Acts 1:6

When they therefore were come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in his own power. But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. — Acts 1:6–8

The disciples wanted a throne; Jesus gave them a mission and the power to carry it out.

The Question on the Mount of Olives

Last week we began the book of Acts, Luke's great work declaring all that Jesus began to do and teach. That work is not finished. Even today, 2,000 years later, the acts of the church continue—indeed, this book could better be titled the Acts of the Holy Spirit, for God by His Spirit is still working and desiring to work.

In verse 6 we find the disciples gathered together. Reading further, we learn they were on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. There was Jesus with His disciples—not just the twelve, but probably a much larger group of followers. Overlooking the city, they asked Him a great question: "Will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"

It was on that very same mountain, just weeks earlier, that the disciples had come to Jesus in Matthew 24. He had declared that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another, and they asked, "Lord, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" They were expectant. Something was coming, and they were looking forward to a kingdom.

A Kingdom Long Expected

That expectation went all the way back to Genesis 49, where the scepter—the rulership—was promised not to depart from Judah, and a lawgiver would come from that tribe to bring peace and a kingdom. Isaiah declared the same:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder... Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and establish it.

So the Jews understood that a ruler from Judah, from the line of David, would establish a government with no end.

Now, when Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives, Israel had lost its sovereignty. It was occupied and oppressed by Rome. So the disciples asked, "Has the time come? Are you ready to establish the kingdom?" They believed Jesus was the Messiah. They had followed Him for three years, watched Him raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons, and feed the multitudes. They had seen Him crucified—and then risen again.

Why They Were Focused on the Kingdom

Put yourself in that group. From the beginning of His ministry Jesus preached the kingdom: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). He preached it in Matthew 5, 6, 9, in Luke 4, 8, and many other places. He told them to pray for it—"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He told them to seek it: "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

He taught them many kingdom parables—Matthew 13, 18, 20, 24, 25—story after story about the kingdom. And He sent them out in Matthew 10 saying, "Go and preach the kingdom of heaven." With all this teaching, and with the Old Testament prophecies they knew, these men and women were expectant and hoping for a kingdom to come.

What Man Means by "Kingdom"

When we speak of kingdoms, our minds go to dominion, power, authority, and jurisdiction. The disciples were no different. Remember how they argued about who would be greatest in the kingdom. James and John even got their mother to ask Jesus to seat her sons on His right and left. They were excited about the kingdom because, being close to the One they believed to be Messiah, they expected to be the ones with authority—the cabinet members, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense. I'm sure James and John wanted that defense spot, calling thunder and lightning down on places.

That's where man in his flesh always goes when he thinks of kingdoms—power, dominion, struggle. It was 67 years ago today, Pearl Harbor Day, that one nation rose against another for a power grab. That is the way of the flesh: always looking for power and dominion. And here was Jesus constantly teaching the kingdom. So the disciples asked, "Will you now restore the kingdom unto Israel?"—believing Israel would be raised up to dominate all nations.

Jesus' Kingdom Is Not of This World

Part of what they believed is true, but not in whole, because Jesus had something very different in mind. In Luke 17:20, when asked when the kingdom would come, Jesus answered that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. In John 18:36 He told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." Paul, in 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians, reveals that the kingdom of God is something the body of Christ receives from God as an inheritance. James 2:5 says the same.

The disciples were looking for a restored earthly kingdom. So were the people of Israel—and 2,000 years later, things haven't changed. Talk to any religious Jew today, and that is still what they look for: a conquering Messiah to bring peace. There is coming a day when Jesus will return to this very location, the Mount of Olives, and establish a new reign. But it's not the kind of kingdom we expect—because it's a kingdom you and I are already part of if we have received Christ by faith.

The Inheritance We Already Possess

In Ephesians 1, Paul tells the church they had been given great spiritual blessings in heavenly places—redemption, predestination, forgiveness by His blood. Then he writes:

In whom also after you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit is given to those who trust in Christ as the guarantee, the down payment, of our inheritance—an inheritance incorruptible, eternal, that will not fade away. But what is that inheritance?

Consider Hawaii. Most of us would love to go—and to stay for five years free of charge. Ten years? Twenty? The rest of your life? Even paradise would become hellish for eternity. Heaven is described as paradise—Jesus told the man on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Yet even the most beautiful place might grow boring after eternity. So what makes heaven heavenly?

Charles Spurgeon answered it well, and I paraphrase: what makes heaven heavenly is the precious presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The inheritance we receive in Christ is the very same inheritance the Levites received. First Peter 2 says we are a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. The Levites had no earthly inheritance—"The Lord is their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 10:9; 18:2; Numbers 18:20). We too receive as our eternal possession God Himself—His nature, His character, His presence.

A Down Payment Called Layaway

We've been given a guarantee, a down payment. A few weeks ago, while studying Ephesians, I read a news article about something that lost its flair but came back to life in 2008's economic crisis: layaway. People were strapped that holiday season but still wanted to buy gifts, so stores brought layaway back. You put a small down payment—maybe 10%—and the store holds the item until you pay it off.

But read the fine print: the money you put down is non-refundable. You're invested. If you don't pay it all, you can't redeem the possession. In a sense, you and I are on layaway, and God has given us the down payment by His Holy Spirit. We experience the kingdom of God now by the indwelling and overflowing power of the Spirit. Circle the word until in Ephesians 1—"the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." There's coming a day when He returns to take us home completely, His purchased possession. Until then, He has sealed us as His own.

Reoriented Toward the Mission

The disciples wanted the kingdom for themselves, here and now—to rule and reign as His cabinet. But Jesus reorients their focus: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in his own power." It's not time, guys—because I have something else for you to do.

He had already told them in verse 4 to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He had commissioned them at the end of Matthew to go into all the world and make disciples, and at the end of Luke to preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Sometimes we get so fixated on the coming kingdom that we forget God has called us to occupy until He comes.

Children of the Day

"Times and seasons" connects us to 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul writes:

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them... But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.

We are children of the light, not of the night. Let us not sleep, but watch and be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation in Jesus Christ. We know He is coming—the answers are in the back of the book, Revelation. But until He comes, we have a job to do, and honestly, when we look at that task it seems too great for us.

Two Different Powers

So Jesus says, "But you shall receive power." Notice carefully: the "power" in verse 7 is exousia—jurisdiction, authority, rule. The coming of the kingdom is in the Father's authority. Just as there was an appointed day and hour for Christ's first coming, there is an appointed day and hour for His second coming, and that is in the Father's jurisdiction alone.

But the "power" in verse 8 is a different word—dunamis, dynamic power from God to accomplish a task far greater than we could ever do in our own strength. It's the same power spoken of to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4. He looked at the rubble that had been Jerusalem, called to rebuild it, and said, "I can't do this." And God said, "Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." So He says, you shall receive dynamic power from God through the Holy Spirit—our guarantee of the coming inheritance—because we have a task to do before redemption comes.

Witnesses to the Uttermost Parts

The result of that power: "You shall be witnesses." The word is martis, from which we get martyr. That's not a word we like. It can mean a legal witness who gives testimony, a record that declares what took place, or one who dies for their faith. Notice He didn't say, "Go do evangelism." He said, "Be witnesses unto me."

And Jesus is our perfect example. In John's Gospel, He began His preaching in Jerusalem (John 2), moved to the wilderness of Judea (John 3), met the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4), and then moved into Galilee of the Gentiles, the uttermost parts. He calls us to do the same—not to fly to Jerusalem tonight, but to begin where we are. Start in your Jerusalem—Escondido, San Marcos—move into your Judea, the surrounding regions, then California and the nation, and out to the uttermost parts. He doesn't expect us to do it alone; He gives the power to perform what He calls us to.

Scattered Out to Go

Interestingly, though they received the indwelling Spirit about ten days later, it took several years before they moved out of Jerusalem. What finally moved them? Turn to Acts 8:1. After Stephen was martyred in Acts 7, "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria—except the apostles." It wasn't until the Lord moved them out that they finally went. And the gospel did eventually reach the uttermost parts—and we are recipients of that good news. The same call is given to us today.

He Will Return as He Left

In verse 9, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. As they looked steadfastly toward heaven, two men in white apparel stood by them—be careful, you may entertain angels unaware—and said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go." One day He will return to redeem His purchased possession and set foot again on the Mount of Olives. But until then, He has a call and commission for us.

We are to proclaim His death until He comes. And when we partake of communion, that is exactly what we do. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul recounts the Lord's words over the bread and the cup, "This do in remembrance of me," and adds in verse 26:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come.

That's the commission given to all of us—to proclaim His death, burial, and resurrection until He returns. We have no time to sit and do nothing, for God has called us to occupy until He comes, and I believe the times are short. This is what He's called us to—proclaiming His death until He comes. And so let us partake together.

Closing Prayer

God, You are a great and awesome God, our God. And we praise You today. We thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.