SERMON: New Testament Overview, Part 5: Acts

 







New Testament Overview
Part 5: Acts

  • I. Introduction
    • We have completed our overview of the four Gospels and the life of Christ!
    • From here, the Lord will commission His apostles and prophets to begin building His church (cf. Eph. 4:11–12) 
    • This Session:
      • An Overview of the Book of Acts
  • II. Acts
    • This follows up the Gospels, providing history for the rest of the New Testament.
    • This book records the fulfillment of the coming of the Holy Spirit
    • Jesus promised Him in the Upper Room discourse (John 14:26; 16:13)
    • Jesus said He must go away and will only then send the Spirit (16:7)
    • AUTHOR: Luke (Luke 1:1–4; Acts 1:1–2)
      • Between his Gospel and Acts, he provides the most complete history, covering ca. 6 bc – ad 60!
      • A ministry companion of the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:10–17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16)
    • AUDIENCE: Theophilus (a representative of Gentile Christians)
    • DATE: c. A.D. 62
    • THEME: Birth and Growth of the Church/Acts
    • OUTLINES
      • Acts 1:8
        • I. Jerusalem (1–7) — ca. 3 yrs
        • II. Judea and Samaria (8–12) — ca. 11 yrs
        • III. The ends of the Earth (13–28) — ca. 18 yrs
      • Biographical
        • I. Peter (1–12)
        • II. Paul (13–28)
    • The Ascension (ch. 1)
      • 40 Days Post-Resurrection 
        • Not yet time for the kingdom! (vv. 3, 6–7)
        • They must await empowering from the Holy Spirit (v. 8)
      • Ascension from Mount of Olives
        • A cloud received Him (v. 9)
        • Two angels confirm His return “just the same way” (vv. 10–11)
      • Election of Replacement for Judas
        • Matthias? (1:20–22, 26)
        • Or Paul? (1 Cor. 15:5–8)
    • Pentecost (ch. 2)
      • According to the promise
        • Fulfills Jesus’s Upper Room Discourse and word in Acts 1
        • Peter explains this is a fulfillment (partial?) of Joel 2
      • Thousands come to know the Lord and the “church” begins… (Jesus said He “will” build His church — Matthew 16:18)
    • The Apostles Empowered
      • Healing the lame, preaching (ch. 3)
      • Confidence in the face of persecution, Generous spirit of the whole church (ch. 4)
      • Ferreting out hypocrisy, angelic deliverance from prison, preaching (ch. 5)
      • Appointment of deacons and evangelism (ch. 6)
    • First Christian martyr: Stephen (ch. 7)
      • Preaches a sermon on how the people always reject God’s Word & even persecute (Joseph, Moses, etc.)
      • He brings them to their current time to show them how they rejected Christ.
      • They stopped their ears, rushed him from the city, and stoned him
      • A young man named Saul was there… (v. 58), and he began persecuting the church (8:1–3).
    • Into Samaria and beyond (chs. 8–11)! 
      • Samaritans and Ethiopian eunuch (8:4–40)
      • The Conversion of Paul (the apostolic witness for the Gentiles — 9:1–31)
      • Peter’s ministry to the Gentiles (9:32–11:18)
      • The Church at Antioch and Missionary Center (11:19–30)
      • Peter’s imprisonment, release; death of Herod (ch. 12)
    • Compare
      • Peter (chs. 1–12)
        • Filled with Holy Spirit 4:8
        • Message to "Men of Israel" 2:22-36
        • Healing of Lame Man 3:1-10
        • Raising of a Dead Person 9:36-43
        • Magician Confronted 8:9-24
        • Shadow Healings 5:15
        • Prison Chains Loosed 12:7
        • Trance While Praying 10:10
        • Vision Leading to Preaching 10:17-35
        • Addressed by Angel 12:7-8
        • Three Evangelistic Messages 2, 3, 10
      • Paul (chs. 13–28)
        • Filled with Holy Spirit 13:9  
        • Message to "Men of Israel“ 13:16-37
        • Healing of Lame Man 14:8-10
        • Raising of a Dead Person 20:9-12
        • Magician Confronted 13:6-12
        • Shadow Healings 19:12
        • Prison Chains Loosed 16:26
        • Trance While Praying 22:17
        • Vision Leading to Preaching 16:9-10
        • Addressed by Angel           27:23-24
        • Three Evangelistic Messages 13, 14, 17
    • First Missionary Journey (chs. 13–14)
      Paul, Barnabas, John Mark
      • Salamis
      • Paphos
      • Pisidian Antioch
      • Iconium
      • Lystra and Derbe
      • Return journey
    • Jerusalem Council (ch. 15)
      • What about the Gentiles?
        • Circumcision?
        • Mosaic Law?
      • Peter’s testimony (15:10–11)
      • We see the elders of Jerusalem making the decision with the apostles
        • Cf. 15:13, 22; 16:4.
        • Elders replace apostles in individual church leadership — 20:17, etc.
    • Second Missionary Journey (15:36–18:22)
      Paul, Silas
      • Philippi
      • Thessalonica
      • Berea
      • Athens
      • Corinth
      • Ephesus
    • Third Missionary Journey (18:23–19:20)
      Paul, Luke, etc.
      • Revisits churches.
      • Stays in Ephesus.
      • Handles various church issues
      • Spirit calls him to returns to Jerusalem
    • Paul’s Arrest and Ministry to Rome (19:21–28:31)
    • The story continues past Acts…
      • Paul is released from house arrest in Rome, heads for Macedonia, leaves Timothy in Ephesus  (1 Tim. 1:3)
      • Paul leaves Titus in Crete, plans to meet up at Nicopolis while heading from Crete to Dalmatia (Titus 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:10).
      • Paul arrested again, imprisoned in Rome, expects execution (2 Tim. 4:13, 16–17)
      • Visit to Spain?  (Rom. 15:24, 28).
  • III. Conclusion
    • Acts gives us a glimpse of the early church and how God moved His people.
    • These are descriptive (not prescriptive) texts. They explain what happened, not necessarily what we should do.
    • Next Time:
      • Romans!

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