In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

    And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

    So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”—Acts 1:1–11 

Last week we saw the stunningly clear link between speaking and spreading. We said that there is no spreading God’s name without speaking his name. This week we add the Spirit to the equation. Here is the main point this week: these cities will not be filled with the name unless we are filled with the Spirit. Acts 1:8 is the key text, but it won’t make sense without the context of Acts 1:1–11. 

I am going to start at the end of the text. Look at Acts 1:9–11. I start here, and I am going to come back to these verses at the end of the sermon. What these verses do so well is help us identify where we live as Christians. It is like that map at the mall that has a star saying “You are here.”

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”—Acts 1:9–11

Where are we? We are smack dab between Jesus’ reign and Jesus’ return. In these verses, we have the bodily resurrection, ascension, and return. Presently, Jesus reigns bodily in heaven and will one day return bodily from heaven. So what are we supposed to be doing between his reign in heaven and his return from heaven? Before we look at the answer, let’s look at what we are not supposed be doing.

Verse 11 says, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” In other words the two men in robes are saying, “This is not time for staring up at the sky.” That would be quite a scene. Can you imagine all Christians just standing and staring up at the sky all the time? Someone looks at them and says, “What are you doing?” They would reply, “I am just looking for Jesus.” I am not sure how we could keep it up. Maybe we could do it in shifts. Someone gets a break for lunch. There can be a night shift. The day shift clocks out, and the night shift clocks in. What a ridiculous picture. 

Verse 11 shows that it is not a time for staring into the sky. If it is not time to stare, then what are we supposed to be doing? Verse 8 shows us: “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” It is time to take the witness stand. It is time to speak the name of Jesus by the Spirit. It is time to spread the fame of his name until all have heard. None of it can happen without the Spirit. The Spirit is given to enable our witness and make it effective. 

Let me walk through how I see that conclusion in the text. We will look at the procession of the King (vv. 1–3), the promise of the kingdom (vv. 4–5), and the power of the kingdom (vv. 6–8).

The Procession of the King

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.—Acts 1:1–3

Good sermons should come at a passage from three vantage points. These distinct views were distinct to me at one time, but Joe Rigney helped me by giving them catchy names.

The worm’s-eye view comes from rigorous exegesis. You look at the Bible and dig down into the details of the text for small diamonds of truth. 

The second view is the bird’s-eye view. You fly high enough above the passage to see the literary landscape of the book of Acts and the whole Bible. Here you are looking for the way that this text is interconnected with other verses.

The third view is the God’s-eye view. This view takes a spiritual space shuttle above the atmosphere of this world and sees from the perspective of the cosmic King of Kings. You see the Triune God and his sovereign supremacy as he reigns high above all things.

I will refer to these three views as we work our way through the text. We will work our way up from the lowest view to the highest. Let’s begin in the worm’s-eye view.

There is one detail in the first verse that opens up the rest. It is the word “began.” “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” 

The word “began” implies a process. Jesus started to do something in the book of Luke, and now he is going to continue to do something in this book, the book of Acts. What was the book of Luke about? All that Jesus began to do and teach. How should we read the book of Acts? We should read it, knowing that what it records is the continuation of Jesus’ work that had already begun. It is about what Jesus continued to do and teach.

Now you might say, “So what? Why is that detail important?” I am going to make a statement that is not quite true, and I want you to spot the error. This is like Where’s Waldo—except we are playing “Where’s the Wrong?”

Here is the statement: Luke is the story of Jesus and Acts is the story of the early church.

Did you spot the wrong? Where does that statement go wrong?

That statement is simply not what the author Luke is saying in Acts 1:1. Luke constructed the comparison, and we should honor it. He does not make a connection between Christ (in the book of Luke) and the church (in the book of Acts). He makes a connection between two stages of the ministry of the same Christ (cf. John Stott, The Message of Acts, p. 32). And what are these two stages of Jesus’ ministry? How does his ministry change from Luke to Acts?

The book of Luke is the story of Jesus’ ministry on earth, and Acts is the story of Jesus’ ministry from heaven. Luke makes a massively big point about the ascension as the watershed event for both books. Everything in the book of Luke moves toward the ascension, and everything in the book of Acts moves from the ascension. The ascension marks the close of the book of Luke and the beginning of the book of Acts, but it does more. The ascension marked the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry “until the day when he was taken up.” The ascension is the official end of his earthly ministry (the book of Luke) and the official beginning of his heavenly ministry (the book of Acts). 

I love what Stott says about this dynamic. About the apostles, he says, “It is no exaggeration to say that they set Christianity apart from all other religions. These [other religions] regard their founder as having completed his ministry during his lifetime; Luke says Jesus only began his” (John Stott, The Message of Acts, p. 34).

Do you see anything else from the worm’s-eye view? Look with me at the phrase, “the kingdom of God.” Verse 3 reveals that the kingdom of God has been the focus of Jesus’ teaching before his ascension. “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”

So what? This reference to the kingdom is not accidental. Take the bird’s-eye view of Acts with me for a moment. The phrase only occurs eight times in Acts, but four of them are strategically set at the beginning and end of Acts (1:3, 6; 28:23, 31). Acts from beginning to end is all about the advance of the kingdom. So naturally, we must ask, “What is the kingdom of God?”

There is a general sense in which the kingdom of God signifies the absolute sovereignty of God. Some passages give us this God’s-eye view. “His kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19).

But there is also a sense in which God’s rule will come in fulfillment of his saving promises throughout the Old Testament. His enemies will be destroyed, and his people will be saved. In this sense, one has to “enter the kingdom” or “receive the kingdom” to participate in these saving promises (Luke 18:17). (Note: this paragraph is indebted to the excellent book by Alan J. Thompson, The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus, p. 39).

This kingdom has invaded Satan’s kingdom because the King came to earth and won the victory through his death, resurrection, and ascension. But what does the kingdom look like now? How will Jesus continue to work on earth if he is in heaven? How will he accomplish his work here (earth) from there (heaven)? The answer is the promise of the Spirit.

The Promise of the Kingdom

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”—Acts 1:4–5

Here is the worm’s-eye observation that opened up this whole section for me. 

Look at the “and” between verses 1–3 (teaching on the kingdom) and verses 4–5 (teaching on the Spirit). This word “and” emphasizes the close connection between these two passages. In other words, verses 4–5 do not start a new section—Greek uses a different conjunction for that—these verses are not unconnected to the kingdom. They give a specific example of what the coming of the kingdom would look like, namely the coming of the Spirit. 

Notice that he goes on to highlight three things about this promise of the Spirit. First, the Spirit is “the promise of the Father” (Old Testament promise). Second, the Spirit is the promise of Jesus (whose life is recorded in the book of Luke). Third, Jesus identifies Jerusalem as the place where the promise would be fulfilled, where the Spirit would be poured out.

But where is the Spirit promised in the Old Testament? What will the Spirit do when he comes? Verses 6–8 will give us the remaining clues we need.

The Power of the Kingdom

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”—Acts 1:6–8

Taking the worm’s-eye view again, notice the repetition of the word “kingdom” in our text. It appears in verse 3 and 6, with the word “therefore” in verse 6 as well. Why is that important? The author shows that he is returning to the question of what the kingdom looks like now. The word “therefore” reveals that this is his conclusion. The “therefore” and the repeated word “kingdom” together show that Jesus really is answering the disciples’ question about the kingdom in 1:7–8. When I first read these verses, I used to think that Jesus was shutting down their question. They asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” I thought his reply was, “You knuckleheads, you are asking the wrong question. Don’t concern yourselves with the restoring of the kingdom. All you have to do is concern yourselves with being my witnesses by the power of the Spirit. Don’t worry about the coming of the kingdom.” But that is not what he is doing. He doesn’t shut their question down; he answers it.

Here is why that is not what Jesus is saying: The disciples still think that the kingdom will come in one fell swoop like the judgment coming to devour God’s enemies. They are thinking like kingdom time-keepers. Did the clock just run out? Did the buzzer sound? Is it game over? But they have forgotten Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit. They have not understood the way that the kingdom would be restored according to the Old Testament. 

If we go to the Old Testament, taking a bird’s-eye view of the biblical landscape, we can see the connection between Isaiah and Acts. Acts unfolds exactly the way that the prophets predicted.

I pray that this next part of the sermon will make it feel as though your Bible is smaller. I hope that the Old Testament and the New Testament feel nearer rather than so far apart. As the distance shrinks between them, the Bible actually gets better and more infectious to read.

The writer of Acts tells us that the restoration promised in Isaiah is now ready to begin. There are three components to this restoration, and they are all found in Acts 1:8—“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Let me walk through these three components from Acts 1:8 and show you how these components were promised back in the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Isaiah. I’ll take each component individually.

The Coming of the Spirit

The first component is the coming of the Spirit. Acts 1:8 says, “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” There is a direct promise of this in Isaiah 32 and 44.

For the palace is forsaken,
      the populous city deserted;
        the hill and the watchtower
      will become dens forever,
        a joy of wild donkeys,
      a pasture of flocks;
until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
      and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
     and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.—Isaiah 32:14–15

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
      and streams on the dry ground;
        I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
     and my blessing on your descendants.—Isaiah 44:3

The Appointment of Witnesses

The second component is the appointment of witnesses who point to God’s saving work. Acts 1:8 says, “and you will be my witnesses,” specifically in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Again, we see the promise of this in Isaiah 43 and 44.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
      “and my servant whom I have chosen,
        that you may know and believe me
     and understand that I am he.
         Before me no god was formed,
     nor shall there be any after me.
        I, I am the LORD,
     and besides me there is no savior.
         I declared and saved and proclaimed,
     when there was no strange god among you;
     and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.”—Isaiah 43:10–12 

            Fear not, nor be afraid;
     have I not told you from of old and declared it?
     And you are my witnesses!—Isaiah 44:8

Through being God’s witnesses together, the tribes of Israel are brought back together. The Spirit is poured out, and Jews call upon the name of the Lord and are saved from many places. The pouring out of the Spirit in Acts 2 brings restoration to “all the house of Israel” (Acts 2:36). The gospel comes to the Jews “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Then the gospel comes to Samaria, which is a reference to the divided kingdom from 1 Kings 12, where the Northern kingdom had rebelled against the Southern kingdom of Judah. Acts 1:8 is saying that now the tribes and kingdoms of Israel are brought back together again under King Jesus. The outcasts of Israel are brought back. Even a eunuch as a foreigner is brought into the kingdom in Acts 8:26–40, just like Isaiah 56:3–5 predicted. But Acts says that the restoration of the tribes of Jacob was too small. The conquest would spread further.

The Ends of the Earth

The final component is the inclusion of the Gentiles and the very ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 says, “and to the end of the earth.” Again, this was promised back in Isaiah.

he says:
      “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
        to raise up the tribes of Jacob
        and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”—Isaiah 49:6

Paul quotes this verse in Acts 13:47 when the gospel is doing just that, spreading to the ends of the earth. Acts 15 makes it very clear that the inclusion of the Gentiles is proof that David’s fallen tent has been restored. (Remember the disciples’ original question: “Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”) David’s kingship has fallen. There was no one on David’s throne. But the prophets foretold a day when David’s son would sit on the throne again, his kingdom would be restored, and then the Gentiles would be added.

  ’After this I will return,
     and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
     I will rebuild its ruins,
          and I will restore it,
  that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
      and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
      says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’—Acts 15:16–18

So what? What does all of this have to do with us today? Verse 11 has already told us what not to do: stare into the sky looking for Jesus. It says, “and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'”

Well then, what should we do? Last week I talked about speaking God’s name coming before spreading God’s name. Now I want to talk about the Spirit’s role in the process of speaking and spreading. 

Application

Speaking and Spreading Are Works of the Spirit

Speaking: A Work of the Spirit

One of the most distinctive patterns in the book of Acts is the word “filling” (or a form of that verb) followed by the word “speaking” (or a form of that verb). I will limit myself to three examples.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.—Acts 4:8–13

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.—Acts 4:31

Saul was filled with the Spirit in Acts 9:17. Look at what happens immediately after, in verse 20, “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'”

These three texts show that a fruit of being filled with the Spirit is speaking Jesus’ name, especially in contexts of opposition. I think that is why the author Luke highlights the word “boldness.” What is boldness in the midst of opposition? Jesus’ witnesses are able to “be clear in the face of fear” (Wagner, 2004, 42).

Spreading: A Work of the Spirit

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.—John 16:7–8 

In what way are we witnesses of the resurrection? Christians are witnesses of the resurrection because they have experienced God’s resurrection power. We are already raised from the dead in a spiritual sense. We don’t just give arguments for the miracle of the resurrection; we are arguments. We are miracles. Our very witness is our confession of salvation through knowing that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Our belief in his resurrection is the fruit of our spiritual resurrection.

Ephesians 1 links Jesus’ resurrection with our own. It says that the power behind Jesus’s resurrection is the same power behind our believing. Peter preaches that the outpouring of the Spirit is proof that Jesus is ascended and seated on the throne. Acts 2:33 records Peter’s words, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

After Jesus has risen and ascended, he is ruling, and the promised Holy Spirit is poured out, then conversions come.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”—Acts 2:37–38

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.—Acts 2:41

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.—Acts 2:47

The risen Lord Jesus is not just the chief shepherd of the church; he is here the chief evangelist. The Lord added! He does so by the Spirit. The witness speaks and the power of the Spirit makes it an effectual witness.

The Sword of the Spirit at Work Like a Winged Arrow

Don’t trust in your persuasiveness. Don’t trust in your preparation. Don’t trust in your presentation. The power is not in your persuasiveness, your preparation, or anything in your presentation. The power is the Holy Spirit. You are an instrument, a poor instrument at best. Listen to how Charles Spurgeon testifies that it is God’s power that produces salvation in others, through us, weak instruments though we are.

I have often been surprised at the mercy of God to myself. Poor sermons of mine, that I could cry over when I get home, have led scores to the cross; and, more wonderful still, words that I have spoken in ordinary conversation, mere chance sentences, as men call them, have nevertheless been as winged arrows from God, and have pierced men’s hearts, and laid them wounded at Jesus’ feet. I have often lifted up my hands in astonishment, and said, "How can God bless such a feeble instrumentality?”—Spurgeon, The Soul Winner’s Reward

Some of you know the Disney story of Sleeping Beauty. My favorite part is when the prince takes on the wicked witch, Malificent, who has taken on the form of a dragon. He has a sword, but he needs help. He cannot defeat the dragon alone. The good fairies give power to the sword. Do you remember what they say? “O Sword of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure.” The sword magically goes straighter, farther, and faster than the prince could ever throw it, and goes right through the heart of the dragon.

That is what new covenant conquest looks like. The kingdoms of the world belong to Satan. Jesus has now come to plunder them. His servants go out armed with the Sword of Truth, the word. Just like the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the Holy Spirit gives the word power so that it is the Sword of the Spirit. Why does faith come from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)? Speaking the word about Christ is like throwing the sword of truth, and the power of the Spirit makes the word of Christ go straighter, farther, and faster than we could ever throw it. It goes into the heart, people are saved, and Satan, the wicked dragon, is defeated.

I read of this in action through Charles Spurgeon. While testing the acoustics in the vast Agricultural Hall that seated thousands, Spurgeon shouted, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." A worker high in the rafters of the building heard this, believed in Christ, and was saved as a result. 

Conclusion

When Is It Time to Stare?

Right now, Jesus is ascended on high. His presence is in heaven. He will return. His return will be very different depending on whether you have believed or not believed.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.—2 Thessalonians 1:9–10

I heard someone say once, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

But how different it will be for believers. Luke 17:24 says that Jesus’ coming will be such a clear contrast that it will be like lightning, a flashing blazing light against the backdrop of a black night sky. Luke says, “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” 

Just try to imagine that. Jesus will be a whole new level of light. He will be like the contrast of the brightest lightning to the blackest sky. He will stand out that starkly. How bright is his glory! Think of the light of the sun. If, in comparison to Jesus’ light, our current physical light looked like the blackest night sky, then think how much brighter Jesus’ glory must be. It must be an absolutely blazing, beautiful light. No wonder we won’t have any more need for the sun in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:23). The glory of God and the Lamb will be our light. Oh, how we will stare on that day. When Jesus comes again, it will be time for staring and marveling and glorying. God, bring that day soon. Until then, by the Spirit’s power, move your church to speak, and spread the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth.