This sermon was preached at OneChurch HB, October 27, 2024. The text is Acts 1. You can listen to the sermon below. This is an edited summary.

Acts is an incredible book. It is like the gospels in the sense that it is a narrative. It's a true eyewitness account of something that really happened in history. This really happened in history. The mistake that we can make when it comes to the book of Acts is we can think that it's about the church, or we think that it's about Paul or Peter or some of the other apostles or any of the other great stories.

In reality, Acts is really the story of the Holy Spirit. It is an eyewitness account of the third person of the Trinity and how the Holy Spirit enters the world. The Holy Spirit is the major actor throughout Acts, and we are going to see exactly what this means. 

Now, as is usually the case with narrative portions of the Bible, we are going to get the most out of it when we take it in bigger strokes. There will be times when we drill down, but there will also be times where we deal with the major flow of the narrative – because the intention is most clearly seen there. 

This opening chapter of Acts presents three distinct promises that become the foundation of the Church, which is born in chapter two. Through three different sources, the early church receives three assurances, promises. These assurances are not insignificant. They ground the Church that is to come. 

So, we will look at the three assurances given to the early church.

Assurance #1: The Holy Spirit Shall Come. (1-8)

The entire account opens with Luke assuring Theophilus, who likely sponsored this work, what was going on. His task is to detail all that Jesus said, and did, and taught.

Jesus presented himself, alive, to many by many proofs over a period of forty days. The whole time, he spoke of the Kingdom of God. This is an incredible truth, but Luke carries on.

While Jesus stayed with his people, he did something particular. He ordered them to remain in Jerusalem to wait for something. They were to wait for the promise of the Father, which Jesus had prefigured during his ministry with the words “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

So his disciples get around to asking him “are you going to now restore the Kingdom to Israel?” And Jesus says, “that is none of your concern, instead all you need to know is that you are to stay here and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you - and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

This is the promise that Jesus makes which becomes bedrock of the church: you shall receive power when the Spirit comes to rest upon you. 

Jesus has just put these disciples through an incredible situation. They are certainly bewildered, scared, and wondering what is to come of their future. Even as Jesus makes his appearances to them again, the troop that was sticking with him is questioning what the future really looks like. 

This is why they specifically ask him “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom?” In their minds they are wondering what is the endgame in all of this. Is now the time that the Kingdom of Israel will be consummated on the earth? 

It is to this that Jesus gives them a promise: wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. And when He comes, you will receive power.

Application #1: You Know The Spirit

The Church is founded on the power of the Holy Spirit, and this has not changed today. Not only was the Church founded by the Spirit, she is maintained by the Spirit. This means that, just as was the case for the believers of this day, our beginning place, the origin of our Christian strength is in the Holy Spirit.

If Jesus is your Lord then you have received the Holy Spirit, and you have received His power. Now, what kind of power is this? Well, I’m sort of spoiling the book of Acts, but this power from the Spirit is not the kind of earthly power we often think of. 

The Spirit does not give us great valor in battle, or the intellect required to conquer nations. He does not turn us into superhumans who crush all in our path. 

Instead, the power the Spirit gives us, as we will see in Acts, is the power and ability to obey God and walk in His ways. It is the Power to be an ambassador of Christ, to work miracles in His name, and sacrificially give ourselves up in walking after Jesus. 

This, brothers and sisters, is the power you possess today in the Holy Spirit.

Assurance #2: Jesus Shall Return. 

The second promise given to the church is equally as important. It comes as Jesus is ascending into heaven, leaving his followers behind. His followers looked up and saw him being carried into heaven on a cloud. Then, as they are gazing, two angels appear and give them a promise which becomes fundamental to the existence of the Church. 

“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 

Put yourself into the place of those following Jesus for a moment. He dies, and that is enough for everyone to scatter. He rises from the dead, and everyone comes back – their hope is rekindled and their lives are forever changed. They ask the Lord, “is it finally time for the Kingdom of Israel to be restored?” And then they watch him rise up into heaven.

Almost certainly they are bewildered, and afraid, like the ground underneath their feet was suddenly unstable. Then, the promise of the angels comes into view. They certainly do not fully understand it, but (once again spoiling the story) they will.

Jesus shall come again. 

Application #2: Jesus Shall Come Again

As we will see, this becomes the anchor for the soul of the Church. So it must be for us today. This fact, that Jesus shall one day come down out of the clouds the way he ascended, is not some trinket of Christian curiosity. This is central. 

If you know that Jesus is returning then it changes the way you do everything. It gives real, deep hope in a way that nothing else in all the world can provide. 

The God of the universe, who gave himself up to set all things right, the God who personally loves you, knows you, remembers you, thinks of you - He is one day coming back for you and for His bride. 

Assurance #3: God’s Plan Never Fails. 

Third, and final, through the replacing of Judas, the Apostles give us a final assurance. God’s Plan is never thwarted. 

After Jesus ascended, the small company of Christ followers gathered together. Look at what Peter says. He stands up before the whole company and says:

“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of  David concerning Judas.” 

He then quotes two different Psalms, understanding them as the foretelling of what was to come with Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. Judas’ betrayal and his subsequent death fulfilled the words of Scripture, spoken long ago. So, they cast lots and appoint Matthias to replace Judas in the ministry of the Twelve.

But why do I say this gives some kind of assurance or promise to the Church? It all centers around Peter’s opening words. Thinking about the terrible actions of Judas, and the terrible way in which he died, Peter says with confidence: the Scripture had to be fulfilled. 

The assurance that Peter offered the very first house church was simple and profound: God’s plan had to play out. His understanding of Judas’ life as being within the framework of God’s Scripture and His plan of redemption key us into the final founding assurance of the Church. God’s Plan Never Fails. 

The Church could have easily been tempted into seeing Judas’ betrayal as a terrible act that caught God by surprise - but Peter will not allow that. He preaches the firm truth which becomes the rock of the Church. God’s Plan was not thwarted when Judas betrayed the Lord, and thus, it shall never be thwarted.

Bring it All Together,

In summary, before the Church is even a day old, God gives it three gifts, necessary for its flourishing: Power, Hope, and Assurance. Brothers and Sisters, we still hold these three gifts today. Hold them tightly.

Rest in the Spirit’s Power

Intellectually, understand where your power comes from. You cannot live apart from the Spirit. Willfully depend upon the Spirit. Emotionally, cry out to God in thankfulness. This is good news for the average and the weary.

For those who feel heavy laden, burdened by life, squashed, weak and simply incapable, this is good news. 

The Spirit takes up the cause of the weak and turns the incapable, the stuck in sin, into products of grace by His vivifying power. This is still our assurance in everyday life.

Set your Hope on Christ’s Return

Set this up in your mind, in your heart, as the hope which you hold to. One day, the God who loves you more than anyone else has ever even dared to love you, He is coming back for you and for His bride. There is more to life than being forgotten in the grave. 

In a world which has little option but to embrace existential dread, this sense that nothing matters, and no one will truly be remembered - Christianity offers cool drink to a parched land.

The God of Ages forgets no one. When He returns on the cloud, there shall be none of the dead who are left forgotten. All shall be seen and known.

Be Assured that God’s Plan is Never Thwarted.

Finally, live in confidence that God’s plan never fails. If he has decreed that these things come to pass, then they shall come to pass. 

You can trust Him. 

If the betrayal of Judas did not derail his pursuit for you, for the reconciling of the world, then what will? If the death of His son was not a cosmic blunder, but what the plan all along - then be assured that God’s love for you will not change. He will not fail. You will not be hung out to dry.

The Spirit who dwells within you is your Counselor; Jesus shall return - and nothing in all of the universe can change those two realities. 

Amen.