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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1, we're going to 
introduce Acts today. When you get a new book, you 
typically read the introduction. Now, there's not an introduction 
given to us to the book of Acts specifically, but we want to 
try and call from other places in the New Testament concerning 
matters of authorship and the date it was written and why it 
was written. It's always good for us to have 
that basic understanding before we begin the study of a book 
of the Bible. So I want to read the first 11 
verses in Acts chapter 1. The former account I made, O 
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until 
the day in which He was taken up, after He, through the Holy 
Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 
to whom He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by 
many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days, 
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. and being 
assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart 
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, 
he said, you have heard from me. For John truly baptized with 
water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many 
days from now. Therefore, when they had come 
together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore 
the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not 
for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his 
own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit 
has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem 
and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. 
Now, when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he 
was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while 
they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, 
two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, men of 
Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, 
who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like 
manner as you saw him go into heaven. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the written word and we thank you for the glory of our Lord 
Jesus Christ and the fact that he not only lived, he died, he 
was raised, and he ascended on high. And we look forward to 
his coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
And our desire is that everyone here would be clothed in the 
righteousness of Jesus Christ on that day, that all of us would 
know the forgiveness of sins, that we would know the grace 
that You pour out upon sinners in the gospel. And to this end, 
we pray that Your Spirit would be at work in our midst here 
this morning, that You would bring conviction for sin to any 
and all who have not believed the gospel, cause them to see 
their desperate plight before a holy God, and cause them to 
see a glorious Savior that does save all those who come to the 
Father through Him. And forgive us now for all of 
our transgressions and our sins. Give us grace as we approach 
the study of this wonderful book that demonstrates the glory of 
Christ acting in and through His church. And we pray in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, amen. Well, the Book of Acts is a book 
of history. It's certainly a historical account 
of the early church, but it's theological history. This is 
the way we approached our studies in the former prophets on Wednesday 
night. The prophets are not just reporting on history. They are 
giving us theology as well. They are interpreting, they are 
showing, they are demonstrating how the unfolding of these particular 
events are as a result of God's sovereignty. Well, the same is 
the case in the book of Acts. It's theological history, and 
one introduction to the New Testament has made this observation. It 
says, the book covers events occurring in Jerusalem, Judea, 
Samaria, Syria, Cyprus, many cities in Asia Minor, Macedonia, 
Greece, and Rome. The reader witnesses everything 
from preaching and miracles to jailbreaks and shipwrecks. So it's an exciting look at the 
early church. Now, the span involved is only 
about 30 years, from the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to the 
imprisonment, the first imprisonment of the Apostle Paul. That's how 
the book ends, with Paul in prison in Rome, and he was imprisoned 
in about AD 60 to 62. So, just a 30-year span, that 
much ground was covered, that many peoples had come under the 
power of the Christian message. It's a true description and display 
of the acts of the risen Lord Jesus. Now, this word acts, it 
might confuse us a bit in terms of how it's being used in this 
book. Acts was applied to written works which described the achievements 
of great men in this particular time. And many have rightly observed, 
it's not so much the acts of the apostles, they are indeed 
the human instruments, they are indeed the means, but it's the 
acts of the Lord Christ. He risen, He ascended on high, 
and He by the power of His Holy Spirit and by the Word is accomplishing 
this great geographic expansion of the church. He is accomplishing 
this great disciple-making venture of the church. He is accomplishing 
the building of his church, which he promised in Matthew 16. Again, 
by spirit, by word, and through the agency or means of the apostles. So the act of the apostles truly 
set forth to us the glory and the majesty and the excellence 
of our Lord Jesus. Well, as I said, I want to introduce 
this book today. I'm going to try to make it as 
interesting as possible. I don't want you to get bogged 
down in a lot of details that make no sense, but I think that 
each of the things that I'm going to set forth, not because I developed 
this outline, but I think they're most important when we come into 
the book of Acts. Important as believers as well 
to be able to give a defense of the book of Acts. Luke wasn't 
an apostle. Luke was not one of the twelve 
that Jesus had appointed to serve as an apostle, and yet Luke and 
Mark both wrote books of the Bible. So it's important for 
us as believers to know how to respond to some who would say, 
well, your whole idea of canonicity crumbles at the thought of a 
Mark and a Luke. So I want to look at first, author 
and date. Secondly, I want to look at purpose 
and outline, and then thirdly, and we'll end there, on some 
of the major themes. Certainly we can't uncover all 
of the major themes, but a few of them are necessary for us 
to understand. But in the first place, with 
reference to author and date, the Gospel of Luke and the Book 
of Acts were written by the same man. So Luke is the author of 
the Book of Acts. The author of Luke and Acts is 
the same. Now these two initially would 
go from place to place together. It was a single volume or two-volume 
work called The History of Christian Origins. But in the second century, 
it began to be separated because the four gospels circulated among 
the churches as a collection or as a group. And so Acts became 
an independent book. but it's still the second volume 
of Luke's work concerning the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Now, the links between the two books. Notice here in Acts 1.1. 
He says, the former account I made. The former account in this instance 
is the book of Luke. This is the latter account. This 
is the second volume. This is the description of what 
Jesus continues to do and teach. Notice the same recipient in 
both books. It's a man by the name of Theophilus. In Luke 1.3 and here in Acts 
1.1, the same targeted man is Theophilus, and that shows the 
link between the two books, as well the thematic link. Notice 
in 1.1 here, he says, the former account I made, O Theophilus, 
of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. That's why I 
argue it's the Acts of the Risen Christ, because Luke records 
what Jesus began both to do and teach. Acts continues to relate 
what Jesus does and teaches. In other words, he's not an absentee 
king. He hasn't gone on holiday. He 
isn't away from the church. He's enthroned at the right hand 
of the Father. This is precisely Peter's interpretation 
of the events of Pentecost. The great deal or the great thing 
on the day of Pentecost was not the tongue speaking. That was 
a means by which the glorious works of God were communicated, 
but the gift of the Holy Spirit proved the presence of the Holy 
Spirit, and Peter traces the real significance that Christ, 
ascended on high, is the one who has poured out the Spirit 
upon you. In fact, in several places you'll 
see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by tongue 
speaking. In Acts 2, in Acts 8, in Acts 
10, and then again in Acts 19. Each of those instances are not 
designed to teach private Christians that you need to speak in tongue. 
No, they are significant in terms of the flow of the book and where 
the people of God are at in those particular instances. The emphasis 
is upon corporate experience, not individual practice. If you take from Acts 2, 8, 10, 
and 19 the idea that I have to speak in tongues or I'm not saved, 
you have missed it. You have misunderstood the book. If you listen to Pentecostals 
or Charismatics who teach you that you must speak in tongues 
as an evidence of the Holy Spirit, that just means they don't understand 
Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19. Now you'll say, well that's 
a big assumption, Butler, to say that a whole group of people 
don't understand it. They don't. It is simply untrue 
that someone filled with the Spirit will always manifest the 
gift of tongues. That is false. That is a means 
by which churches gain control over adherents. Do not submit 
to such nonsense. The Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10, 
and Acts 19 indicates that Christ is enthroned at the right hand 
of the Father and that He is giving the gift of the Spirit, 
again, in a corporate sense. Happens first in Jerusalem, in 
Judea-Samaria, to the Gentiles, and then the John the Baptist 
disciples in Acts 19. But the three primary ones, two, 
8 and 10. Follow the outline of the book. 
The Spirit will promote in you the reality that you'll be my 
witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the 
earth. So that's how we ought to understand 
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. in those particular instances 
or cases. As well, if you look at Acts 
1 and you look at Luke 1, the reference to John the Baptist 
immediately follows Luke's prologue, both instances. And then the 
overlapping accounts of the ascension of Jesus Christ in both Luke 
24 and then again in Acts 1, verses 8 to 11. So it is the 
case that Luke, the beloved physician, is the author of both Luke and 
Acts. And so it's good for us to try 
and get to know him a little bit because we're probably going 
to be spending some time with him. Now he was a historian, 
Luke 1, 1 to 4 tells us. We're going to look at that passage 
in a bit more detail in a moment. But he was a historian. He recorded 
historical events. As I've said, 30 years here specifically, 
from the time of the ascension of our Lord Jesus to the first 
imprisonment of Paul in Rome. So he was a historian. He was 
also a physician. In fact, you can turn to these 
passages. He was a physician and a companion 
of Paul. Turn to Colossians 4. Colossians 
chapter 4, again, getting to know you is what we're doing 
here with Luke because it's helpful so that we can understand his 
book. Colossians 4.14, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas 
greet you. I think you can appreciate But 
not only the dignity of Luke, I mean, it's not easy to be a 
physician and to be a historian of this caliber, but the wisdom 
of Paul. I mean, here the Spirit comes to the church in Antioch 
in Acts chapter 13, and the Spirit says to the church, I want you 
to separate for me Paul and Barnabas. to missionary work. And when 
we get there, we'll notice the agency of the Spirit and the 
church involved in the missionary enterprise. And we'll also notice 
that the Spirit has them separate Paul and Barnabas. These were 
mature, seasoned, godly men. In other words, the church doesn't 
send the worst of its ranks, it sends the best of its ranks 
to engage in the missionary enterprise. But when Paul goes on these missionary 
trips, who does he assemble for his team? Luke, the beloved physician. Paul's not a fool. He is going 
to pray to God and trust in God, and he's going to keep his powder 
dry. He is going to trust in the power of God to preserve 
him and to keep him, but he's going to use the means of a beloved 
physician. Now, I'm not suggesting that's 
the only reason that Luke accompanied Paul. They were close friends. They were companions. But it's 
certainly a good thing when your close friend happens to be a 
physician and you're going into foreign places and eating foreign 
food and engaging in foreign customs at the threat of being 
foreignly beaten and imprisoned and battered. So Luke was a beloved 
physician, he was a companion of Paul. Some argue that he was 
most likely a Gentile, and I think there's a compelling argument 
for that. And then specifically, the author 
was a traveling companion of Paul during his missionary journeys. You can turn back to the book 
of Acts. It wasn't just Colossians. If you're taking notes, you can 
also write Philemon 24 and 2 Timothy 4.11, other places where Luke 
is mentioned in the New Testament records. But notice that the 
author was a traveling companion of Paul during his missionary 
journeys. In other words, there are what 
are called the wee passages in the book of Acts. Notice in Acts 
16, Acts 16, specifically at verse 10, Now after he had seen 
the vision, immediately we, this is Luke, he is a part of this 
we. He is accompanying Paul on these 
trips. Now after he had seen the vision, 
immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the 
Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. That we section 
continues till verse 17. And then notice in chapter 20. 
Chapter 20, another we section. Chapter 20, verse 5, these men 
going ahead waited for us at Troas, but we sailed away from 
Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five days joined 
them at Troas where we stayed seven days. This continues into 
chapter 21, which is absolutely crucial. Where is the event taking 
place in chapter 21? Paul goes to Jerusalem, which 
indicates that Luke did in fact spend time in Israel. Luke did 
thoroughly investigate. He talked to eyewitnesses. What 
he says in Luke 1, 1-4 isn't just smoke. He really did spend 
time with boots to the ground, as we say, speaking to people, 
examining the evidence, talking to eyewitnesses to compile the 
gospel according to Luke. And so we see these we sections, 
the other one is in Acts chapter 27, verse 1 on into Acts chapter 
28. So when we look at this particular 
man, as I said, he's a beloved physician, he's a companion of 
Paul, but he's also a companion of Paul when Paul's engaged in 
missionary activity. Now how do we answer the statement, 
well, he wasn't an apostle? And he wasn't. He wasn't one 
of the original 12 that Jesus hand-chose to be his servants 
in terms of ambassadorship to take the gospel out. So the author 
was not an apostle, but he was an apostolic man. It's the language 
of Tertullian. He was an early church father 
when he's writing about the gospel writers. He says, of the apostles, 
therefore, John and Matthew first instill faith into us, while 
of apostolic men, Luke and Mark renew it afterwards. You see, 
the church fathers recognized the apostolicity of Mark and 
of Luke. Even though they weren't apostles, 
they were apostolic men. They had close contact with apostles. Everybody knows. Now, if you 
don't, you're going to probably feel foolish, so I should probably 
re-say this. Most people know that Mark wrote 
at Peter's request. In many respects, the Gospel 
of Mark is the Gospel of Peter, not the later Gnostic Gospel 
of Peter, but it was Peter that basically lectured, I would argue, 
from Matthew and Luke in Rome, and Mark transcribed that, and 
that became the Gospel of Mark. So you see, Peter's influence 
upon Mark, you need to understand Paul's influence upon the Gospel 
of Luke. Most likely, Paul, in his first 
missionary journey, he went with the Gospel of Matthew. It had 
already been written, it was already being used, it was being 
widely distributed and circulated. Paul started preaching in Gentile 
audiences. And so Paul says, can we have 
Luke write a gospel that is according to Matthew, that does jive with 
the truth of Jesus, but is more tailored to a Gentile audience? 
And that is precisely what happens. Paul exercises a great deal of 
influence upon Luke in the composition of Luke's gospel. As well, we 
see his close companionship with Paul, so that as he's transcribing 
theological history, we have to believe that Paul exercised 
a great deal of influence in this as well. Kruger explains 
the criteria. Even if a document was not written 
directly by an apostle, there would have been good reasons 
to think it bore authoritative apostolic tradition. Again, this 
might be boring to some, but if you have never dealt with 
this particular issue, you need to deal with it. Because as Christians, 
we say, we believe in what the apostles said. A thinking unconverted 
person says, well, Mark and Luke weren't apostles. How do you 
account for that? How do you deal with that? Well, 
I'm trying to explain that to you so you're not left going, 
ah, ah, ah, as so many Christians do. Brethren, last week I think 
I said people were lazy if they didn't take time to study the 
doctrine of the Trinity. I felt bad about that later. 
I thought, you know, these are great people. I love them dearly. 
I'd lay down my life for them. I think, you know, I hope that 
they'd lay down their life for me. I shouldn't be banning about 
that term lazy. And then I thought, you know 
what? If they are lazy, they probably needed to hear that. 
So that's kind of how I went to sleep that night with the 
thought that God's going to deal with you know, the good and he's 
gonna deal with the bad and all that. But we need to understand 
not only the doctrine of the Trinity, we need to understand 
canon. And by canon, I don't mean those big guns that shoot 
balls and, you know, mow people down. Canon in Greek means rule 
or standard, and it's come to take on the identification with 
the books of the Bible. How do we know that Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John belong in the Christian canon? How do we 
know that the book of Revelation belongs in the canon? How do 
we know that James belongs in the canon of Scripture? You all 
know that Martin Luther didn't like the book of James. He liked 
it, but he thought it was a right-strawing epistle. So how do we argue for 
the inclusion of a book in the canon? And when it comes to Mark 
and Luke, non-apostles, how do we argue that they were nevertheless 
apostolic men? Well, Michael Kruger has done 
great work on this particular subject, and I want to quote 
again. He says, we know that it bore authoritative apostolic 
tradition. If one, it was written during 
the apostolic age and thus was composed at a time when the apostles 
were overseeing the transmission of their tradition. This is important. We're not arguing that every 
New Testament book was written by an apostle, but we are arguing 
that every New Testament book is apostolic. Why? Because the apostles were alive. 
The apostles made sure. The apostles would have never 
said, yes, include Luke alongside of Matthew, if it wasn't legit. They were alive and breathing 
and had to give their stamp of approval. And most likely, that's 
how Mark came about. Matthew was written. Luke wrote. Paul wanted to make sure that 
Luke jived. Peter preaches from Matthew and 
Luke, and the notes produce Mark. That is contrary to some of Christian 
scholarship today, but I think it makes the best sense of the 
data. It's a lot more simple than we oftentimes think. And 
the apostles oversaw each of these books. It's beautiful. 
Just like if somebody comes and preaches in this pulpit. Ultimately, 
it's chems, and mine, responsibility. They may not be pastors, but 
they have pastoral liberty at that particular point. 
So we're responsible as to who stands behind this pulpit. And 
the same with the apostles. They were responsible as what 
was included among the canon of scripture. He goes on to say, 
secondly, it was written by someone who got his information directly 
from an apostle. We've already seen that. Luke 
was with Paul. Of course he got his information. We know that Mark was with Peter. This explains for us this issue 
of apostolicity. So the apostles, or the books, 
weren't necessarily written by apostles, but they were apostolic 
books. And intriguingly, the early church 
recognized this. Justin Martyr, he wrote, or he 
lived from AD 100 to 165. So not a long time after the 
fact. And this again shows you this 
idea that, you know, someone created the canon in the fourth 
century, that it was a sort of a fruit of the council of Nicaea. 
It's simply incorrect. The four Gospels very early thrust 
themselves upon the churches. They couldn't mess up because 
they were taught, preached, circulated, and people had access to them. 
But Justin Martyr, again, AD 100 to 165, says, for the apostles 
in the memoirs composed by them, which are called gospels, have 
thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them. He knows 
that Luke and Mark are not apostles. But in this context, he quotes 
Luke 22, 19. What's that tell us? I know that 
Luke's not an apostle, but he has apostolic authority. And 
he quotes Luke 22, 19 as a result. Irenaeus, who lived from A.D. 130 to 200, we have learned from 
none others the plan of our salvation than from those through whom 
the gospel has come down to us. which they did at one time proclaim 
in public and at a later period by the will of God, handed down 
to us in the scriptures to be the ground and pillar of our 
faith. Later on he says this, Luke also, the companion of Paul, 
recorded in a book the gospel preached by him. Again, we have 
very early church father testimony concerning these truths. It wasn't 
hatched at the time of the Reformation. It wasn't hatched by the confessions 
of faith. This has been the traditional 
approach to apostolicity since the inception of the church. 
Now, go to Luke 1, because we've seen that the Gospel of Luke 
and Acts are both written by Luke. We have seen a bit about 
who Luke was. I think it's good for us to understand 
something of his method, his methodology, how he approached 
his task. Because if Luke and Acts are 
both from Luke, whatever he writes in Luke 1, 1-4 as to how he approaches 
his particular task in the gospel will certainly apply to the book 
of Acts, right? If I'm an author and I'm writing 
a two-volume set, and I introduce that two-volume set, I ought 
to assume that that introduction applies to both volumes, right? 
Makes sense. So I think it's good for us to 
understand some of the things that Luke says concerning the 
way he went about his task. In the first place, notice that 
the events he records were accomplished. This is important. The events 
recorded were accomplished. Notice in verse 1 of Luke 1. You see, there is this idea that 
Christianity is a feeling. It's an emotion. It's an idea. It really doesn't matter if it's 
true or not. It's what it produces in the 
heart of the person. That's hogwash. It's fact. It's history. These events occurred. shared with you before when the 
Santiago's initially got to China. I remember that we got a prayer 
letter from them, and Shirley had reported that it was an amazing 
thing to be with a bunch of Chinese people, and talking to them about 
the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and them thinking that 
it was just, no, this isn't true, this isn't real, this isn't happening. 
And Shirley goes to the map, and she points to Bethlehem, 
and she points to Jerusalem, She points to the regions mentioned 
by Holy Scripture, and these Chinese girls were blown away. 
You mean it's true? It really happened? It's not 
just an idea? It's not just a concept? It's 
not just some theory designed to make people feel good? It's 
not just the opium of the people, as Marx says that religion is? These are real things. And you 
need to come to grips with that this morning, if you're not a 
believer in Jesus Christ. And I'm gonna end this morning 
by saying something that may not appear to be a major theme 
of the Book of Acts, but you need to consider it. Why did 
these men do what these men did? As we move through Acts, the 
jailbreaks we see are because of God's men in jail. The shipwreck we see is because 
of God's men shipwrecked, among others, to be sure. We'll see 
the people of God whipped. We'll see the people of God stoned. 
We'll see the people of God executed by the kings of their age. Why 
did they do this? Because they understood this 
most important truth. God is a holy God. God is holy. God is majestic, God is glorious, 
God made this world, God governs this world, and God is redeemed 
as elect out of this world. But that holy God is not to be 
trifled with. The apostles knew that. They 
also knew that man is sinful, that his heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked. He knew that, or they knew that 
if they did not preach the truth, the solution to the problem that 
man has, sinners everywhere would die in their sins and trespasses. Why did they do what they did? 
Because God's holy, you're not, and you need to hear the message 
of the Christian gospel, if I can put it in a nutshell. That's 
a major theme. Have you ever thought about that? 
Why would men that have a life leave that life and go to places 
where they lose their lives? Who does that? Who says, for to me to live is 
Christ and to die is gain? One who has come into contact 
with that Christ. One who has by grace believed 
on Him. One who is willing to be fed 
to lions as a portal by which he enters into the presence of 
his Master. You know, that's what happens later in the Roman 
Empire to Christians. That's what will take place under 
Nero. They will be persecuted. They 
will be sport in the lions, in the arena. That Colosseum, brethren, 
it wasn't where the Rams played. It wasn't where hockey was played. It was where lions, among other 
things, ate our brethren. Why would they do that? Because 
they knew that God was holy, they knew that man was sinful, 
and that apart from the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, 
sinners will perish for eternity in hell. That's why they did 
what they did. And praise God Almighty, they 
did. You see the gospel move, you 
see it transcend, you see it go from place to place to place 
to place. Again, in 30 years. What's the complaint about the 
apostles? These men have turned the world 
upside down. Wow! You take 12 men and fill 
them with the Holy Spirit, and look what can happen. What was 
it? Mary, Queen of Scots? I fear 
the prayers of John Knox, more than an army of 10,000 soldiers. 
That's the God we serve. That's why Luke does what he 
does. This isn't some made-up story. 
This isn't in the category of fairy tale. As Cam has pointed 
out before, notice the introductions of books of the Bible. It doesn't 
say in a galaxy far, far away. It doesn't say in a make-believe 
world with fairies and unicorns. It doesn't do that. It reports 
hard data. And that hard data is crucial 
for each and every one of us to know, because without that 
hard data, we sinful men perish under a holy God. Notice as well, 
And I'm taking this from Dr. Davis. The events were fascinating. Look at what he says, inasmuch 
as many have taken in hand. Why? Why would many take in hand? Probably a reference to Mark, 
probably a reference to Christians that were writing gospel tracts 
at the time, but many have taken. Why? Because it's fascinating 
stuff! It's glorious stuff! The message 
of a Redeemer sent from heaven to live, to die, to be raised 
the third day in order to save His people from their sins. That's 
fascinating, isn't it? If it's dull to you, you've got 
problems. If it's boring to you, you've 
got problems. I often say to my grandchildren 
when they walk into my office and they say, wow, Papa, you 
have a lot of books. All of them are about one book, the most 
fascinating of books, the most glorious book that contains the 
most glorious truth that God was in Christ reconciling the 
world to himself. The reality that we are dead 
in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with 
him. The reality that this Christ, 
like that serpent in the wilderness, was lifted up so that all who 
look to him will live. Brethren, that's fascinating 
stuff. If you're bored in your Bible 
reading, repent. Rush Dooney tells the story of 
a little boy that was sitting under lectionary readings in 
the Book of Acts. Now, lectionary is what the Church 
of England uses where they read a bit of scripture on the particular 
day. And they were in the shipwreck portion in the Book of Acts. 
And the reading stopped before the disposition was found out. 
And the little boy says, keep going. We got a shipwreck. We have tragedy. We have disaster. 
And you're going to end? I want relief. Rastuni's point 
there is, what did Bible readers and believers and Christians 
who have been at it for a few years find that same thrill and 
excitement? Don't stop. Keep going. I need to know how it ends. Brethren, 
it's a fascinating book. That's why many have taken in 
hand to set in order these things. Thirdly, the events were witnessed. Notice in verse two. Now, Luke 
may have been an eyewitness of certain events himself. Verse 
two, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and 
ministers of the word delivered, I'm sorry, just as those who 
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered 
them to us. So, Luke may have been, but he 
certainly acknowledges the fact that there were eyewitnesses 
to these things. There were. I think when we saw 
in the Gospel of Matthew, who witnessed the resurrection of 
the Lord Jesus? Certainly the women did. Certainly 
the apostles did. But even the guards did. This wasn't done, you know, in 
fairytale land. I think the Mormons teach, and 
it's been a while since I've looked at Mormon theology, but 
don't they teach that at the ascension of Christ, Jesus didn't 
go to heaven, he went to America? And there he dealt with the Native 
Americans and had, is that correct? And Jesus chilled in America 
for a while? There's no historical record 
of that. No eyewitness account. There's 
a burning in the bosom to account for that. I don't want your burning 
in the bosom. I want Luke's witnesses. I want 
Luke. I want an inspired apostolic 
man to tell me what's happening here. Notice thirdly, or fourthly, 
the events were transmitted. The events were transmitted. 
The ministers of the word, the apostles, delivered that word 
to others, including Luke, and they got the message out. Now this sort of introduction 
to Luke's gospel or prologue to Luke's gospel evidences something 
to us that the book of Acts does and every historical book in 
the Bible does. First comes redemptive act and 
then revelatory word. In other words, God acts and 
then his designated appointees write. The exodus occurs, Moses 
reveals. The resurrection occurs, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, John write. You see, there's a pattern there. 
The act occurs, the apostles write, this message was transmitted. Notice as well, the events were 
investigated by Luke in verse three. It seemed good to me also 
having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first 
to write to you and orderly account most excellent Theophilus. This 
means, this idea of had perfect understanding. It means to pay 
careful attention to something in a segment of time, to follow 
a thing, to follow a course of events, to take note of. He'd 
have been with his ink pen in his ear and his notepad at hand. He was talking to people. He 
pounded the pavement. You see, not only does the Spirit 
use Luke, the Spirit uses Luke's methodology. Persons have rightly 
observed the styles of the apostolic men are different. The way that 
Luke writes, not in terms of he wrote Chinese and Paul writes 
Greek, but even within Greek, there's differences. You must 
certainly observe a difference in the way that Romans reads 
and in the way that 1 John reads. You must see and observe that 
the Spirit of God utilized the men without destroying the men. It's a beautiful thing. God made the men, God prepared 
the men, God called the men to himself, and then God used the 
men as the men to accomplish his work in recording his word. It's beautiful. And Luke tells 
us his methodology. Notice as well, the events were 
recorded specifically for a reason. He said, I investigated this 
to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus. Now 
notice in verse four, that you may know the certainty of those 
things in which you were instructed. Christianity isn't one religion 
out of many. I mean, I guess in the one sense 
it is, but it's right. There's a certainty about it. 
The apostles don't preach for probability. The apostles don't 
preach in the world of mites and maybes. Therefore, let all 
the house of Israel know, assuredly, Peter says on the day of Pentecost, 
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord 
and Christ. It's a beautiful thing. The apostles 
don't just present information to try and dazzle you with their 
learning. They want you to repent. They 
want you to believe. They want you to come to the 
Savior in whom there is salvation. They want you to know the fullness 
and the freeness and the glory of God's forgiving grace. They 
want you to know what it is to have Christ. Not having a righteousness 
of your own which is from the law, but that which is from God 
through faith in Jesus Christ. They're not just presenting data. 
Remember, it is a presentation of data with a theological bent. They want you to believe the 
gospel and be saved. Beautiful, wonderful thing. Theophilus, 
I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christianity 
is in fact true. Now the date of composition, 
this is quick and easy. It happened at the ascension 
of Christ, that's when he began. And then the end takes place 
in 6062, that 30-year period in there. Some reason why there's 
30 or 33 scholars debate on whether it was 80, 30, or 33. I'm not 
here to end that debate. It was in that sort of vicinity. 
And so for that 30-year period, Luke records probably while Paul 
is still in prison. I take the date at AD 60 to 62, 
whenever Paul was in prison, or perhaps toward the end of 
Paul's imprisonment, because it is intriguing that if Luke 
had been released from prison, Luke doesn't record that. If 
Paul, rather, had been released from prison, Luke doesn't tell 
us anything about the disposition of Paul. It just ends with Paul 
in prison. If he had been released, then 
Luke more than likely would have recorded that reality. So most 
likely, Luke, or Paul rather, is still in prison while Luke 
writes. Also, the destruction of Jerusalem happens when? Everybody 
with a resounding unison voice can say, AD 70, Pastor Butler, 
because we spent so much time in the Olivet Discourse. Well, 
again, if AD 70 had occurred, it certainly makes no evidence 
or gives no evidence in the Book of Acts. Jerusalem's still there. 
The temple's still there. If it had been destroyed by Roman 
armies, I'd like to think that Luke would have given us a glimpse 
of that. So most likely, it's written 
in the early 60s. And as I said, it covers the 
first three decades of the church. In terms of purpose and outline, 
it is to do just that. It is to report to us the providence 
of God over His Christian church in terms of the apostolic mission 
to extend the church. It's simply the record of Christ 
exercising power from the right hand of the Father in the making 
of disciples and in the planting of local churches under the providence 
and power of God Almighty. Robert Kera says the primary 
purpose of Acts is to confirm Theophilus and others in the 
Christian faith by presenting a historical account of the triune 
God's special providence over the early church. Daniel Bach 
says, the Acts of the Apostles highlights God's plan of salvation 
and how God established the new era that resulted from Jesus' 
ministry, death, and resurrection. Now, Bach continues to lay forth 
an emphasis that we need to understand. What is happening here, and one 
of Luke's purposes, is to show that this isn't new. In other 
words, what's happening in the book of Acts with this early 
church in this 30-year period is what was prophesied to Abraham 
in Genesis chapter 12. In other words, Christianity 
is not some odd duck spin on Old Testament scripture, but 
it is the fulfillment of it. It is the realization of it. 
It is what was anticipated, brought to fruition by God. In other 
words, Luke takes pains to show us that what's happening in the 
early church is consistent with the promises made to Abraham, 
Isaac, Jacob, David, all throughout redemptive history. They find 
their terminus in who? The person and the work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Paul can say that 
Christ is the yea and amen. All the promises of God are fulfilled 
in him. And then we notice also box language. Acts is about the expansion and 
triumph of the gospel as it penetrates the world from Jerusalem to Rome 
by means of God's guidance. I prefer providence, and despite 
intense opposition. intense opposition. You'll see 
that as we move through this book. I mean, great people are 
getting destroyed and dealt with like they're thugs, they're criminals, 
they're terrible. Why? Because they're preaching 
the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lord. You know what Acts also 
does in terms of purpose? This is more practical, I think, 
in nature. It serves as a great link or 
bridge between the gospels and the epistles. Imagine if you 
didn't have acts. You'd finish Matthew, Mark, Luke, 
and John. This is assuming that no one's lazy and they read their 
Bibles. And then you'd get to Romans and you might scratch 
your melon and say, where did these people come from? Like, 
how did Cain get his wife? I think that occurs to people 
when they're reading sort of the early portions of Genesis. 
Where did these Christians in Rome come from? Who are these 
Galatians? How did the gospel get to Ephesus? 
How did it get to Philippi? How did Colossae come into the 
pale of God's redemptive activity? You see, Acts tells us that. It serves as the background for 
the epistles. In other words, Jesus gives the 
Great Commission, the apostles obey Jesus, and they plant churches. Acts serves as that focal point, 
or rather that hinge upon which it turns. We see and we move 
through redemptive history through the trajectory that Luke provides 
us in the book of Acts. Now, real quickly, the outline. We're going to keep this very 
simple. Acts 1-8 and Acts 9-15 outline the book for us. Kids, 
you should learn how to outline because it'll help you in life. 
I'm sure your parents have told you that. I want to tell you 
again. Also, learn your penmanship. I find myself sacrificing time 
having to erase my terrible handwriting or my terrible penmanship. I've 
thought about that before as a practical lesson for young 
people. Work on the way that you write. I realize that in 
20 years, none of us will ever write anymore. We'll type everything, 
I'm sure. We'll think it and it'll be on 
the screen. I know it's going to happen in 20 years, but if 
you ever need to pick up a pen or a pencil, take the time to 
write properly because you're only going to save yourself time. 
I'm either erasing or crossing out. It's just not wise. It's 
not good stewardship. But with reference to this whole 
situation in terms of outlining, it's a way to approach a big 
book and put it into a manageable size or put it into a manageable 
way. Notice in Acts 1, this is a geographical 
outline, but I think it'll serve us well as we move through the 
book. Notice in Acts 1 verse 8, but you shall receive power 
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses 
to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the 
end of the earth. That's how the book fleshes out. 
Jerusalem is the center of focus in chapters 1 to 8. Then we see 
the witness spread to Judea and Samaria in chapters 8 to 12 with 
the calling of the apostle Paul in Acts 13. We see, or the dispatching 
of Paul in Acts 13, we see the gospel move to the end of the 
earth. It's a pretty helpful outline. Geographically, it tells 
us what's happening in terms of the church. They first focus 
in on Jerusalem, satisfying the prophetic statements in Isaiah 
2. What do we learn? In the latter days, the nations 
will flow to Zion to be taught the law of the Lord. It's no 
accident that Jerusalem is the place where the church begins. 
But then they branch out. They go from Jerusalem to Judea, 
Samaria, to the end of the earth. And if you look at Acts 9.15, 
it certainly highlights what's going to happen with Paul. 9.15, the Lord said to him, go 
for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name, notice, 
before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. That's exactly 
what Paul does. The focus is to the Gentiles 
in chapters 14 to 20, his witnesses to kings in chapters 21 to 26. 
of governing authorities of his age, and then the witness to 
the children of Israel. It's punctuated in chapter 13, 
chapter 22, chapter 28, probably especially, because the book 
ends with Paul in prison and Jews coming to him to be taught 
the kingdom of God. Now, they reject it, they resist 
it, and Luke applies to us, or for us, the prophecy of Isaiah 
6. But you see, that's precisely what Paul does. He doesn't play 
games. He doesn't say, well, Lord, I got other things going 
on. He goes to Gentiles, he goes to Kings, and he goes to Jews. 
So that's a brief introduction, a couple of major themes, and 
then we'll close. First, the glory of God. Let's not miss 
that. The Acts of the Apostles. Again, 
it's not inspired. The title is not inspired. When you really break it down, 
there's only two apostles that we're really looking at in the 
Book of Acts. You've got Peter in the first section, and you've 
got Paul in the latter. And I think F.F. Bruce is right 
with reference to Luke and Paul. Paul is a hero to Luke. Luke's 
a fan of Paul. We move through Acts, the Paul 
sections, you will notice that. Paul is his hero, and he should 
be everybody's hero. Paul's a great, great man. But when we speak of the acts 
of the apostles, we're tempted to miss the risen Christ. We're tempted to miss the ascended 
Christ. The apostles are his means. The 
apostles may serve as agents, but it's Christ who is building 
his church. It's Christ who is accomplishing his purposes. And 
it's not just the second person of the Trinity. We see the glory 
of the Father. What's the Father do according 
to the book of Acts? He predetermined the very death 
of Jesus Christ as the means by which He'd save His people 
from their sins. Acts 2.23. What else does the Father do? 
The Father raised up the Son. The Father stations the Son at 
His right hand. The Father is the one who has 
made these promises in the past to the patriarchs, to Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, to David. The glory of the Father is conspicuous 
in the book of Acts, but we see the glory of the second person 
of the Trinity. What does he do? He's ascended on high, he 
leads captivity captive, and he gives gifts to men from the 
right hand of the Father. It's there that Christ is both 
Lord and Christ. It's there that Christ rules 
over and reigns over His church. It's there that Christ sends 
forth His church into the battlefield, and He calls them to proclaim 
the truth, to lay down their lives and their safety and their 
freedom, if necessary, to present God's Word to needy sinners. Christ is on display in the book 
of Acts. He is a prince, exalted to give 
repentance to Israel. This Christ is the means by which 
sinners are forgiven of their sins. This Christ is the one 
who lived and he died and he was raised the third day. Christ 
is a focal point, a major theme in the book of Acts, but so is 
the Spirit. In fact, you look at the book of Acts and you see 
the agency of the Spirit come to fruition. I mean, that's Peter's 
point in Acts chapter 2. This is what Joel spoke of. It's not that there was no Spirit 
in the Old Testament. When David is confessing his 
sins in Psalm 51, he says, take not thine Holy Spirit from me. 
Of course, David had the Spirit. Samson had the Spirit. The people 
of God in the Old Covenant had the Spirit. but not like they 
had it on the day of Pentecost when God pours the Spirit out 
in a beautifully glorious way to advance the cause of the church, 
to advance the cause of Christ. We'll see the Spirit's activity 
in a whole host of ways. He is the means by which the 
people of God have elders. The Spirit is the primary mover 
with reference to missions. We see the Spirit as giving aid 
to Stephen when he's being stoned to death. So all three persons 
of the Godhead are on glorious display in the Book of Acts, 
and we need to observe that and appreciate that. This isn't just 
a human movement. This wasn't just some experiment 
that happened to turn out okay. I guess it all depends on how 
you define okay. This was divine. This was orchestrated 
by God. This was put in place by the 
Lord. And even the suffering of God's people was part of that 
plan. You ever considered in Acts 5 when they are beaten and 
they leave from those who beat them rejoicing? That's what the 
text says. They were scourged. I got to 
say, brethren, if I was scourged, I don't know that rejoicing would 
be my first order of business. This is where I think God gives 
great grace in times of great need. I'm getting scourged. I'm thinking about aloe vera, 
warm baths. You know, having my wife tend 
to my, that's what I'm thinking. They get scourged and they are 
rejoicing. Why? Because they were counted 
worthy to suffer shame for his name. It's beautiful. This is 
a divine movement. This is of God. It's not men. And then as well, we see the 
practice of the early church. What does the church do when 
God adds to her number? They continue steadfastly in 
apostolic doctrine, in the breaking of bread, in prayers and fellowship. In other words, they worship 
God the way God tells them to. The practice of the early church 
is conspicuously set forth. But again, we need to understand 
what is normative practice and what may have been extraordinary, 
like these outpourings of the spirit attended by the gift of 
tongues. The normative is what we need 
to follow. Those things that describe an 
extraordinary outpouring, that doesn't necessarily mean it's 
to be duplicated by us. You see, just because something 
is described doesn't necessarily mean it's prescribed. And I think 
interpreters mess up what's in the Book of Acts. Well, David 
having committed adultery and murder is in the Bible too, and 
him having been forgiven. But I don't go thou and do likewise. 
The emphasis in the book of Acts is not try to get the gift of 
tongues. To get that reading out of it 
is to miss the point of the book of Acts. So we'll need to make 
sure we understand the difference between the description and prescription. Something can be described that's 
not necessarily prescribed. And those things which are prescribed, 
we need to be about. Apostolic doctrine, breaking 
of bread, fellowship, prayer. And then the third major theme 
is the spread of the gospel. the expansion of the church through 
a multitude of geographic regions, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and 
to the end of the earth. The end of the earth is represented 
here by Rome. The fact that Paul ends up in 
Rome, that's the end of the earth in that particular context. It 
did accomplish the purpose for which God sent it. Now, of course, 
it doesn't stop. It goes to every nation group 
or every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. It's supposed to 
go forth until Jesus returns again in glory to judge the living 
and the dead. But in this context, It had accomplished the purpose 
for which God had sent it." Notice the frequent use of progress 
reports. We won't turn there, but you 
can make a note and we'll observe them along the way. 6, 7, 9, 
31, 12, 24, 16, 5, and 19, 20. Luke gives us progress 
reports. So the word of the Lord spread. 
So the word of the Lord spread. So the word of the Lord spread. 
And oftentimes it's in the midst of when there's persecution and 
trial. What's the point? Even though 
the people of God are persecuted and tried, the word of the Lord 
will spread. Oh, if they imprison Paul, the 
gospel is going to end. That's what he says in 2 Timothy. 
He doesn't say that, but he says, though I'm in chains, the word 
of God is not chained. 2 Timothy is his second imprisonment, 
when he ultimately is executed for his faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Twice, Paul was imprisoned in 
Rome. Another time he was imprisoned 
in Caesarea, or Caesarea, however you want to say it. It's an amazing 
thing, isn't it? I mean, this accomplished rabbinic 
scholar, conquered by saving grace, and now on the run for 
his life, being lowered out of the city in a basket. Oh, such 
indignity, Paul. You could hear why people would 
mock him, why the detractors couldn't stand him. He did things 
that were not dignified for a rabbinic scholar of his caliber. He did 
it because Christ had saved him and he wanted to go out and testify 
concerning the gospel. That's where I want to end. The 
necessity of the Christian gospel. Though Luke doesn't say, I'm 
writing these things because God is holy, you're sinful, and 
you need to repent. I think it's underlying throughout. 
It's intriguing, you know, you look as you study and prepare 
for an introduction. Again, I hope this introduction 
has been at least somewhat interesting and has held your attention. 
But there's various authors of various books that write various 
introductions about different Bible books. You're gonna get 
the same response from Martin Luther. Here's how he says, or 
here's why he says Luke wrote. He says, it is to be noted that 
by this book, St. Luke teaches the whole church 
to the end of the world, the true chief point of Christian 
doctrine, namely that we must all be justified only through 
faith in Jesus Christ without any addition of law or help from 
good works. I say amen. Acts 2, repent and 
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for what? For the remission 
of sins. Acts 5, remission of sins. Acts 10. To him, all the prophets 
witnessed that whoever believes in his name will receive the 
forgiveness of sin. Same emphasis in chapter 13. 
Paul, in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, tells them. 
that Christ can do what the Law of Moses couldn't. You cannot 
be justified in the keeping of the Law of Moses. Not because 
there's anything wrong with the Law of Moses, but because there's 
everything wrong with your heart. But what Christ does is He justifies 
the ungodly. What Christ does is He brings 
forgiveness and a righteousness. What Christ does is what the 
Old Covenant Law couldn't. Doesn't mean the old covenant 
law was bad, doesn't mean we get rid of it in terms of its 
normative use, but it does mean we resist or reject the idea 
that somehow all I need is to be a better guy and I'll go to 
heaven. If that's your thought this morning, 
you're going to end up in hell. Please hear me and hear me clearly. 
God is holy, you are sinful, and there's not enough good works 
in this world for you to accomplish to try to earn your way with 
God. You have already failed miserably. You deserve God's 
wrath and his curse right now and in the life to come. Everything 
is against you in terms of God. The only means of freedom, of 
help, of salvation, of hope, is through Christ. That's it. 
So this is Luke's purpose, that you believe in him, that you 
look to him, and that you receive, by God's grace, the forgiveness 
of sins and the righteousness that does avail with God. Well, 
let us close in a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank you for 
the certainty of our religion. We thank you that it's not a 
cunningly devised fable, that it doesn't hold sway with myth 
or start off in fairytale language, but godly men filled with the 
Holy Spirit wrote these things for our admonition, for our encouragement, 
for our instruction. And I pray, God, that you'd give 
ears to hear, to each and everyone here. And those who are not in 
Christ would, by grace, believe in him. They would know the joy 
of being found in him, that forgiveness of sins that is everywhere set 
forth in this book of Acts. We ask that you would go with 
us now. Bless the hospital ministry. Give us grace to minister faithfully 
to the people there. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation and then be dismissed.