steadily destroying fellowship within the Church. They were drawing a circle to shut people out instead of drawing a circle to take them in
        • But they went further. There were certain thinkers in the early Church who had a way of looking at human nature which essentially split people into two classes. To understand this, we have to understand a little bit of Greek psychology
          • To the Greeks, human beings were made up of body (sõma), soul (psuchē), and spirit (pneuma). Sõma was simply a person’s physical construction. Psuchē is more difficult to understand. It was simply physical life; everything that lived and breathed had psuchē. Pneuma, spirit, was quite different, it belonged only to human beings, and was the quality which made them thinking creatures, kin to God, able to speak to God and to hear Him
          • These thinkers went on to argue that everyone possessed psuchē, but very few really possessed pneuma. Only the really intellectual, the elite, possessed pneuma; and only the very few could rise to real religion. The rest must be content to walk on the lower levels of religious experience
          • They therefore divided people into two classes. There were the psuchikoi, who were physically alive but intellectually and spiritually dead. We might call them fleshly creatures. All they possessed was flesh-and-blood life; intellectual progress and spiritual experience were beyond them. There were the pneumatikoi, who were capable of real intellectual knowledge, real knowledge of God and, real spiritual experience. Here was the creation of an intellectual and spiritual aristocracy over against the common mass of people
          • Further, these people who believed themselves to be the pneumatikoi believed that they were exempt from all the ordinary laws governing conduct. Ordinary people might have to observe the accepted standards; but they were above that. For them, sin did not exist; they were so advanced that they could do anything and be none the worse. We may do well to remember that there are still people who believe that they are above the laws, who say in their hearts that it could never happen to them and who believe that they can get away with anything
        • We can now see how cleverly Jude deals with these people who say that the rest of the world are the psuchikoi, while they re the pneumatikoi. Jude takes their words and reverses them. “It’s you that are the flesh dominated ones; it is you who possess no pneuma, no real knowledge and no experience of God.” Jude is saying to these people that although they think of themselves as the only truly religious people, they have no real religion at all. Those whom they despise are much better than they are themselves
        • The truth about these so called intellectual and spiritual people was that they wanted to sin and twisted religion into a justification for sin
• Jude 20-21
• 20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
  • In the previous passage, Jude described the characteristics of error; here he describes the characteristics of goodness
    • Good people build up their lives on the foundation of the most holy faith
      • That is to say, the lives of Christians are founded not on something which they manufactured themselves, but on something which they received. There is a chain in the transmission of the faith. The faith came from Jesus to the apostles; it came from the apostles to the Church; and it comes from the Church to us
      • That means the faith which we hold is not merely someone’s personal opinion; it is a revelation which came from Jesus and was preserved and transmitted within His Church, always under the care and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from generation to generation
      • The faith is a most holy faith. Again and again, we have seen the meaning of this word holy. Its root meaning is different. That which is holy is different from other things, as the priest is different from other worshipers, the Temple is different from other buildings, the Sabbath is different from other days, and God supremely different from men and women
      • Our faith is different in two ways
        • It is different from other faiths and from philosophies in that it is not made by us but is God-given, not opinion but revelation, not guessing but certainty
        • It is different in that it has the power to make those who believe it different. It is not only a mind changer but a life changer, not only an intellectual belief but also a moral force
    • Good people are people who pray
      • It has been put this way: “Real religion means dependence.” The essence of religion is the admission of our total dependence on God; and prayer is the acknowledging of that dependence, and going to God for the help we need. Christians must be men and women of prayer for at least two reasons
        • They know that they must test everything by the will of God; therefore they must take everything to God for His approval
        • They know that of themselves they can do nothing, but that with God all things are possible; therefore they must always be taking their insufficiency to God’s sufficiency
      • Jude says prayer is to be in the Holy Spirit. What he means is our human prayers are at least sometimes bound to be selfish and blind. It is only when the Holy Spirit takes full possession of us that our desires are so purified that our prayers are right. The truth is that we are bound to pray to God; but He alone can teach us how to pray and what to pray for
    • Good people keep themselves in the love of God
      • Jude is thinking of the old covenant relationship between God and His people as described in Exodus 24:1-8. God came to His people promising that He would be their God and they would be His people; but that relationship depended on their accepting and obeying the law which He gave them
      • “God’s love has it’s own terms of communion” James Moffatt. It is true in one sense that we can never drift beyond God’s love and care; but it is also true that if we desire to remain in close communion with God, we must give Him the perfect love and the perfect obedience which must always go hand in hand
    • Good people wait with expectation
      • They wait for the coming of Jesus Christ in mercy, love, and power; for they know that Christ’s purpose for them is to bring them to live eternal, which is nothing other than the life of God Himself
• Jude 22-23
• 22 Have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
  • Even to the worst heretics, even to those most far gone in error, and to those whose beliefs are most dangerous, Christians have a binding duty to not destroy but to save. Their aim must be not to banish them from the Christian Church but to win them back into the Christian fellowship. James Denny of Glasgow Free Church College said that at its simplest, Jesus came to make bad people good. The historian Sir John Seely said: “When the power of reclaiming the lost dies out of the church, it ceases to be the church.” Jude divides those who cause trouble for the Church Ito three classes, to each a different approach is necessary
    • There are those who are flirting with falsehood
      • The are obviously attracted by the wrong way and are on the brink of committing themselves to error, but are still hesitating before taking the final step. They must be argued out of their error while there is time. From this, two things emerge as a duty
        • We must study to be able to defend the faith and to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We must know what we believe so that we can meet error with truth; and we must make ourselves able to defend the faith in such a way that our graciousness and sincerity may win others to it. To do this, we must banish all uncertainty from our minds and all arrogant and intolerance from our approach to others
        • We must be ready to speak in time. Many people would have been saved from error of thought and action if someone else had only spoken in time. Sometimes we hesitate to speak; but there are many times when silence is cowardly and can cause more harm than speaking out could ever cause
    • There are those who have to be snatched from the fire
      • They have actually started out on the wrong way and have to be stopped, forcibly and even against their will. It is all very well to say that we must leave people their freedom and that they have a right to do what they like. All these things are in one sense true, but there are times when people must be saved from themselves
    • There are those whom we must pity and fear at one and the same time
      • Here Jude is thinking of something which is always true. There is danger to the sinner; but there is also danger to the rescuer. Anyone who aims to cure an infectious disease runs the risk of infection. Jude says that we must hate the garment stained by the flesh. He is probably referencing the regulations in Leviticus 13 where it is said that the garment worn by a person discovers to be suffering from leprosy must be burned. The old saying remains true—we must love the sinner but hate the sin. Before we can rescue others, we must be strong in the faith ourselves. Our own feet must be firm on the dry land before we can throw a life vest to the person who is likely to be swept away
      • The simple fact is that the rescue of those in error is not for everyone to attempt. Those who would win others for Christ must themselves be very sure of Him; and those who would fight the disease of sin must themselves have the strong antiseptic of a healthy faith. Ignorance can never be met with ignorance, nor even with partial knowledge; it can be met only by the affirmation; “I know whom I have believed”
• Jude 24-25
• 24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
  • Jude comes to an end with a tremendous ascription of praise
  • Three times in the NT, praise is given to the God who is able
    • In Romans 16:25, Paul gives praise to the God who is able to strengthen us. God is the one person who can give us a foundation for life which nothing and no one can ever shake
    • In Ephesians 3:20, Paul give praise to the God who is able to do far more than we can ever ask or even dream of. He is the God whose grace no one has ever exhausted and on whom no claim can ever be too much
    • Here, Jude offers his praise to the God who is able
      • God is able to keep us from stumbling
        • The word is used both of a sure-footed horse which does not stumble and of a person who does not fall into error. To walk with God is to walk in safety even on the most dangerous and the most slippery path
      • He can make us stand blameless in the presence of His glory
        • The word for without blemish is characteristically a sacrificial word; and it is commonly and technically used of an animal which is without spot or blemish; therefore it is fit to be offered to God. The amazing thing is that when we submit ourselves to God, His grace can make our lives nothing less than a sacrifice fit to offer to Him
      • He can bring us into His presence triumphant
        • Surely the natural way to think of entry into the presence of God is in fear and shame. But by the work of Jesus and in the grace of God, we know that we can go to God with joy and with all fear banished. Through Jesus, God the stern judge has become known to us as God the loving father
  • We note one last thing. Usually we associate the word Savior with Jesus; but here Jude attaches it to God. He is not alone in this, because God is often called Savior in the NT. So we end with the great and comforting certainty that at the back of everything there is a God whose name is Savior. Christians have the joyous certainty that in this world they live in the love of God and that in the next world they go to that love. The love of God is both the atmosphere and the goal of all their living 

Jude 3-7

• Jude 3
• 3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.
  • Here we find out why Jude is writing the letter. He has been engaged on writing an essay about the Christian faith; but news had come that evil and misguided people had been spreading destructive teaching. He became convinced that he must lay aside his essay and write this letter
  • Jude fully realized his duty to be the watchman of God’s flock. The purity of their faith was there’d, and he rushed to defend both them and the faith
    • That involved setting aside the work on which he had been engaged; but often it is much better to write an article for the the times than an essay for the future. It may be that Jude never again got the chance to write the essay he had planned; but the fact is that he did more for the Church by writing this urgent little letter than he could possibly have done by leaving a long essay on the faith
  • In this passage, there are certain truths about the faith which we hold
    • The faith is something which is delivered to us
      • The facts of the Christian faith are not something which we have discovered for ourselves. In the true sense of the word, they are tradition, something which has been handed down from generation to generation until it has come to us. They go back in an unbroken chain to Jesus Himself
      • There is something to be added to that. The faces of the faith are indeed something which we have not discovered for ourselves. It is, therefore, true that the Christian tradition is not something handed down in the cold print of books; it is something which is passed on from person to person through the generations. The chain of Christian tradition is a living chain whose links are men and women who have experienced the wonder of the facts
    • The Christian faith is something which is once and for all delivered to us
      • There is in it an unchangeable quality. That is not to say that every age does not have to rediscover the Christian faith; but it does say that there is an unchanging nucleus in it—and the permanent center of it is that Jesus came into the world, lived, and died to bring salvation to us
    • The Christian faith is something which is entrusted to God’s consecrated people
      • That is to say, the Christian faith is the possession not of any one person but of the Church. It comes down within the Church, it is preserved within the Church, and it is understood within the Church
    • The Christians faith is something which must be defended
      • Every Christian must be its defender. If the Christian tradition comes down from generation to generation, each must hand it on uncorrupted and undistorted. There are times when that is difficult. The word Jude uses for “contend for” contains the root of our word agony. The defense of the faith may well be a costly thing; but that defense is a duty which falls on every generation of the Church
• Jude 4
• 4 For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
  • Here is the peril which made Jude lay aside the essay he was about to write and take up his pen to write this burning letter. The threat came from within the Church
  • Certain people had come in by stealth. The Greek is a very expressive word. It is used of the plausible and seductive words of someone who pleads their case cleverly, espying gradually into the minds of a judge and jury; it is used of an outlaw slipping secretly back into the country from which he has been expelled; it is used of the slow and subtle entry of innovations into the life of society, which in the end undermine and break down the ancestral laws
  • It always indicates a stealthy insinuation of something evil iota a society or situation
  • Certain evil people had worked their way into the Church. They were the kind of people for whom judgment was waiting. They were irreverent and godless in their thoughts and in their lives. Jude picks out two characteristics about them
    • They perverted the grace of God into an excuse for sensuality
      • The Greek is a grim and terrible word. Most people try to hide their sin; they have enough respect for common decency not to want to be found out. But those described here are people who are so lost to decency that they  do not care who sees their sin. It is not that they arrogantly and proudly flaunt it; it is simply that they can publicly do the most shameless things, because they have ceased to care for decency at all
      • These people are undoubtedly tinged with Gnosticism and its belief that, since the grace of God was wide enough to cover any sin, they could sin as they liked. The more they sinned, the greater the grace—therefore, why worry about sin? Grace was being perverted into justification for sin
    • They denied our only Lord and Master, Jesus Christ
      • There is more than one way in which people can deny Jesus
        • They can deny Him in times of persecution
        • They can deny Him for the sake of convenience
        • They can deny Him by their lives and conduct
        • They can deny Him by developing false ideas about Him
      • If these people were Gnostics, they would have two mistaken ideas about Jesus. First, since the body, being matter, was evil, they would hold that Jesus only seemed to have a body and was kind of spirit ghost in the apparent shape of a man. The Greek for seem is dokein; and these people were called Docetists. They would deny the real humanity of Jesus Christ
      • Second, they would deny His uniqueness. They believed that there were many stages between the evil matter of this world and the perfect spirit which is God; and they believed that Jesus was only one of the many stages on the way
  • No wonder Jude was alarmed. He was faced with a situation in which some had wormed their way into the Church., and these people were twisting the grace of God into a justification, and even a reason, for sinning in the most blatant way. They denied both the humanity and the uniqueness of Christ
• Jude 5-7
• 5 Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; 6 and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day. 7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
  • Jude issues a warning to the evil intruders who were perverting the belief and conduct of the Church. He tells them  that he is, in fact, doing nothing other than reminding them of things of which they are perfectly well aware. In a sense, it is true to say that all preaching within the Christin Church is not so much bringing new truth as confronting people with truth they already know but have forgotten or are disregarding
  • To understand the first two examples which Jude cites from history, we must understand one thing. The evil people who were corrupting the Church did not regard themselves as enemies of the Church and of Christianity; they regarded themselves as the advanced thinkers, a cut above the ordinary Christian, the the spiritual elite. Jude choose his examples to make clear that, even if people have received the greatest privileges, they may still fall away into disaster, and even those who have received the greatest privileges from God cannot consider themselves safe but must be on constant watch against mistaken beliefs and error
  • The first example is from the history of Israel
    • He takes his story from Numbers 13-14. The mighty hand of God had saved the people from slavery in Egypt What greater act of deliverance could there be than that? The guidance of God had brought the people safely across the desert to the borders of the promised land. What greater demonstration of His providence could there be than that?
    • So, at the very borders of the promised land, at Kadesh-barnea, spies were sent to spy out the land before the final invasion took place. With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the spies came back with the opinion that the dangers ahead were so terrible, and the people so strong, that they could never win their way into the promised land. The people rejected the report of Caleb and Joshua, who were for going on, and accepted the report of those who insisted that the case was hopeless
    • This was a clear act of disobedience to God and a complete lack of faith in Him. The consequence was that God gave sentence that of these people , with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, all those over the age of 20 would never enter the promised land but would wander in the wilderness until they were dead
    • This was a picture which haunted the minds of both Paul and the writer to the Hebrews. It is the proof that even those who have the greatest privilege can meet with disaster before the end, if they fall away from obedience and lapse from the faith. The Glasgow minister George Johnston Jeffrey tells of a great man who absolutely refused to have his biography written before his death. “I have seen too many men fall out on the last lap.” The Methodist John Wesley ward; “There none presume on past mercies, as if they were out of danger.” In his dream, Joh Bunyan saw that even from the gates of heaven there was a way to hell
    • Jude warns these intruders that, great as their privileges have been, they must still take care in case disaster should come upon them. It is a warning in which each of us would do well to heed
  • The second dreadful example which Jude takes is the fallen angels
    • The Jews had a very highly developed doctrine of angels, the servants of God. In particular, the Jews believed that every nation had its presiding angel. In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures, Deuteronomy 32:8 reads; “When the Most High divided the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.” That is to say, to each nation there was an angel
    • The Jews believed in a fall of the angels, and much is said about this in the Book of Enoch, which so often lies behind the thought of Jude. In regard to this, there were two lines of traction
      • The first saw the fall of the angels as due to pride and rebelliousness
        • That legend gathered particularly round the name of Lucifer, the light-bringer, the son of the morning. Isaiah 14:12, “Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground.” 
        • When the 72 returned from their mission and told Jesus of their successes, He warned them against pride; Luke 10:18, “18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”. The idea was that there was a civil war in heaven. The angels rose against God and were cast out; and Lucifer was the leader of the rebellion
      • The second stream of traditions finds its Scriptural echo in Genesis 6:1-4, “When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.”
      • In this line of thought, the angels, attracted by the beauty of mortal women, left heaven to seduce them and so sinned
    • In the first case, the fall of the angles was due to pride; in the second case, it was due to lust for what was forbidden. In effect, Jude takes the tow ideas and puts them together. He says that the angels left their own rank; that is to say, they aimed at a position which was not for them. He also says that they left their own proper home; that is to say, they came to earth to live with moral women
    • Jude’s warning is clear. Two things brought ruin to the angels—pride and lust. Even though they were angels, and heaven had been their dwelling place, they nonetheless sinned—and, for their sin, they were marked for judgment. To those reading Jude’s words for the first time, the whole line of thought was plain, for Enoch had much to say about the fate of these fallen angels. So, Jude was speaking to his people in terms that they could well understand and was telling them that, if pride and lust ruined the angels in spite of all their privileges, pride and lust could ruin them as well
    • The evil intruders within the church were proud enough to think that they knew better than the church’s teaching and were lustful enough to pervert the grace of God into a justification for blatant immorality. Whatever the ancient background of his words, Jude’s warning is still valid. The pride which knows better than God and the desire for forbidden things are the way to ruin in time and in eternity
  • The third example Jude chose is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
    • Notorious for their sins, these cities were obliterated by the fire of God. The traveller and writer George Adam Smith, in The Historical Geography of the Holy Land, points out that no incident in history ever made such an impression on the Jewish people, and that Sodom and Gomorrah are time and time again used in Scripture as the supreme examples of human isn and the judgment of God; they are used in this way even by Jesus Himself. “The glare of Sodom and Gomorrah is flung down the whole length of Scripture history.”
    • The story of the final wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah is told in Genesis 19:1-11, and the tragic tale of their destruction is told immediately following in 12-28. The sin of Sodom is one of the most horrible stories in history. H. E. Ryle, in his commentary on Genesis, has called it a “repulsive incident”. 
    • Two angelic visitors had come to Lot. He urged them to come in, and they entered his house as his guests. When they were there, the inhabitants of Sodom surrounded the house, demanding that Lot should bring out his visitors that they can have sex with them. What the men of Sodom were intent on was homosexual intercourse with Lot’s two visitors—sodomy, the word in which their sin is commemorated
    • It was after this that Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated from the face of the earth. The neighboring cities were Zoar, Admah, and Zeboim. This disaster was localized in the dreadful desert region of the Dead Sea, a region which George Adam Smith, who travelled extensively in Palestine, calls: “This awful hollow, this bit of the infernal regions come to the surface, this hell with the sun shining into it.” It was there that the cities were said to have been; and it was said that under that scorched and bare earth there still shouldered an eternal fire of destruction
    • The should is bituminous with oil below, and Adam Smith conjectures that what happened was this: “In this soil took place one of these terrible explosions and firestorm which have broken out in the similar geology of North America. IN such soli reservoirs of oil and gas are formed, and suddenly discharged by their own pressure or by earthquake. The gas explodes, carrying high into the air masses of oil which fall back in fiery rain, and are so inextinguishable that they float afire on water.”
    • It was by such an eruption of fire that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. They awful desert was only a day’s journey from Jerusalem, and this divine judgment on sin was never forgotten
  • So Jude reminds these evil people of the fate of those who in ancient times defied the moral law of God. Jude is insisting that they should remember that sin and judgment go hand in hand, and that they should repent in time