LESSON 1, INTRODUCTION:
It's the least
studied aspect of Jesus' Life!
Far less noticed than our Lord's Virgin
Birth!
Or His vicarious Death on the Cross!
Or certainly His Recurrection!
I'm talking abut Jesus' Ascension back
to Heaven!
That will be our Subject for the next few
days, the Lord willing.
And our Text will be, mainly, Acts 1:9-14.
"And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was
taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while
they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. Then returned they
unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from
Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in,
they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and
James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew,
and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes,
and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with
one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Jesus has gone back to Heaven!
Gloriously so!
Literally so!
Yet Matthew, in his whole Gospel, does not
mention this great Event!
Nor does John, of all people!
Mark does, albeit briefly.
"So
then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up
into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." Mark
16:19
And Luke? Almost equally reticent!
"And
Jesus led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His
hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed
them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And
they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy."
Luke 24:50-52
Without the Acts 1:9-14 Account, we sure
would be lacking in some critical details, for sure!
The word "ascension" does not occur in the
Bible. But the concept certainly does. It, "ascendere" in Latin,
means "to go up!"
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we are going to
notice four different words Luke uses in Acts 1, all describing
the Ascension!
Then we are going to settle in and study our
Text, verse by verse. Again, that's Acts 1:9-14.
This Event may not be as exciting as the
Cross, or certainly the Resurrection, but is is a necessary
Truth!
It's how Jesus returned to Glory, back to His
Father, to live victoriously! That is, until the time for His
Second Coming!
The Ascension, the very first time ever
that a Man went into Heaven! The God-Man for sure, yet a
Man with "flesh and bones." Luke 24:39
A Man with hands and feet and legs and arms,
although scarred in places!
We now have a Representative in Heaven!
At God the Father's Right Hand!
One Who knows how we feel!
One Who prays for us, too!
Jesus!
Ascended to Heaven!
Jesus, Who is our Head, the very Head of the
Church, the Head of the Body of Christ, our corporate Head ...
is already right now in Heaven!
Literally!
And if our Head is already there, that's a
pretty good sign that you and I are going to end up there too,
some day!
Because, after all, where a person's head
goes, his or her body is soon to follow!
Jesus' Ascension is the very Guarantee that,
in time, every member of His Body, will join Him there in front
of the Throne of God!
Yes, we serve and adore and worship an
ascended Lord and Saviour!
Exalted by God!
So much so that Paul wrote, largely
concerning Jesus' Ascension: "Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is
above every name: that at the Name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11
One Preacher wrote a Book and entitled it:
"Jesus, our Man in Heaven!"
My Lawyer, My Advocate, my Spokesman, my
Saviour, sitting in the very courtroom of Heaven, right by the
Judge's Side!
And, remember this, our Lawyer, Jesus, is the
Judge's favorite Son, too!
That fact can't hurt a thing, can it?
That old accuser, the devil, does not have a
chance to harm us, then!
Because of our ascended Lord!
Praise His good Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, THOSE FOUR VERBS:
Jesus ascended to Heaven!
And Dr. Luke, in Acts 1:9-14, explains that
monumental Event with four verbs. Here they are, underlined and
capitalized.
"And
when Jesus had spoken these things, while they beheld, he
was taken up; and
a cloud received
him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward
heaven as he went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from
the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's
journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper
room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son
of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother
of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
with his brethren."
In order, those verbs are "epairo" or "taken
up." Really derived from "airo," the meaning is "lifted up," in
the passive voice nonetheless! Here Jesus did not make Himself
"ascend," God the Father did! "Raptured" to Heaven, literally
so!
Secondly comes "hupolambano," translated
"received," what the "cloud" did to Jesus!
"And a cloud
received Him out of their sight." This presents the idea
of our Lord being "taken under" by that Cloud! As if that Cloud,
likely the very Shekinah Glory of God, the precise Cloud from
the Wilderness wanderings of ancient Israel, actually swept
down underneath our Lord, transporting Him to
Glory!
Then there is "went up," standing for "poreuomai,"
suggesting a "journey" one is "pursuing," and that "from start
to finish!" The Ascension Route is compared to a "roadway!" A
heavenly "pathway" to follow! Much like an airliner nowadays
lands on a fogy day, literally following an electronic beam shot
from the ground into the air, at just the right landing angle!
It's called a glide scope beam, giving the pilot both the proper
rate of descent and the exact centerline approach to the runway!
And yes, Jesus "stayed on course," all the way to Heaven!
Fourthly is that last "taken up," spelled "analambano."
It means "fetched, grabbed, seized," and "lifted upward!" This
is different from "hupolambano," very much so! There Jesus is
"swept up" to Heaven! Here He is also, like iron shavings pulled
by a giant elecro-magnet, our dear Lord was powerfully
drawn Heavenward! Omnipotently so! And this "tug" easily
overcame gravity, obviously!
That last "go" is "poreuomai" again, so it is
not a new verb at all, merely a repetition. So, I did not even
mark it.
Four stages of Action, all involved in
getting Jesus back Home!
Here they are, in review.
"Lifted up!"
"Swept up!" Or "scooped up," maybe that's
better.
"Following a course," a precise pathway!
Then finally, "tugged to Glory," by an
invisible and awesome attraction!
God's unlimited Power, described from every
angle!
Involved in Jesus' Ascension!
Every bit as miraculous as His coming to
earth as a baby!
As His Virgin Birth!
And every it as important, too!
Because His Life in Heaven, for us this very
second, is essential to our spiritual well-being!
Doubt this?
Read Paul in Romans 5:10.
"For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
Wow!
Look again at those last few words!
"Much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
His very Life, in Heaven now, his current
minute by minute Ministry there on our behalf, "saves" us to the
uttermost! That's what Paul just said! I can't change his words,
nor do I want to!
Jesus, ascended!
Jesus, alive!
Saving, delivering, protecting, interceding,
overseeing you and me from His mighty, exalted, Right-Hand
Position, directly by the very Throne of God!
Praise be to Him!
Our Ascended Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 9:
It is as clear a statement of the Lord's Ascension as we have in
the whole Bible. That is, if taken literally.
"And
when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken
up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Acts
1:9
Jesus, after His Resurrection, remained on
earth for forty more days. We know this because His Death
occurred at Passover. And Pentecost, which was fifty days after
Passover, was the day on which the Holy Spirit descended, Acts 2
style! Fifty days, ten of which the 120 Believers had been "in
one mind and accord" in that upper room, praying and worshipping
the Lord. Those ten days were spent there in Jerusalem in
obedience to the ascending Jesus' last instructions.
Now, let's do the math. Fifty days minus ten
days equal forty days! Jesus appeared at will to select
followers of His, for nearly six weeks! Before going back to
heaven!
But, then, after those forty days ...
"And
when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken
up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Acts
1:9
Let's consider a couple of the key words in
our verse for today. "While they beheld," the clause proves
there were eyewitnesses to our Lord's Ascension! Unlike
His Resurrection, which no one viewed as it happened, His rise
to Heaven was a relatively public Event!
So will His literal return to earth be
public! "Every eye shall see Him," proclaims John in Revelation
1:7. "Behold, he cometh
with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, Amen."
The verb "beheld" translates "blepo," meaning
"to see with discernment, to take heed!"
At first the see Jesus!
He is then "taken up," spelled "epairo" in
Greek, "lifted up" by a Power outside Himself! Hoisted to
Heaven! Snatched away! Raptured!
The same God Who "raised Him from the dead"
also "took Him" back to Heaven, at just the right time!
The noun "cloud" is "nephele," as opposed to
"nephos." The textbooks say that "nephos" is more general in
definition, a mass of clouds all blending together! While "nephele"
speaks of a definite cloud, a specific cloud, with definable
shape and distinguishable features!
This well may be the Old testament Shekinah
Glory Cloud, too! The Cloud that led Israel through the
wilderness! The Cloud that filled the Temple the day Solomon
dedicated it! The Cloud that departed from backslidden Jerusalem
during Ezekiel's ministry!
It is a sign of the very Presence of Almighty
God!
If so, in a sense, God came down to get His
Beloved Son, His Victorious Son, His obedient Son, escorting Him
back to Heaven!
Wow!
"And
when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken
up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Acts
1:9
"Received Him," if you remember, is "hupolambano,"
sort of "escorted Him from underneath!" As if God's Omnipotent
Hand scooped down under Jesus, and exalted Him all the way to
Heaven!
Excuse me, "Wow" again!
Then, immediately, Jesus has disappeared!
He, even to the eyewitnesses, is now "out of
their sight!"
"Apo autos ophthalmos."
A prepostion ("apo" meaning from, away from)
and a possessive pronoun ("autos" meaning the witnesses) and a
noun ("ophthalmos," our word "ophthalmologist," an eye doctor).
At base, "ophthalmos" just means the human "eye."
The verse begins with Jesus in
plain sight.
It ends, a few short words later, with Jesus
gone to Heaven! Now physically unseen!
He ascended!
There in Glory to do His great Work as High
Priest to His Children, every born-again child of God who ever
lived, or is alive today! Or will ever live!
Amen!
Like the old Preacher said, "Jesus, our Man
in Heaven!"
Talk to Him today!
Let Him help you, hour by hour!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, VERSE 10:
What do you do when your Lord is suddenly "taken away," lifted
up into Heaven?
Jesus' disciples, for over three years,
nearly non-stop, had been with Jesus, by His side.
But recent events, the Lord's Death and
Burial and subsequent Resurrection, had rearranged everything!
Now, in addition to everything else, Jesus
has gone!
The situation is so critical that God the
Father apparently dispatches two "angels," maybe?
"And
while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said
..." Acts 1:10
The subject of our verse, "they," refers to
the followers of Jesus who were present at His Ascension.
Observers of His literally being carried
upward!
Eyewitnesses!
Yet Matthew did not say a word about it, in
all his twenty-eight chapters! Neither did John, of all people!
The Gospels of Luke and Mark do, however. But
neither of these men could have been "eyewitnesses," yet both
wrote using very reliable sources. Luke was not one of the
Twelve, nor was Mark.
Jesus ascended!
What would you have done that day?
Your Lord gradually disappearing, rising
upward, a somewhat slower version of Elijah's translation to
Glory!
We would have done exactly what the disciples
did,
"They looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up."
The verb "looked steadfastly" is built with
two Greek verbs, actually a verb and a participle. It says they
"were looking steadfastly." The verb "eimi" is included, as an
indicative imperfect. Had they not been interrupted, they would
have kept on looking, for an undetermined amount of time!
Add here the verb "atenizo," literally
meaning "to stretch" one's attention toward someone! To, so to
speak, "glue" one's eyes on something! Twice the Bible has it
"to fasten" one's eyes on a subject!
Gazing intently!
Unable to look away!
Literally "looking unto Jesus," Hebrews 12:2
style!
"Toward" Heaven uses the little preposition "eis,"
actually meaning "into" Heaven!
Lesson: Keep your eyes on the Lord!
At least until He says otherwise!
Now, "two men" appear, with instructions!
"And
while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said
..." Acts 1:10
These "men" arrest our attention!
Luke uses the imperative "behold!"
"Idou" means "Look, See, Listen!" It is even
translated "Lo" 29 times in the New Testament, introducing an
element of surprise!
Unexpectedly these "men" appear!
It has been historically thought, by
preachers and teachers and Bible students through the ages, that
these "men" were angels.
This certainly may be the case, but the Text
does not specifically say that!
The word "men," spelled "aner," means the
male of the species. These were not ladies. Best I can remember,
angels in the Bible are always portrayed as men, too. Can anyone
think of an exception?
Oh well, does it matter that much?
Either way, the disciples are given a
God-sent lesson about Jesus' Second Coming, just what they
needed to hear at that moment!
He's gone, for now!
But He is coming back again some day!
Here's what these two clad-in-white visitors
told the startled disciples: "Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts
1:11, tomorrow's text!
The main reason I hesitate to absolutely
insist that these men are "angels" is this, the Bibles' own
ambiguity here. Plus, nowadays especially, angels are greatly
overemphasized. Nearly "worshipped" in many places!
As if they were "magic," or something!
Whereas truthfully, angels are just created
beings, made by God in Heaven to run errands, make
announcements, protect His people, and otherwise do God's
bidding, whatever that might be.
Jesus is certainly "better" than the angels!
Acts 1:4 speaking of our dear Lord, "Being
made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they."
Yes!
If you are saved, you enjoy a relationship
with the Grace of God that angels will never know!
None of them has been "born-again!"
"Washed" in the Blood!
"Forgiven" of sin!
Whoever or whatever these "witnesses" are, "two"
of them have been sent! Not three or four!
Two, that's often considered the Bible number
for legal "witness." Remember Deuteronomy 19:15.
"One witness shall not
rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any
sin that he sinneth: at
the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall the matter be established."
Two at least!
Jesus is coming back again, some day, two
witnesses are about to tell us!
God is emphasizing this great Truth! With
reliability and assurance! No doubt about it!
So, Jesus' ascension should remind us of two
things.
First, keep your attention on Jesus! "Stretch
out" toward Him, wherever He is! By faith, by prayer, via the
Word of God, in your thoughts too!
Then, think a lot about His Second Coming!
"Departure" always suggests a subsequent
"arrival!"
The plane that yesterday brought me from
Atlanta to Detroit, a Delta Airlines Boeing 757, was making a
"turnaround." It was gong straight back to its base.
So is our Lord making a "return" visit, some
day!
Aren't you glad?
When we need help or information or
encouragement, anything like that, our Lord is fully capable of
sending it!
At least He did on that Occasion!
One more time.
"And
while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said
..." Acts 1:10
Several substantial thoughts, from a verse
that's really fragmentary! Oh, the vast power of God's Word!
It's complete sufficiency is amazing!
Tomorrow, Lord willing, let's examine what
they said!
It will be important.
News from Heaven!
Yet, truth be told, we can all hear from
Heaven today, through the completed Word of God!
Its 1,189 chapters!
One of which your Preacher today will
expound, this cold Sunday morning in October.
Listen carefully!
He may not be wearing white apparel, but he
is a man of God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, VERSE 11:
It's a relatively compact verse, but loaded with eschatological
truth!
That just means it is full of Bible prophecy,
the doctrine of "last things."
These words were spoken to the Disciples
immediately after Jesus' Ascension to Heaven.
"Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts
1:11
The Lord's actual Second Coming to earth is
being described. Briefly but accurately!
The verb "gazing" is "emblepo," an emphatic
blend of "en" and "blepo," meaning "to look at with the mind!"
To see, but in the sense of "discerning" a matter. Here framed
as a present participle, "emblepo" suggests the Lord's followers
were in deep thought, pondering the marvelous Event they had
just witnessed.
Heaven, the noun, is "ouranos," from "oros"
likely, their normal word for the "mountains." It means "a high,
elevated, raised up place." That's Heaven, for sure! The highest
Place of all!
But, good news!
This "same" Jesus, "houtos" in Greek, is
coming back again! But even "houtos" combines "ho" and "autos."
Or, "This very One Himself!"
Jesus, when He returns to earth, will not be
sending Gabriel or Michael or some of the Seraphim in His stead!
He will do the job!
The same Jesus Who died, was buried and rose
again!
I love those words, "This Same Jesus!"
Paul later spoke of "another" Jesus,
derogatorily of course. "For
if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we
have not preached ...." 2nd Corinthians 11:4, in part
anyway.
And to the Galatians:
"There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:7-8
No!
None of this!
This "same" Jesus is coming back
again!
It's a promise!
"Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, Which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11
He's coming also "in like manner." That's "hos
tropos" to Luke, where "tropos" is derived from "trope," a
"turning around" maneuver! The "time factor" aside, Jesus is
going to Heaven, waiting God's schedule, then coming right back
to earth again! In sort of a "U-turn" fashion! "Round trip," in
other words!
This Event being described is not the
Rapture, when Jesus descends into the "air" surrounding earth,
catching away the Church.
This Event is the subsequent, seven years
later, actual Return of our Lord to this planet! Zechariah has
it this way: "Then shall the Lord go
forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the
day of battle. And his
feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is
before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the
west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of
the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it
toward the south." Zechariah 14:3-4
Wow!
John adds, from Patmos:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that
sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were
as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he
was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name
is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with
a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud
voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven,
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great
God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of
captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses,
and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both
free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast,
and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together
to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his
army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them
that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of
fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the
sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with
their flesh." Revelation 19:11-21, where Jesus obviously
returns to earth and defeats the forces of iniquity, at the
battle of Armageddon we think. Next thing we know, we're being
emphatically told: "Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and
be their God." Yes, because Jesus is back on earth!
My point being: "This
same Jesus Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."
Yes!
That's good preaching, by these two men in
white apparel. Whether they be angels or humans!
One more time: "Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven." Acts 1:11
Today, friends, let's think about our Lord's
perhaps soon Return!
In like manner as they saw Him go!
He left from Jerusalem.
He coming back to Jerusalem!
He went into a Cloud!
He's coming back in a Cloud!
He departed literally!
He's going to come back literally!
He departed with several witnesses seeing it
all.
He's coming back with the whole world
watching! "Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him. Even so,
Amen." Revelation 1:7
In like manner!
And, Christians, Paul says we are "to love"
Jesus' Appearing! There's a definite reward for those of us who
obey this command, too!
"Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but unto all
them also that love his appearing." 2nd timothy
4:8
The Crown of Righteousness!
For genuinely "loving" the Second Coming of
Jesus!
No wonder John's last words were a prayer! He
writes, concerning Jesus: "He
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
Amen."
John then responds:
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20
He will!
More accurate words have never been spoken.
"Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6, VERSE 12:
Our verse today is a little unusual.
It can barely stand by itself!
"Then
returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which
is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey." Acts 1:12
Our Lord's followers, those present at His
Ascension, are being described. Jesus bodily returned to Heaven,
ascended, from the Mount of Olives.
Without the Lord, what will the disciples do?
Virtually for the first time, in three years
anyway, they are "alone." Jesus is not physically available to
them!
Somehow, almost instinctively, they return to
Jerusalem!
Why did they do that?
How did they know this was "next?"
The "two men in white apparel" had not told
them to do so. Their words, fully repeated here, concern Jesus'
Second Coming. "Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts
1:11
Again I ask, why back to Jerusalem?
Which still might have been a "dangerous"
place for these closest students of the Lord!
And herein lies today's lesson.
Sometimes we must "piece together" what Jesus
has said, remembering and applying His words, first from one
place and then another, in order to follow His commands!
Here's what I mean.
Earlier in this Ascension account, in Acts
1:4, the Lord told them: "And,
being assembled together with them, Jesus 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."
Here's another place our Lord instructed his
people, Luke 24:49. "And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye
in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on
high."
The apostles, in returning to Jerusalem,
were doing what they should, to the best of their knowledge! An
action based on what little direct information they had, from
two or three previous and brief utterances Jesus had made!
Like Isaiah said long ago, talking about the
Word of God, too! "Here a little and there
a little." Isaiah 28:10, "Line upon
line, precept upon precept."
And that's the way it is, still today, in
many instances anyway!
We occasionally do not have a direct
command to follow!
So we must search His teachings, survey His
words, even sometimes read His intentions, to know the "mind of
the Lord" on an issue!
Which Church do I attend? Especially when
your city has several good ones!
Can I participate in a certain activity? Some
Christians do, others don't!
When, if ever, can I correct an erring
believer? What if this person is a Man of God? Do we just let
sin, blatant sin, continue?
And as you well know, there certainly are
Christians on both sides of a number of issues today. Important
issues, too!
Where do we get explicit instructions for
handling situations like these?
Not everyone agrees!
Our only source for true Instruction, written
source, is God's Word!
And all its pertinent data, that pertaining
to your "question" anyway, may not be found in one single
chapter!
So we must learn to do what the noble Bereans
of Acts 17:11 did, "They searched the
Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Look for instructions in many places!
Gospels, Epistles, Books of Poetry, the
Prophets, all of God's Word!
Paul did say, "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable ...." 2nd Timothy 3:16, every verse!
By piecing together, like a patchwork quilt,
Jesus' words about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the city of
Jerusalem, the disciples pretty much knew what to do next, after
the Ascension!
And that's what today's Text verse is
illustrating! "Then
returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which
is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey." Acts 1:12
By the way, a "sabbath day's journey" is
close to two miles. Luke has just strangely used a Jewish term,
while writing to a Gentile audience!
I guess he knew that Scripture, in
other places, would even explain this too!
And it does!
Once when Paul was preaching, in Athens to be
specific, he was accused of being a "babbler!"
What an ironically "lovely" term, for a true
Bible student!
It's Acts 17:18. "Then
certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks,
encountered Paul. And some said, What will this babbler
say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange
gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the
resurrection."
Wow!
That noun, "babbler," translates "spermologos."
That is, someone who gathers and chooses and picks ("lego" in
Greek) different kinds of seed ("sperma" in Greek), like a
little hungry bird would do, hopping across the ground in
planting season!
That, in a good way, is what we must do in
the "field" of God's Word!
Hop and look and study and hunger ... picking
up every relevant fact we can find, concerning our immediate
"situation," building a body of Truth upon which we can act!
Then, in times like the disciples just faced,
the Ascension, we too will know what to do!
Lord, help us to so study Thy Word!
That diligently!
That, at times anyway, selectively!
To be "approved" unto Thee!
Reader today, do you have your Bible nearby?
Considering today's lesson, maybe we had best
keep it close, too!
We might need to go "prospecting!"
Searching God's precious Word!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, VERSE 13:
The list is given more than once in the New Testament. But
Luke's version here is my favorite for several reasons, Judas'
absence being one of them, Judas the traitor!
"And
when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where
abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and
Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of
James." Acts 1:13
Matthew 10:2-4 and Luke 6:13-16 are pertinent
here as well, both passages being given to these twelve men,
their names.
"Upper room" is "huperoon," usually
indicating "the highest part of a house!" It derives from "huper"
or "hyper," in one sense meaning "over" or "overhead."
The Passover, really the "Lord's Supper," was
begun by Jesus in such a place, an "upper room." Mark 14-12-15
records these words. "And
the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover,
his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and
prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth
two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city,
and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water:
follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the
goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the
guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
And he will shew you a
large upper room
furnished and prepared: there make ready for us."
And in the Old Testament Elisha was given
such a place to live, 2nd Kings 4:8-10. "And
it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was
a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so
it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in
thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now,
I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth
by us continually. Let us make
a little chamber,
I pray thee, on the wall;
and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool,
and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that
he shall turn in thither."
"A little chamber, on the wall," an upper
room!
Peter once, also, healed a lady in an "upper
room," the same Greek word as here, "huperoon." Acts 9:36-41
tells us. "Now there was
at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by
interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good
works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those
days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed,
they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda
was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was
there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he
would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with
them. When he was come, they brought him into
the upper chamber:
and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats
and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But
Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and
turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she
opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave
her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called
the saints and widows, presented her alive."
Therefore I say that in Scripture "upper
rooms" are special places!
I nearly want to say that they are always
associated with the Holy Spirit in some way, His Presence and
His Power!
Maybe each of us, spiritually anyway, needs
"an upper room!" A place where we can pray and study and seek
God's Face! A place where God meets us day after day!
A special place of worship and intimacy and
and fellowship with our Lord and Saviour!
It might be your closet, your living room at
some quiet time of the day, or even your car driving up the
Interstate!
Still, the disciples in our Text go to such a
room. Right after Jesus' Ascension apparently.
"And
when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where
abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and
Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of
James." Acts 1:13
These men are the focus of Acts 1:13, much
like they are Luke's "heros" throughout His whole Gospel too.
Only eleven are listed, of course.
Judas Iscariot is now dead.
These men, these names anyway, are important
to the Lord.
So much so that He has placed permanent
reminders of them in New Jerusalem, our eternal Home!
"And
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:14, amazing!
But what's so special about them?
I wondered that, too.
Then, a day or two ago, I looked at the
meanings of their names. I think they tell a story, a story of
God's manifold Grace!
Quickly, here goes. "Peter,
and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas,
Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James."
Peter is always first on all the lists
of disciples. The name is "petros" in Greek, meaning a "stone!"
And that's where our Christian life begins, when we meet Jesus,
God's Rock of Ages! The "stone" whom the builders rejected! But
now God's chief Cornerstone!
James is next, "iakobos" in Greek. It
means "supplanter, a thief," or just a plain old "crook" really!
And that's exactly what we all were, before Jesus saved us! Deep
in trespasses and sins! Lost and on our way to Hell! Sinners by
habit!
John is third, meaning "Jehovah is a
gracious Giver!" Need I say anything here? When I, an old
sinner, met Jesus, the Rock of our salvation, His Grace saved my
undeserving soul! I was washed in His precious Blood! Born
again! Regenerated! God shared with me the Gift of
eternal Life! I'll never get over that!
Andrew, ironically, means "manly!" It
derives from "aner" probably, the "male" of the species. And,
not to leave you ladies out, the idea here is "maturity." No
longer a little boy or girl, but an fully developed adult!
Spiritually advanced! God saves us to bring us to this kind of
maturity! Not eternal teen-agers!
Philip, the maverick among these
names, means "lover of horses!" God saved him "just as he was!"
Right in the middle of his secular life! "Greek" to the core!
Still, the Lord "found" him and "saved" him! What were you in
your former life? It does not matter! God saves people from all
backgrounds! Horses or guns or fine china, whatever you once
loved, yields to the overwhelming Presence of the lovely Jesus!
Thomas, the "twin" is next listed. And
that's exactly what the name means! It's an Aramaic name. And as
far as we know, while Thomas certainly got saved, his "twin"
apparently did not! That's the way it is with Jesus, even in our
families. One finds Christ, others are not even looking! We all
know folks who are longing to see their loved ones saved,
brothers and sisters included! Thank God today for saving you!
Bartholomew means "son of Tolmai,"
best I can tell anyway. And "Tolmai" means? The texts say "a
furrow," like when a man is plowing out in the field. That pile
of dirt, a whole row if it, that the plow turns up as it cuts
through the ground. Bartholomew, descendent of "a pile of dirt?"
Yes, that's what we all were, the dirt of the earth, the dust of
the earth! God made Adam from such! "And
the Lord God formed man of
the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul." Genesis 2:7, literally. Yes, God
took us old "dirt bags," excuse me, and saved our vile souls! He
longer calls us such names, rather, now we are His "jewels!" See
Malachi 3:17. "And they shall be mine,
saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up
my jewels; and I
will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."
Thank you, Bartholomew!
Matthew is next, meaning "gift of
Jehovah," closely related to "John," by name definition anyway!
Twice we are being reminded of God's gracious Gift to us! That's
Jesus! "Thanks
be unto God for his unspeakable gift." 2nd
Corinthians 9:15 says this. You can remind me of God's Grace,
God's amazing Gift, anytime you please! Tell me about it again
and again! What an awesome Gift Salvation truly is!
Then comes "James, the Son of Alphaeus."
James, as we have already seen, is identical to the Old
Testament Jacob, a "crook" but changed by the Power and the Love
of God, by the Blood of Jesus! But add here the "son of Alphaeus."
Which means "changing." Yes, the Hebrew noun "cheleph" means
"exchange!" Wow! That's the whole idea behind the word
"reconciliation" in the New Testament! "God took my sins away
and, in exchange, gave me the very Righteousness
of Christ Jesus, His Son!" I'm so glad Aphaeus, James' Father,
was on the list!
Then Simon Zelotes, or Simon rhe
Zealot! He's a political man, active in the resistance against
Rome! A fiery hot Jew, a patriot to the core! "Simon" is an Old
Testament name too, "hearing with the ear!" No one ever gets
saved without "hearing" the voice of God, His Holy Spirit! In
conviction, I mean. Faith cometh by such "hearing!" And "Zelotes"
means "burning hot!" With "zeal" obviously! A saved man or woman
has "heard" the joyful news, been born-again, and now lives
"fervently" for the Lord! Oh yes!
Lastly, still a Judas! Identified
here, not as Iscariot the traitor, but as "the brother of
James." We do not know which James is meant, not the sons of
Zebedee though. They have already been listed. What does Judah
mean? "Praise!" Technically, more fully, "He shall be praised!"
That's where our Christian lives always lead us! To praising
God! To glorifying His Name! To uplifting Him! Day
after day! As a lifestyle! Habitually! Instinctively! Even
eternally!
Look at this list!
It tells a story!
The story!
The story of God's plan of salvation and its
thrilling results in the lives of His followers!
That's why these names are etched into the
very foundations of the Heavenly City!
And it's one of the reasons why God saved
this particular group in the first place, I suspect.
Collectively, far more than individually,
they tell a Story!
I today, early on a Wednesday morning, long
before dawn, sit here at a keyboard absolutely "overwhelmed!"
Astounded by God's Wisdom and Beauty and
Love!
His Grace ... from Peter to Judas!
From A to Z, we Americans would say!
From Alpha to Omega, for the Greeks!
These men, and others too, all in an "upper
room."
What's going to happen next?
Come back tomorrow.
It will be good. I promise.
Because it will involve the Holy
Spirit!
He alone makes it Good!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, VERSE 14:
Jesus has returned to Heaven, "ascended" they say.
His disciples have returned to Jerusalem, as
previously commanded.
In an upper room, they await the "Promise" of
the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit!
Acts 1:14 continues the story.
"These (the disciples) all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Who's in that upper room?
The disciples, but only eleven of them now.
Also some women.
Then Mary, Jesus' Mother.
And the "brethren" of our Lord, His actual
brothers I think. Well, half-brothers to be more specific. They
all had the same mother, but not the same father! Jesus' Father
is Almighty God, Him being virgin-born as He is. His half
brothers claimed Joseph as their Dad.
The very next verse, Acts 1:15, adds another
layer of truth. The total attendance that day, in the upper
room, 120 people. "And
in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and
said, the number of names together were about an hundred and
twenty, men and brethren ...."
Now, the disciples being there is no
surprise, not at all.
But "the women?"
And even "His Mother?"
Then almost miraculously, "His brethren!"
I believe a strong case can be made that not
only did a band of men follow Jesus everywhere He went,
for nearly the whole three and a half years He walked the earth.
But a group of ladies did too!
Read it for yourself. "And
it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city
and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the
kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
and certain women, which
had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called
Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of
Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others,
which ministered unto him of their substance." Luke 8:1-3
These ladies are still with Jesus, even at
the end! At the Cross! "There
were also women looking on afar off: among whom was
Mary Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered
unto him; and many other women which came up with him unto
Jerusalem." Mark 15:40-41, among numerous other texts
that substantiate this truth.
So, of course, they are in the upper room.
They are believers, too! And Jesus treated them fairly, always.
And Jesus' Mother is in there, in that upper
room, as well.
Mary.
Last we saw her, she was grieving at the foot
of the Cross.
John, Jesus' beloved friend, was asked to
care for Mary, after Jesus' death. "When
Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by,
whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that
hour that disciple took her unto his own home."
John 19:26-27
And just as soon as John knew that the
crucified Jesus was alive, "resurrection" alive I mean, he
"went
away again unto his own home." John 20:10, but why?
To tell Jesus' Mother, Mary!
"He is alive!"
"Just like He said!"
Naturally, Mary is in that upper room!
Nothing could have kept her away!
"These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with
the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Then "His brethern."
Last we knew, John 7:5,
"For neither did
his brethren believe in him." They were all lost.
Their names?
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of
Juda, and Simon?" Mark 6:3
The best known are James and Jude, of course.
Because they each wrote books in the New Testament.
These unbelieving brethren have somehow been
saved!
After the Resurrection, likely!
1st Corinthians 15:7 tells us of the
resurrected Jesus. listing one of His miraculous appearances:
"After that, he was seen
of James; then of all the apostles."
James, I think, was saved when Jesus sought
him out, proving his Death and Burial and Resurrection were
realities!
Jesus' literal "brethren," now born again, in
the upper room too!
What a crowd!
What a group!
The nucleus of the New Testament Church!
"These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with
the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
Acts 1:14
And what are they doing, all these folks?
Living in unity!
And praying!
And waiting!
Worshipping, too!
And we need not be surprised, either.
That's exactly what the Church is
still supposed to be doing!
Yet today!
"These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with
the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
"Continued" is unusual, "proskartereo." It's
based on "kratos," a word for "strength or power." It means "to
have the resolve to keep on going!" Not to quit!
For ten days, mind you!
"Prayer" is talking to God generally,
thanksgiving and confession and praise, whatever. "Proseuche" is
the noun.
But "supplication" implies asking for things,
petition! It's "deesis" in Greek, from "deomai," that is, "to
lack" or "to want" something.
Well.
We must leave them now.
The 120.
They will do just fine.
By now, we know they did better than just
"fine." They prospered! They grew! They experienced Revival!
They turned their world "upside down!"
Read the rest of the Book of Acts!
After all, their Lord is
in Heaven, praying for them!
And He is our Lord, too.
Still praying, for us, as well!
Jesus our High Priest, ascended at the
Father's Right Hand, "seeing
He ever liveth to make intercession for us." Hebrews 7:25
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Talk to Him today!
Love Him, too!
Remember Who He is!
And also, remember where He is!
LESSON 9, CONCLUSION:
Jesus ascended!
He now sits at His Father's Right Hand!
But what is He doing there?
What is His current ministry in Heaven?
One thing we know, for sure. He is praying
for us! Interceding on our behalf. "Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews
7:25 is not talking about sinners, either. Rather, about the
saints of God! And He can "save" us or "deliver" us out of every
situation, because He lives for that very purpose! To represent
us before the Father in Heaven! He's my Lawyer! He's our
Representative! He's the Saviour! Still concerned about us!
A second thing He is now doing for us is
found in Romans 5:10. "For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son, much more, being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his
life." While I suspect no one fully understands
this verse, at least it is saying that Jesus' resurrection Life,
right now, is the source of our ongoing eternal life as well! In
other words, if Jesus died, now an impossibility, the
Resurrected Jesus, our very lives, as Christians, would be in
jeopardy! Our eternal lives! If Satan could kill Jesus,
right now, we would all be without "life!" That's how I read the
verse, anyway. Jesus is our Life! Should He fail, we all
fail! Should He expire, we all do! But also, should He live
eternally, an absolute certainty, we all
shall live eternally too! He is living, that we might live! "We
are saved by his Life!"
Thirdly, Jesus is protecting me right now!
Fourthly, He is loving me right now. Because
of the Blood of the Cross, He's smiling down upon us, His
children!
Next, He's watching us, then, consequently!
Overseeing all we do! Does that not make you want to please Him,
in every area of your life?
Then too, everything He prayed for us in John
17, those deep longings of His Heart, for sure, He is tending to
them as well. Performing them for His people, His Body, still on
earth!
And those things are?
I've quit counting now. But they include
"keeping us!" Here are His words: "Father,
keep
through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they
may be one, as we are."
John 17:11, no saved person will ever go to Hell! He's
keeping us! We will all be together, for all eternity!
Additionally, He is insuring our Joy, right
now! Still praying, Jesus asks: "That
they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." John
17:13 implies that as our Intercessor, Jesus is trusting His
Father that we will have full joy!
And more! Victory over sin, over evil! He's
praying that for you and me, today! "I
pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." John 17:15
Then too, for our sanctification, our
separation form sin. "Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17
He's praying that we don't fuss and fight all
the time, too. That we live together in unity, in harmony.
"That they all may
be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me." John 17:21
Also, maybe best of all, He is praying for
our safe and sound arrival in Heaven! At just the right time!
"Father,
I will that they also,
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world." John 17:24, with
Jesus forever, guaranteed!
Wow!
What a list!
And these things, among many others I've
surely missed, are WHY His Ascension is so important!
He is not through ministering
to His Church yet!
To His little children!
To you and me who are saved!
Yes, He ascended!
He is sitting there right now, at God's Right
Hand, doing these things!
What a Saviour!
And how very blessed, we as His followers,
truly are!
Praise Him and thank Him all day long!
Our ascended Lord!
Our Advocate!
Our Intercessor!
Our Love!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
What a Saviour!
An ascended Saviour at that! And busy He is too, on our behalf!
Let's praise and adore and worship Him today! He certainly is
worthy! So very, very worthy!
