The Risen Reign of the Kingdom

The Risen Reign of the Kingdom

Acts 1:1-11

Movie sequels are rarely as good as the original. However, there are some. The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Christmas Vacation, The Godfather Part 2, and of course the sequel of my family life story, The Incredibles 2. Most of the time the movie sequel does not live up to the hype. Book sequels are a little different. The stories are left untold and the series doesn’t make sense without them. Can you imagine if Harry Potter only had the Sorcerer's Stone, or if Frodo Baggins never made it to the Two Towers and the ring never arrived at Mount Doom? Those stories were never meant to stand alone. When those authors began on page 1 of book 1, they knew there was going to be more. 

When Luke gathered all his resources and facts to compile the life and ministry of Jesus Christ when he wrote his gospel, the Gospel of Luke, he knew there was going to be book 2. In the opening of the Gospel of Luke, the good doctor writes, Luke 1:1–4,

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. 

Theophilus, meaning lover of God, most likely paid Luke’s expenses while he wrote the history of Jesus Christ. Luke most-likely finished the gospel around 62 AD about thirty years after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus. Jesus was eating broiled fish after this resurrection and gave his disciples their marching orders,Luke 24:44–53

“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. “

The ending of the gospel would have left Theophilus with the burning question, “What happened next?” 

Luke most likely finished the sequel in 62 AD shortly after he finished the gospel and just before the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul. He begins Acts where he left off in Luke, Acts 1:1-2,

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.

“I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,” implying the ministry of Jesus was not over but had only begun. Remember Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Thankfully, Theophilus did not have to wait long to hear how the story turns out for the disciples. 

Some have called Luke’s sequel, the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit, but to be true to Luke’s own words, we will be viewing the book as the Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus. We will see how the risen Lord Jesus continues to reign and work in the world after his ascension and return to glory where he is seated at the right hand of God. In order to more fully understand the book of Acts, it is important to understand the Gospel of Luke. One of the key themes in the gospel of Luke is the kingdom of God. In the book of Acts, Luke does not use the terminology of the kingdom but more displays how one enters into the kingdom with the preaching of the gospel. I am using kingdom language in this opening sermon to highlight the reign of the risen King. Luke has already written what Jesus has began to do and teach, in Acts, we will see what Jesus will continue to do as he reigns as the victorious King who defeated sin and death in his glorious resurrection and ascension. 

The Inauguration of the Kingdom

The inauguration or the beginning of the kingdom of God began when Jesus Christ came to earth. In Luke 4:43, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And in Luke 8:1, “Soon afterward Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.” Jesus came with the good news of the kingdom and  sent out the apostles with the same message. The good news of the Kingdom is that God has come near. Luke 17:20–21,

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 

Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God by bringing the kingdom of God to earth. He manifested the kingdom of God through his preaching and miracles. And we will see throughout the book of Acts that Jesus continues to manifest the kingdom of God through preaching and miracles. As Acts open, Luke begins with Jesus’ last days on the earth. Let’s look at these opening words again, Acts 1:1–3

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. 

Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering and death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ ushered in a new era of history. If you remember, the disciples doubted what they were seeing in Jesus. Was he a ghost? Were their minds playing tricks on them? But the text says that Jesus proved he was alive. The disciples not only saw him, but they heard his voice, they touched him and ate with him. And for forty days Jesus spoke to them about the kingdom of God. 

When you think of the kingdom of God, you have to think of the King. Jesus is the King. Jesus has ushered in the kingdom with his presence and he will continue to usher in the kingdom by sending his Spirit. Acts 1:4–5

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.” 

The kingdom has come and will continue to come through the Holy Spirit. 

Luke introduces another two key concepts in the book of Acts: the Holy Spirit and Promise/Fulfilment. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the promise of the Father. Luke will show throughout the book how God’s promises will be fulfilled. And how Jesus will reign from heaven through his Spirit on earth. Jesus ushered in a new age. Yesterday we commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and those events on that clear September marked a different world for us. There was life before and life after 9/11. Similarly, there was life before Christ and life after Christ. The advent of the kingdom of God in the coming of Jesus Christ changed how we mark time. B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning, in the year of our Lord”). Our culture wants to erase or cancel Jesus so they have changed the terminology to B.C. E. (before the common era) and C. E. (common era), but they cannot erase history. Jesus Christ has ushered in a new age. Jesus is beginning to restore the kingdom of Israel.

The Restoration of the Kingdom

Remember for forty days Jesus met with his disciples and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Words matter. And in Acts 1:6, the first word, “So” connects verse 6 to the first five verses in the introduction. Acts 1:6, “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” The question is a natural one because 

Jesus has been talking to the disciples about the kingdom of God for the last 40 days. The instincts of the disciples are right in asking about the kingdom of God. They may not have fully understood how the kingdom was going to come but they should have expected Jesus to restore the kingdom of Israel. Verse 6, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus has come to restore the kingdom to Israel and it will not begin in the distant future, but when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, “not many days from now.” 

Luke keys us into his purpose in Acts in his strategic placement of the word kingdom. He uses kingdom all the time in his gospel but only uses it 8 times in Acts. Two are in the opening verses and two are in the closing verses. Acts 28:23,

When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 

And Acts 28:30–31,

He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. 

Jesus will begin to restore the kingdom of Israel by restoring the kingdom of God. Remember Israel was meant to be a light to the nations. The kingdom of Israel was always meant to cover the whole earth. True Israel is not merely ethnic Israel, but both Jew and Gentile. 

Luke connects the Holy Spirit and the kingdom together in verses 4 and 5. The disciples would know the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 and the valley of dry bones. The promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, will restore Israel into one nation. He will take southern tribes of Judah and the northern tribes of Israel and unite together under one king. Ezekiel 37:22–28

And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” 

The disciples would have expected Jesus to restore the kingdom of Israel when the Spirit comes in power. 

Jesus has ushered in the last days, but the timing of the final consummation is not for the disciples (or us) to know. Jesus 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.” 

The Witnesses of the Kingdom

The disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be witnesses of the kingdom of God. Jesus does not dismiss or rebuke the disciples in his response but he clarifies how the kingdom of Israel will be restored. His words allude to Old Testament promises in Isaiah implying that God’s promises of the  restoration of Israel are about to be fulfilled. Verse 8 is the outline of the book of Acts. The disciples will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them in Jerusalem (2), and will continue to witness in Judea (3-7) and on to Samaria (8-12) and the ends of the earth (13-28). It is not merely the outline of the book, but rather God’s plan to fulfill his promises in the Old Testament. God will restore his kingdom in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (the southern and northern kingdom) and the ends of the earth (the Gentiles)

There are at least three allusions to Isaiah in Acts 1:8. First, the term, “when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” is a reference to Isaiah 32:15-17 and Isaiah 44:3-5. First,

Isaiah 32:15–17,

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.

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.

And the effect of righteousness will be peace,

and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 

And Isaiah 44:3–5,

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.

They shall spring up among the grass

like willows by flowing streams.

This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s,’

another will call on the name of Jacob,

and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’

and name himself by the name of Israel.” (ESV)

Isaiah 32 speaks of the end of misery of Judah in the coming new age of the Spirit. The second allusion is in Isaiah 43:12 and 44:8 with the term, “you will be my witnesses.” The people of Israel in those chapters will be transformed to witness God's salvation in the new age of the Spirit. And thirdly, the term, “to the ends of the earth,” is an allusion to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49:5–6,

And now the LORD says,

he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him;

and that Israel might be gathered to him—

for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD,

and my God has become my strength—

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.” 

Jesus is not rebuking the disciples' question. He is not dismissing it, but answering it. The kingdom has come. Allan Thompson summarizes,

Thus, in his reply to the disciples, Jesus does not reject their enquiry into God’s promises of restoration, whether in redirecting this hope to a distant future or in rebuking a nationalistic focus. He is, rather, affirming and clarifying their role in this restoration. As God has promised, this restoration will involve the enabling of God’s Holy Spirit, the transformation of God’s people who bear witness to the Savior, and the inclusion of the nations.

The restoration of the kingdom is not only there and then at the end of history but it is here and now when God’s people are empowered by the Spirit to witness to Christ.

Beloved, you are called to be witnesses. You are called not to be ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for all who believe, the Jew and the Gentile. We have been transformed by the Spirit of God to testify about the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is why each and every service we sing of and preach the gospel of the kingdom. If you repent of your sins and trust in the promised Savior, Jesus Christ, as your only hope for salvation, if you believe Jesus lived a perfect life and died to pay for sin as an atoning sacrifice, if you believe after he was dead and buried God raised him from the dead, if you believe in the gospel of the kingdom, you will be saved and restored to God through reconciliation of Christ. 

Friend, if you have not trusted in Jesus as your Savior, I would ask you to consider the promise and the fulfillment of salvation offered in Christ. God had a plan before the foundation of the world to save those who put their faith in his Son. You can be forgiven today if you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, as the promised Son of David, who was going to restore the kingdom of Israel by writing his Spirit on our hearts. You can join us in the great promise that, “he will be our God and we will be his people.” You are invited into his kingdom today. You are invited to leave the kingdom of darkness and death and be transferred to the Kingdom of the Beloved Son, where there is redemption and the forgiveness of sin. Friend, enter into the kingdom by trusting the promise of the King. Only the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, saves. All are welcomed into the kingdom of God but you can only come by bowing your knee and heart to the King of kings. Commit your life to Jesus Christ and be saved. 

The Reign of the Kingdom

Luke has provided us with the outline of the book and God’s plan of the kingdom. The opening verses of Acts end with Jesus taking his rightful place at the right hand of Father where he will reign and rule over the world. Acts 1:9–11

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.” 

Jesus was raised as a man and Jesus will return as a man. The disciples were looking toward the sky as their King, their Lord, their teacher, their friend, ascended to take his throne. And two angels appear in white robes reminding them to get busy with the work of the kingdom until his return. 

Beloved, we have been given our marching orders. Salvation history will unfold in the sending of the Holy Spirit and the church will witness in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. As we learn more of the book of Acts, we will see what is normative for the church today and what was extraordinary in the church of the first century. And as we learn about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us never forget that right now, in heaven, Jesus Christ reigns. He is in complete control. He has given us a job to do. 

We are called to be witnesses of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We called to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. We are called to invite people to repent and believe in Christ. We are called to serve our King, each and every moment, for one day, just as he ascended into heaven he shall return. The heaven will open and he who is called Faithful and True will be riding on a white horse. His eyes will be like a flame of fire and he will be wearing a jeweled crown and on his robe and thigh his name will be written King of kings and Lord of lords. Beloved, let us shout, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the almighty reigns.” He reigns at the right hand of God working in his church to restore his kingdom to the ends of the earth. Beloved, the church has received power to be his witnesses to ends of the earth until the end of time for Jesus is alive. 

Hallelujah, death is undone

Hallelujah, Jesus has won

Hallelujah, we overcome

Let there be dancing in the darkness

And let our song break through the night

Lift your voice and sing that Christ is King

For Jesus is Alive

~Jesus is Alive by CityAlight