Overview of the Book of Acts — Michael Haykin

Well, it's good to be with you, and we're going to be thinking about the book of Acts. Today this hour. I want to do an overview of Acts basically do the whole book in half an hour 40 minutes. Seriously yeah, it will give you a good perspective on what the the reason why acts is in the canon of the New Testament and some of the key themes in the book of Acts.

And then in the morning Worship service hopefully look at Stephen and why that narrative in Acts 6 and 7 is there and what God is seeking to teach us through the life and Witness of Stephen and the whole area of the importance of the Word of God and the spirit.

Using that word. And then this evening Lord willing we'll be looking at Acts 18 and the whole issue of Revival and prayer the prayer that undergirds it and precedes it and The way in which God honors the prayers of his people and brings revival.

The Commission and Theme of Acts

Turn if you will then to the book of Acts. We're going to read Acts 1 1 down to verse 8. I will mention I'll try to leave a few minutes at the end of the class. So that if you have questions that we can take them at that point in time.

Acts chapter 1 Verses 1 through to 8 in the first book. Oh 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.

To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs appearing to them during 40 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 of 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 is fixed by his own authority but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

Now the theme of the book of Acts that we're going to pursue and the theme that the book is designed to teach is the Advance of the Word of God and the way in which the Spirit of God Uses the Word of God to expand as it were the borders of the church during the time of the Reformation the German Reformation.

In the early years of the Reformation after what we would regard as a remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God upon especially Eastern Germany in which Hundreds and thousands came to a living faith in Christ after Martin Luther began to proclaim the gospel in that part of the world Luther was asked on one occasion How come would he how could he explain what had taken place?

What was the reason for it? Well Luther said I simply taught preached and wrote God's Word. Otherwise, I did nothing. And while I slept the word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or Emperor ever Inflicted such losses upon it.

I did nothing the word did everything and That little phrase the word did everything I think is an appropriate phrase. It's obviously not found in the book of Acts. But it's appropriate phrase for the book of Acts if there's a great theme of this book.

It is the word Did everything? Now when you read that opening section there in Acts 1 you realize immediately that this is the second part of a tube Book or a two-volume set because the writer there Luke says in the first book of Theophilus and The way in which the scriptures have come down to us we have the four Gospels placed together then the book of Acts.

But obviously when the book of Acts was first written it was written as a sequel or a follow-up volume of the gospel of Luke and if you turn back to Luke 1 you actually find a mention there of Theophilus in Luke 1 1 2 4 and I want to just pick up one point here because it applies also to the book of Acts Luke 1 and verse 1 in as much as many have Undertaken 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 The purpose of the gospel Luke Luke lays out there very very clearly.

It is that this man Theophilus and because that this is not simply a word to that one man in The early days of the church, but a word for all of the church. But that this man and the church might have certainty Might have assurance about the things that are proclaimed in the gospel.

The reason why the gospel Luke is in the scriptures is it gives us assurance about? What we proclaim about the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Acts that follows has the same idea. It's to give us certainty to buttress our faith to establish our faith and to help us understand something of the early years of the spread of the gospel so that's the first thing that to note the book of Acts is the second part of a two-volume set as it were and Many of the themes of the book of Acts are already enunciated or alluded to in the gospel of Luke and we'll see one of these actually in the morning when we look at Stephen and There is something that is said about Stephen that our Lord has already indicated in the book of Luke.

And so you need to always think in mind as you're reading through the book of Acts its closeness to the gospel of Luke. Now As you look at the book of Acts, we obviously don't have time to read the whole thing.

By the way, it probably would take if you were to sit down you could do it this afternoon. Sit down and read the whole thing in under two hours. Depending on how fast you are read as a reader. I inherited a Bible from the first school I ever taught at in in Canada was Central Baptist Seminary a a school that was located in Toronto where Toronto Baptist Seminary is and Central Baptist Seminary for many years the Dean was a man named W Gordon Brown and I inherited one of his Bibles and Gordon Brown had some interesting characteristics and one of them was whatever Bible he would have he would read through large sections of the scriptures and would note how long it took him to read a book and The Bible I've got is very interesting.

He's done about all the way through the New Testament and eaten. There is no book in the New Testament that would take you longer than two hours now. Maybe Gordon Brown was a fast reader. So maybe give us some allowance for that, but it's the amount of time that you might spend watching a movie.

We're a ball game. You could sit down and read a whole book of A portion of God's Word there is value in that great value in that. Because God has given these books as units as it were for us to read through.

As it were and sometimes at one sitting so we were to sit down and read through the whole book of Acts. We were trying to understand the the flow of the book and how does it break up break down and so on?

There are different ways of thinking about the structure of the book of Acts some scholars have said some Bible students have said well the book Of Acts really divides into two equal parts. Well, maybe not so equal chapters 1 to 12 of the story of Peter and then chapter 13 to 28 is the story of Paul and there's some truth in that.

Certainly Peter's a prominent figure in chapters 1 through to 12 and Paul is a prominent figure in chapters 13 to 28. But Peter does appear in that latter section he appears in chapter 15 plays a role there.

Paul especially appears in the earlier section. Chapter 9 is devoted to Paul and He's also there in chapter 11 as well, and so as I look at the book of Acts. I'm not really Strongly convinced that that's what Luke is trying to tell us.

Here's two stories of two Apostles Peter and Paul. Another way of looking at the book of Acts is to see a verse here in the passage I've just read as the theme verse of the book and it's Acts 1 verse 8.

Where Jesus says 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 at the end of the earth and I think there's a lot to be said for seeing that as the key verse of the whole book that what you see in the book of Acts is God taking the church from Jerusalem and Leading his people and we'll see sometimes not always willingly.

And It takes the death the martyrdom of Stephen to push the church out of Jerusalem. We've seen the church is quite content for a period of time well. We're here in Jerusalem the kingdom is going to be reestablished in Jerusalem.

Oh, we'll just witness from here. But the Lord's intent is to drive the church out and to send the church out into and we see this in the early Chapters of Acts into Judea and Samaria and you can actually go through the book of Acts and Acts 1 to 6 is the church in Jerusalem and Acts 7 through to really about 12 is the church in Judea and Samaria and Then acts 13 and 28 is the church going to the ends of the earth.

And it doesn't go all the way obviously and it's beginning the story of which we are apart. And I think there's a lot to be said for that way of looking at the book of Acts the the church the Spirit of God using the church to witness.

Notice what's critical about that is is a number of things start you start to see a number of things in both the book of Acts. The great purpose one of the great purposes of the church is to bear witness to what God has done in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not so much. What may have happened to us personally now. That's important. But our great proclamation is God has raised the Messiah Jesus from the dead and he is now exalted to his right hand and he offers forgiveness to all who call upon his name in sincerity.

That's the great apostolic Proclamation it's not so much what they experience or that obviously that's part of it. But their their proclamation that the prophets Prediction that the the Lord would raise the Messiah from the dead has happened.

The Messiah has come. He's died for his people. He's been raised to the dead and now forgiveness is offered to all who will call upon him in sincerity and in truth. And so one of the great themes of the book of Acts is witness the witness of the church.

The second great theme is the spirits Empowerment of our witness notice that the two go together. We knew that we need to speak Spirits not going to do without us on the other hand. We need the spirits help.

We can't do it in our own strength and that'll be a great theme as we will look especially look at Stephen in the in The second hour one interesting little thing about the word witness. The word witness is the word that we get martyr from in The singular in the original Greek.

It's Marty's Martyrs in the plural. It's marked at ace M-a-r-t-y-r-e-s. And we get our word martyr from that and we will see that in the course of the book of Acts There will be some who bear witness to the point of death.

The word originally in the original Greek didn't have the idea of death associated with it. The word originally had the idea of somebody who you bring forward to a court of law for instance if a problem happened that had to go to trial and You had a witness who had first-hand knowledge of that issue.

Well, you'd bring them forward and now that person was a marquis or a mark today's. And so originally it's somebody who has first-hand evidence first-hand knowledge and the Apostles and the early church through the Apostles are people about first-hand knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and They bear witness but then in the course of the book of Acts you start to find that some of these people are slain or killed for their witness and the word begins to take on the idea of sharing the gospel to the point of death and Thus our word martyr incidentally.

This time of year obviously and this day our thoughts are taken back to 2001 when Those who are Muslims claim that those who did those horrific acts died as martyrs and One of the things that infuriates me personally is the misuse of that term those men were not martyrs.

The term martyr is a Christian term. It's a term that Is created really by the church? It's those who so loved the Lord Jesus Christ That they're willing to give their lives for his witness or witnessing to him and his love and they die not in hatred or Violence against their enemies.

They die off so frequently as we see in the history of the church playing for their enemies. We'll see this with Stephen. He dies as a martyr what he loves those they can't see that. But he has a love that only Christ can give to a Christian.

And he has a lot for these enemies of the gospel, and he dies Lord. Do not lay this to this to their charge and those men who did those horrific acts in 2001 and other acts since I was born and raised in England and The air the bombings in London.

I know the area of Kings Cross very well. I had a friend actually was on the train that morning was maybe a half hour outside of Kings Cross when the bombing took place and they turned the trains back and.

And I'm sure maybe you have links to the horrific events in New York City and Those people who did those they are not martyrs. They're murderers and terrorists and the word martyr is not an appropriate word to use for them.

And so they great theme then if you look at this one verse acts 1 8 the great theme that comes to the book of Acts. Is this whole issue of witness? Witness to the ends of the earth and. And one of the things that's happening in the book of Acts is a Fulfillment of what the Lord promised in a number of places in the Old Testament, but let me point you to one verse Isaiah 49 and verse 6.

Isaiah 49 and verse 6 this is one of those passages in Isaiah that is talking with the servant of the Lord. Who we know is the Lord Jesus Christ? Isaiah 49 6 he says that is the Lord says it is it is 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. It Is not the case that God's intentions for the nation's changes from the old covenant.

Oh the Old Testament into the New Covenant. God has always intended that the nation's Received the light of the knowledge of the true and living God. God has always intended that the nation's and are into salvation.

The Differences in the Old Testament the nation's are to come to Israel. And he's drawing the nation's to Jerusalem now. What are the disciples initially stay in Jerusalem. Their thinking is the nation's gonna come here?

This is what the Lord's gonna establish his kingdom, but in the New Covenant the gospel message is now going out. It's a different movement but the plans the same. The plan is the nation's might know the true and living God that God might deliver them from idolatry and Whatever people might say about Islam in public it is an Idolatrous religion.

It promotes a worship of a false God who brings men and women into bondage. And the gospel if we can talk about in the Old Testament is that the nation's might come to Israel. Israel failed to be a light.

But the good that she was to be like to draw the nation's to her and we have instances about we have like Ruth the Moabitess. Or Naaman or others who join themselves to Israel. But the same goal is in view that the salvation of God might go to the ends of the earth in the gospel age.

That is happening. And you see that being fulfilled in acts the gospel going up from Jerusalem to Samaria and Judea and not far from Jerusalem. Then to the ends of the earth. What a privilege to be part of that great great movement.

The Six Summary Statements in Acts

So that's another way then we're looking at the book of Acts to see Acts 1 and verse 8 as the the great theme verse of the book of Acts. But there's another way That you can look at Acts, and I want to take you this is where I'm going to take you through the whole book.

And show you that there are seven places where Luke Stops as it were he's narrated a bunch of stuff things are being going on and he stops as it were and he says Let's let's take a breather and look at what the Lord is doing there what we call summary sections in the book of Acts.

And when you look at these summary sections you will see that the great theme is That what drives the church forward and what say sinners is the Word of God. The first one is in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7 and If you want to prove this Do it this afternoon or sometime this week?

Read the whole book of Acts, and you will see that the verses. I'm going to give you stand out. They're all very similar, and it's quite clear that Luke is divided his book into roughly seven Sections they're not equal.

But these these verses indicate the end of one section in the start of another and if you were to if we had read all of acts 6 acts 1 1 to 6 6 we would find that everything is centered on Jerusalem and The gospel was proclaimed on the day of Pentecost and many will wonder Christ even priests in the temple wonder Christ there was opposition of the gospel the Sanhedrin the Apostles were beaten and Arrested a number of times but the Gospels going forward in Jerusalem, and then Luke says as it were well Let's stop here.

And let's take stock of what's been happening any he says in Acts 6 verse 7 these words. Or he writes these words and the Word of God Continued to increase and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests Became obedient to the faith and so he it's almost as if he says let's let's let's stop here at this point and Review what's been happening and.

And You remember often when you might be in a school setting and For some of us getting increasingly a long time ago. Well. I'm still in a school setting and Like I've been in school since I've been for 46 47 years on and For me the beer begins not in January, but in September.

It's an interesting experience. But if you remember when you would go to school Especially in the higher grades and then University in college you'd there be points in the lecture or lectures. Where the professor or teacher was there well, let's summarize.

What's been going on. Let's let's review. That's what Luke does here. He says we've been I've been narrating a number of things. Pentecost and the the healing of the lame man. By Peter and John through the power of God and the arrest of Peter and John and in Isis Sapphira.

Let's stop and review what's been happening. Well. He despite the the the attack on the church. Despite the hypocrisy of a couple within the church and nice as far. Despite the threat of division with the church, which is act 6 1 2 6 which we'll talk about briefly in the morning hour.

What's been going on the Word of God? Continues to increase. Interesting the way he puts it doesn't say the church continues. It was the Word of God continues to increase the Word of God. Be continued to influence more and more people.

So much so that the number of disciples Multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and even a great number of the priests became obedient to the faith. These were the Pharisees. These are the Sadducees many of them they were the firmest opposition opponents to our Lord's ministry.

And what what what's God doing he's saving these people then when we you go from act 6 8 on you you get the story of Stephen and then you get Philip in Samaria and Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch and you get the conversion of Saul.

And then Luke stops again. He said and in acts 931 is the second summary verses were Acts 931. Luke Says, okay. This is we've now done the second section. I want to talk about and the gospel in that section is mostly in.

It's a part in Jerusalem, but it's in Judean Samaria. And Luke says let's take let's take a breather again and review what's been happening. And no she says so the church are at all Judean Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.

Same sort of idea the the growth of the church and walking in the fear of the Lord in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. They're multiplying by the way, I find it interesting the two things go together there the fear of God and the comfort and encouragement of the Spirit.

Many years ago. Well, but probably about 10 or 12 years ago. I remember reading a book written by a fairly prominent Missy ologist a person who studies missions and at some point in the book about a third of the way in the book.

He said something to the effect that The fear of God is an Old Testament thing. It's not a New Testament thing doesn't characterize New Testament believers and I must say at that point I put the book down and I've never picked it up thing since I thought if this man doesn't know Of such a basic thing that the fear of God is a New Testament Thing he's got.

That's a very basic. I felt he's got nothing to teach me and maybe arrogant on my part. But the fear of God is it's not just an Old Testament thing number of times in the New Testament. We have this this phrase set of believers.

Paul in 2nd Corinthians at the end of 6 and chapter 7 1 talks about preaching the gospel In the fear of God. It's not a slavish fear. But it's a fear of reverence that we are dealing with a holy God who holds all things in his hands and at the same time.

This this this is a God who comforts us. It's it's amazing the two things held in tension here and Ideally as you grew up in a family. That's the way one should feel towards one's parents the the great reverence for one's father and mother.

At the same time. It's not a slavish fear of them. It's The great comfort that comes and security that comes from having if one has a godly father and mother. Anyway, yeah, that's 931. That is the end of the second section and then Luke narrates the conversion especially of Cornelius a Gentile.

That's a very important event for for Luke. Because one of the great issues in the early church was can a Gentile Become a worshiper of the true God without going through the room of Judaism. Don't they have to become Jews first?

The Jews are no problems of Gentiles coming into Israel. But you got to go through all of the aspects of becoming a Jew but now the gospel comes and The gospel is for all nations. Let's just want for one ethnic group and you don't have to become a Jew to be a worshiper of the true living God and Cornelius is an example of that.

He's a Gentile and the door is now open to the Gentiles. Chapter 12 is the great story of Peter being arrested. It's one of those passages of Scripture, which I think does have elements of humor in it.

Peter is released from prison the angel releases him. He he's in a dream. He kind of wakes up when he gets out the prison realizes he's free. He goes to one of the houses where there is a prayer meeting the house of John.

Mark's mother a Slave girl. Rhoda comes to the door. She's so astonished. She doesn't even open the door when she sees him goes back into the prayer meeting tells them that Peter's are free. Presumably they've been praying for Peter.

But they don't buy it. No no way. What does that say about their faith. Or what about they praying for maybe they're praying Lord give Peter the resolve and Help him to stand fast when he's martyred. The idea that he might be freed well.

Maybe it didn't go through their mind so it's good. There's a story of elements of humor in it and then and at the end of Acts 12 We have these words Acts 12 24. Your third summary verse this one's a lot shorter.

The Word of God increased or multiplied and Again Luke says look think about what God's been doing. He's saving Gentiles. Think about what God's been doing despite the fact that King Herod arrests Peter and James.

James the brother of John Kills James. The gospel can't be stopped. The gospel is going to go forward despite the opposition of the powers of this world. The gospel is going to go forward. One of the great Encouragements of looking at the history of the church is to see nations that were determined not to receive the gospel.

One thinks of a Voltaire in France claiming that within 50 years of his lifetime The Bibles would all be trashed and the people would turn away from the superstitions of Christianity. Within 50 years of his death his house that he lived in in France was being used as a Bible printing depot and the quite the opposite one thinks of the Soviet Union claiming to be an atheist country and how God brought humbled that nation in our life, and we've seen it and The gospel is I mean there's some challenges.

I know but the gospel is going forward freely there in many places. So despite Earthly powers and when Luke wants to drive that home the word of God increases getting it's interesting. He doesn't say the church the church.

It's obviously the church. He's thinking of but what's what's growing the church. It's the word the fourth summary verse is found in Acts 16 and verse 5 and Lucas narrated in chapters 13 14 and 15 the the first missionary journey the Apostle Paul and The going out of the gospel definitely now into Gentile territory.

Paul preaching in some synagogues in other cases Preaching out in the public in the open air to people who've never heard know nothing about the the Living God at all and again Luke says let's let's take a summary let's take a let's take a breather and see what's going on and so the churches were strengthened in the faith and They increased in numbers daily and again, what do you see what he's doing?

He's is he he'll narrate some material and then he says what's happening. The church is growing. In some ways one could see the book of Acts as being the fulfillment of what Jesus said I Will build my church.

And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What you see in the book of Acts is is the Apostles and those who God calls to bear witness as it were storming the very gates of hell outside of Israel.

Basically before the gospel light went forward in the in the the age that we call the gospel age all the nations were in darkness. They were under the bondage of Satan, but God is going forward driving his word forward.

Nothing can stop that word great encouragement the book of Acts is Fabulous encouragement for us no matter what might ultimately we will as we look around us and be very discouraging. The long-term picture is God will build his church and nothing nothing not earthly powers that oppose it not Persecution not sometimes even the church itself will stop the growth of God's kingdom.

And what's driving it forward is his word great encouragement to be faithful to the word and sharing that word. Again, the fifth summary verse is in Acts 19 20. I'm gonna read a few verses before it. Because there's another theme that comes in here as well Acts 19 and let me pick up actually at verse 18 Many of those who are now believers came confessing and divulging their practices and a number of those who'd practice magic arts brought their books together and Burned them in the sight of all and they counted the value of them and found it came to 50 ,000 pieces of silver that's that's the end of the the Panel that or the section that comes before Acts 1920 then then Luke summarizes show the word of the Lord continue to increase and prevail mightily and.

And in Acts 16 We have the crossing of the gospel from what we call Asia into Europe going to fill up by the conversion of the Philippian jailer Lydia in Acts 17 the planting of the gospel church in Thessalonica the proclamation of the gospel in Athens.

Then in 18 in Corinth of all places Corinth was one of those Despicable cities in the Roman world. It was the Las Vegas. No offense if You're in love with Las Vegas. What I think of Las Vegas, I just think of a place of deep-seated corruption and I've never been there personally have no desire to go there, but Corinth is the Las Vegas of the of the Roman world but God planted a church right in that place and it flourished and then in Acts 19 the Riot in Ephesus the plants of the gospel in Ephesus so much.

So was the gospel powerful that even those involved in? Magic the occult. Were overcome those in league with demonic powers. This is a great word. I think for us today. We have and And What the things were differently, but we are in the day in which we live we have lived for many years on the the heritage of a society that by and large accepted a Jew Judeo-christian ethic and Until I was taken away and has been taken away we probably didn't know how good we had it and that is rapidly eroding.

It's probably more rapidly eroding where I live in Canada than it is here. But certainly of the large parts of the United States is rapidly eroding. That doesn't mean people are not interested in spiritual things.

There's a hunger there, but it's they're not turning to the true things of the spirit they're turning to other things and if you want to see this go into a Barnes Noble or a Borders bookstore, and you look at the self-help section and the religion section and you see what people are interested in witchcraft and And Channeling and getting in touch with spirits to find out their future.

Astrology and Buddhism. Buddhism is becoming very big. And all of the all of the the other religions. They're they're all ultimately demonic the very strong statement, but you read the scriptures the scriptures view it this way and We are increasingly living in a society where people are Bringing themselves in a bondage to demonic powers.

Are we to fear. No. Because the gospel is stronger than Anything that Satan can bring against us and this passage again the Word of God increased. And then one final the final section is all the way end at the end of the book and you've got this long section about ten chapters 1920 the story of Paul going up to Jerusalem his arrest nearly being killed.

He's being held for four years actually sorry two years in Caesarea, Philippi. Then is going to Rome acts 27. I think it's a fabulous chapter. You can make a movie very thrilling movie out of the life of Paul and that acts 27 chapter just where Luke takes the time to narrate the trip by sea to Rome and and God's preserving his apostle and for the sake of his apostle preserving all on board that ship.

And then he's coming to Rome and he's being held under house arrest with two years you think of this four years in prison for the sake of the gospel and Luke I suspect may well have known The ultimate outcome of that, but he even if he did he doesn't tell us it may be the case.

He doesn't but notice the way he ends the gospel the book of Acts. He ends this way in Acts 28 30 to 31. This is his final summary section. He lived there two whole years at his own expense. Welcomed all who came to him proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

It's the same thing not the exact same words, but the same thing. Can anything stop the gospel he actually ends the the the book of Acts on that with those great words without? Hindrance the man's in prison.

Yes house arrest he has some degree of freedom, but he's in prison. He's a prisoner of the Roman state. But Luke. Luke doesn't see it that way. What Luke sees is God driving for forward the gospel and It cannot be stopped and it's great encouragement.

I think for us in our day There are so much to discourage us. Especially the dismantling of much that we hold dear. If our great-grandparents were to come back into this world now. They'd be horrified.

Things that we take for granted in Ontario in the 1880s 1890s 70 of Ontarians went to an evangelical church not that they were all Christians. Don't think one could say that but 70 today. It's about five to eight percent in Ontario.