By Brother Charlie, Family Friday Teacher (Book of Acts)
From the very start of reading the first chapter of Acts, one thought jumps out from the pages and is mentioned four times referring to the ascension of Jesus. The proclamation “He was taken up” (Acts 1: 2,9,10 and 11) attests to His resurrection and remains at the centrality of the gospel message without which our faith would have been in vain. At the heart of the gospel foundation is the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. Whether it was Peter or Paul preaching, every sermon touched on the factual circumstances surrounding the resurrection, otherwise there would not remain any legitimacy to the truth of the gospel and it would render their message powerless. But God authenticated not only the message but His messengers also by the accompanying of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Without the resurrection the atoning work of Jesus would have no effect in obtaining our redemption and could accomplish no more than what the sacrificial system under the law could do on our behalf. The resurrection made it possible to do away with the sacrificial requirements of the law and opened up for us a new way through faith and trust in Jesus to make us righteous before the Father. As our Great High Priest, Jesus was offered once for sins and sat down at the right hand of God after He had passed into the heavens, the writer of Hebrews tells us, so we can approach the throne of grace in time of our need.
The resurrection made possible the following:
The Return of Our Lord Jesus (Acts 1:11)
The resurrection is a guarantee that Jesus will return again as declared by the angels at His ascension, “This same Jesus which is taken up from you will return in like manner.”
Peter warned that scoffers would ask, “where is the promise of His coming?” and he answers us “the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”. It is the mercy of God on men that He delays the sending of His Son Jesus to complete His plan for humanity.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8 and 2:32)
Had Jesus not resurrected the Holy Spirit would not have been sent to us and we would be stranded as orphans without His power. Jesus told His disciples if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I go I will send Him to you. As surely as He proclaimed it and foreshadowed in the feasts of Israel, on the very day of Pentecost exactly 50 days after the resurrection the Promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. Providentially as you are reading this blog, Sunday May 24th, 2015 marks the anniversary of the day of Pentecost.
Salvation and Pardon (Acts 3:26)
The blessing that is ours through God raising up His Son made it possible for us to obtain our pardon by turning us from our sin. Our risen Saviour gives us the power to be pardoned from our sin, turn our life around 180 degrees and continue toward our sanctification process through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Healing (Acts 3:15-16 and 4:10)
Peter made it clear that because of the resurrection the lame man was healed and made whole. It was by the name of Jesus whom God raised from the dead, by resurrection power in His name that lifeless limbs received their strength. There was no rehabilitation process needed because the man leaped into a new life with perfectly made whole muscles, nerves and all.
Judgment (Acts 17:31)
The Father has handed over to His Son the judgment of the world in righteousness. The assurance of this judgment is given to all men, the writer proclaims, in that He raised Him from the dead. Many are succumbing to a false sense of security by the denial of a coming judgment or the denial of hell, however the scripture speaks of it as a certainty. From the garden of Eden the serpent birthed the first attack on the doctrine of judgment by saying “ye shall not surely die” and this lie continues to be spun.
When Paul concluded this message (Acts 17:32-34) some mocked and rejected it, others delayed and procrastinated their decision but some cleaved and believed. Interestingly these are three types of responses that can be expected upon hearing the true gospel.
When you call on the name of Jesus, it is in the power of a resurrected life that He will rescue you, for all power is given unto Him in heaven and earth. There is no sin too great that He cannot forgive, there is no place too far that He cannot reach you, there is no situation too advanced that He cannot reverse, and there is no chain too strong that He cannot break. Have you given Him a chance to prove Himself?
