Pastor's Sermon Notes: The Latter Treatise Introduced (Acts 1:1-8)

The Latter Treatise Introduced

Acts 1:1-8

¹ The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

² Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

 ³ To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

⁴ And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

 ⁵ For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

⁶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

⁷ And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Outline:

I.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Fulfilled Prophecy in the Recent Past (1:1-2) -

The Prior Record of Incarnation to Ascension in Luke's Gospel

II.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Unfulfilled Prophecy in Israel's Future (1:3-7) -

The Post-Resurrection Pre-Ascension "Kingdom Seminary" for the Apostles

III.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Commanded Fulfillment in the Immediate Future (1:8) - The Post-Pentecost Mission of the Church

I.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Fulfilled Prophecy in the Recent Past (1:1-2) -

The Prior Record of Incarnation to Ascension in Luke's Gospel

¹ The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

² Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

The Trail of Luke:  "We" passages - 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16; cp. Rom. 15:25ff.; II Tim. 4:11.

That was the beginning.  It was not the ending.  It had an end, but that end was a new beginning.  A great new beginning, in which Jesus continues "both to do and teach"!

The Trail of Christ:  (Mk. 16:20) 2:33, 47; 3:16; 4:10; 7:55; 9:5, 34; 23:11; etc.

Here in these first two verses we counter what is by many considered to be the primary theme, or at least one of the most significant themes, in this book, i.e., that of the activity of the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Triune Godhead, in fullfillment of one of the New Covenant promises.  Tracing this theme through the book has led many to title it, "The Acts of the Holy Spirit".  Others would see this as at least a subtitle.  This historical record of the work of the Spirit of God in the early Church certainly presents what Christ does by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles in the building of His Church as central.

The Trail of the Spirit: Chs. 1:2, 5, 8, 16; 2:4, 17, 18, 33, 38; 4:8, 25, 31; 5:3, 9, 32; 6:3, 5, 10; 7:51, 55, 59; etc. (only chs. with no mention = 12, 14, 22, 24-27).

The Titles of Acts:

The Gospel of Luke, Volume 2

The Acts of the Ascended Christ

The Acts of the Holy Spirit

The Acts of the Apostles[1]

Suggestion: The Acts of the Ascended Christ through the Holy Spirit by His Apostles

The Significance, Uniqueness, and Character of Acts:

Harnack, "the pivot-book of the New Testament"

Luke/Acts = apx. 1/4 of the NT

1.  Acts as History - continuation of the Gospel - communicated and spread to the world[2]

2.  Acts as Transitional - unique Apostolic foundational period of the Church

3.  Acts as Apologetic - Christianity in the Roman Empire[3]

4.  Acts as Polemic - Christianity versus Judaism

II.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Unfulfilled Prophecy in Israel's Future (1:3-7) -

The Post-Resurrection Pre-Ascension "Kingdom Seminary" for the Apostles

³ To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

⁴ And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

 ⁵ For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

⁶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

⁷ And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Here is the second great theme introduced early in this book and present throughout it into the final chapters, i.e., "the kingdom of God".

Trail of the Kingdom: 1:3 (cp. 1:6!!!); 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31.

Note that the Holy Spirit is coordinated with water, and that the baptism of John must be seen as paralleling the baptism not of the Holy Spirit, or by the Holy Spirit, but of Christ or by Christ.  In other words, the baptism of John who baptized with water, is contrasted here with the baptism of Christ, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  The contrast focuses on the element of baptism, on what they were baptized into, or immersed into.  The central issue is not on who would do the baptizing (the One speaking), but on them. They would be baptized, and especially on when they would be baptized.  Notice that this is an entirely passive episode.  They have no control over it.  They do nothing to bring it about.  It will happen.  It will happen when God has determined it should happen.

This may have led to the kingdom question concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel.

They had just completed an intensive forty day seminary course with the Master on "the things pertaining to the kingdom".  They are not rebuked for imagining that the kingdom would be restored to Israel at some time in the future.  Not at all.  The answer they received from Christ only pointed at that they were not on a "need to know" basis when it came to the "when".  The framing of their question makes quite clear their understanding as post-graduate students of Christ, that He would be the One to restore the Kingdom to Israel.  Christ's response makes quite clear that the Father is in control of when He would do this.

III.  The Acts of the Apostles Linked to Commanded Fulfillment in the Immediate Future (1:8) -

The Post-Pentecost Mission of the Church

⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Key lies at the Door!

The outline of the book

Trail of Geography:  The center shifts from Jerusalem to Syrian Antioch to Rome.

Conclusion:

Now in order to get the trajectory of this book let us turn from these verses to the end.  Let us stand together and turn to Acts 29.

Are you really opening your Bibles and looking for Acts chapter 29?

I did not see turn to the book of Acts chapter 29!

Turn to one another!  You are Acts 29!  You are writing the last chapter of Acts!  You are experiencing the third volume of what Luke began!

"The uttermost part of the earth" reaches to Greentown, PA!

[Sermon preached by Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA on Sunday, June 16, 2013.]

Appendix:

Titles in the Early Manuscripts of Acts

Five known variants, with six other known minor variations:[4]

1.  PRAXEIS APOSTOLWN

Lower case:  praxeiV apostolwn

Parsing:  accusative plural of praxiV, genitive plural of apostoloV

Translation:  "Acts (of the) Apostles"

Textual evidence:  (B, D), Ψ, pc; subscription of א; Lachmann, Westcott and Hort, Wendt

Minor variations:  ut txt, sed secunda manu - B; ut txt, sed praxiV - D, praxiV apostolwn (nominative singular of praxiV)

2. PRAXEIS

Lower case:  praxeiV

Parsing:  accusative plural of praxiV

Translation:  "Acts"

Textual evidence:  ˹1, (א), 1175, pc; Tischendorf

Minor variation:  sed secunda manu א

3. AI PRAXEIS TWN APOSTOLWN

Lower case:  ai praxeiV twn apostolwn

Parsing:  nominative feminine plural article, accusative plural of praxiV, genitive masculine plural article, genitive plural of apostoloV

Translation:  "The Acts of the Apostles"

Textual evidence:  323^s, 945, (1241), al

Subvariant:  praxeiV twn apostolwn (absence of ai, nominative feminine plural article) - 31, 61; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata ("Miscellanies", A. D. 198-203), v:12; Griesbach, Meyer

Minor variation:  arch sun qew ai praxeiV twn apostolwn - 1241

4. PRAXEIS TWN AGIWN APOSTOLWN

Lower case:  praxeiV twn agiwn apostolwn

Parsing:  accusative plural of praxiV, genitive masculine plural article, genitive plural of agioV, genitive plural of apostoloV

Translation:  "Acts of the Holy Apostles"

Textual evidence:  453, (614, 1505, 1704, 1739^s), 1884, pm; E G H

Minor variations:

1)  praxeiV twn agiwn apostolwn suggrafeiV para tou apostolou kai

euaggelistou Louka (addition of final 7 words, "...written according to the Apostle and Evangelist Luke") - 614

2) ai praxeiV twn agiwn apostolwn (addition of ai, nominative feminine plural article, "The Acts of the Holy Apostles") - 1505, 1739^s

3) praxeiV twn agiwn apostolwn suggrafeiV para tou agiou Louka tou apostolou kai euaggelistou (addition of final 9 words, "..written according to St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist") - 1704

5. LOUKA EUAGGELISTOU PRAXEIS TWN AGIWN APOSTOLWN

Lower case:  louka euaggelistou praxeiV twn agiwn apostolwn

Parsing:  dative singular of LoukaV, genitive singular of euaggelisthV, accusative plural of praxiV, genitive masculine plural article, genitive plural of agioV, genitive plural of apostoloV

Translation:  "(Of the) Evangelist Luke, (the) Acts of the Apostles"(?)

Textual evidence:  33, 189, 1891, 2344, al

---

[1] See appendix below on how this appears in the various early manuscripts of Acts, "Titles in the Early Manuscripts of Acts".

[2] Historical naratives encompass apx. 60% of Scripture.  On interpreting historical narratives see Robert L. Plummer, 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible, series ed. Benjamin L. Merkle (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2010), pp. 191-196.

[3] See esp. James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London: Student Christian Movement, 1923), F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), pp. 357-358; and A. J. Mattill, Jr., "The Purpose of Acts: Schneckenburger reconsidered", in Apostolic History and the Gospel: Biblical and Historical Essays presented to F. F. Bruce on his 60th Birthday, ed. W. Ward Gasque and Ralph P. Martin (Exeter: The Paternoster Press, 1970), pp. 108-122; on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_purposeofacts_mattill.html [accessed 7 FEB 2013].

[4] Textual information is from the Nestle-Aland 27^th ed., pp. 320, 737, and R. K. Knowling, EGT, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, II:49.  "The earliest extant evidence for the name “Acts” is found in an anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospel of Luke, a work dated between a.d. 150 and 180. How or why it received this title is open to speculation." Stanley D. Toussaint, "Acts", in J. F. Walvoord, R. B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 2: 349.