SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 12 October 2025
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#2)
Sermon Text: Acts 1:6-11
Main Points:
Introduction
I. “Will You restore the kingdom to Israel?”
II. “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you”
III. “Why do you stand looking into heaven?”
Conclusion
The late Dr R. C. Sproul has been one of my mentors in studying God’s Word. He was the founder of Ligonier Ministries – which, I believe, remains one of the most vibrant and faithful institutions, even after the passing of their founders. Dr Sproul’s strength was in teaching and lecturing, though he was also a prolific writer of books and articles.
One day, as he was speaking at a conference with a huge audience, filled with ministers/pastors, theologians, and Bible teachers alongside mature Christians, he said something that got everyone’s attention: he was about to do what the audience would hate. What was it? He was going to give them a pop quiz – and without any paper. He simply asked them to answer in their minds. The question was this: ‘What is the gospel?’
Now, think about that moment. Surely, the majority were mature, Bible-saturated Christians. Yet, Dr Sproul wanted them to stop and consider: ‘What is the gospel?’
So, let me ask you the same question today: What is the gospel? You don’t need a pen or paper – just quietly think and consider it in your heart.
The gospel is the good news Christ Jesus brought to us. It is this: we’re sinners in need of a Saviour. For sinners like us, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die and take upon Himself the penalty of sin so that we might receive His righteousness and have eternal life by trusting Him as our Savour and Lord. That is the gospel. Dr Sproul would’ve been delighted with that answer – he would’ve given it a perfect 10 out of 10.
But, there’s something vital that often gets missed. Even a ‘10 out of 10’ answer is incomplete without acknowledging the reigning of Christ as King. Here, in our delivery from sin’s curse, Jesus is not merely a victim or a sacrifice for that transaction; He is not simply a powerless price paid to cancel our debt. Instead, He is the reigning King, victorious over sin and death, who claims us as His own precious possession.
Think of it this way: in the picture of His coronation, Jesus’ birth is the coming of His kingdom into the world; His crucifixion is the anointing; His resurrection is the inauguration; and His ascension is the crowning. The gospel in its fullness is the declaration of Christ’s kingship.
This is why the book of Acts is so remarkable. On the surface, it might seem like a book of answers to our struggles, controversies and questions. But when we see it as the continuation of the gospel that Luke recorded, Acts reveals something far greater – it shows Jesus’ kingship and the rapid expansion of His kingdom to the ends of the earth. This is what I meant last week when I invited you all to prepare to be amazed and excited – to see the glory and power of the Triune God revealed in this book.
With the text we have for today, I want to draw your attention to this perspective. I’d like to do this by focusing on three key exchanges in this passage. First, the disciples’ question to Jesus: “Will You restore the kingdom to Israel?” Second, Jesus’ response to them: “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” And third, the words of the angels to the disciples: “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” By reflecting on these three moments, we’ll see a deeper understanding of Jesus’ kingship, His kingdom, His Spirit, and our calling as His followers.
I. “Will You Restore the Kingdom to Israel?”
Now, the end of the risen Lord’s forty day stay with the disciples has come. And they ask the question we read in v. 6, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Interestingly, this is the only question the disciples ever asked their Master after His resurrection. This shows that this was the most pressing question on their minds: when would their Master restore Israel?
Jesus’ direct answer is, ‘You don’t need to know the time.’ But notice, His answer also carries correction and guidance. Their question is off the mark – way off. They start well, calling Jesus ‘Lord,’ but everything that follows misses the target. It is like firing an automatic rifle with one hand and closed eyes – the bullets would scatter in every direction. John Calvin famously commented on this verse, saying, ‘There are as many errors in this question as words.’
So, what did they miss? Firstly, Jesus will not restore the kingdom in the way they imagined. In fact, He has already inaugurated His kingdom. Remember what He said at the beginning of His ministry in Mt. 4:17, “Repent, for the king of heaven is at hand.” As Luke records in Lk. 11:20, Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God, showing the kingdom’s power breaking into the world. So, their question, ‘Will you do it?’ was the wrong question. Moreover, these were men who had spent three full years with Him, the Lord, yet their eyes were still fixed on the golden days of ethnic Israel.
Secondly, their idea of ‘the kingdom’ was political and physical, not spiritual and eternal. When they asked, ‘Will You restore the kingdom to Israel?’, they meant, ‘Will You bring back the glory of King David, reverse Israel’s current political situation, and make Israel the strongest nation in the region?’
Most of us have probably experienced something in life that is so messy, we don’t know where to start fixing it. If you touch one part, everything else rattles and the problem only gets worse. That’s the shape of the disciples’ thinking.
By the way, the term ‘Israel’ in the Bible is not limited to ethnic Israel. It refers to all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, following the faith of Abraham. The blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not THE true Israel – they were the visible representation of the invisible, eternal Israel! And these eleven disciples, despite intensive training, still had not grasped that.
But, notice Jesus’ grace: He doesn’t just criticise; He corrects. He tells them that the timing of God’s plan belongs to the Father, and they don’t need to know. This is not exclusion; it’s an invitation to faith – ‘Leave it to your Heavenly Father.’ It’s a call to trust that God is gracious, faithful and sovereign over all things – even those we cannot yet see or understand.
II. “When the Holy Spirit Has Come Upon You”
Having invited the disciples to trust God, Jesus now leads them to what’s real and certain – that is, His promise of the Holy Spirit. He reminds them to hold on to that promise: the Holy Spirit will be given to them; He will come upon them. So, wait for His arrival; wait for His power.
The coming of the Spirit is the answer to all misunderstandings and spiritual immaturity. It’s also the answer to that earlier, misguided question they asked. In effect, Jesus is saying, ‘You’re asking when and how Israel’s glory will be restored, but here’s My answer: when the Holy Spirit comes, He’ll show you what My kingdom is really about and how it works.’ So, Jesus’ point is simple – they’re to wait for the Spirit to come upon them and prepare them for their mission in Christ’s kingdom.
And this is something that happens to every believer. When someone realises he’s a sinner and turns to Jesus for forgiveness, it’s not as if everything suddenly becomes crystal clear. Becoming a Christian can raise all sorts of new questions. You might feel a bit like a puppy chasing its tail – every answer seems to lead to two more questions. Some people get tired and stop searching. But others keep going, wanting to know the truth. The real solution to all that confusion comes when the Holy Spirit opens God’s word and shows us the way of the Lord.
Now, I don’t mean that a new believer does not have the Holy Spirit until some later point when it suddenly feels obvious. No, that’s not what I’m saying. What I mean is that when the Spirit of God enlightens a Christian’s heart, the way of God becomes clear and obvious. The way of God is spiritual, and without the Spirit’s help and guidance, people simply can’t understand it.
We’ll look at this more closely later, but it’s worth noting that the apostles’ experience of waiting for the Holy Spirit was unique – it’s not something that gets repeated. Normally, the Holy Spirit comes to a believer at the very moment he/she puts their trust in Christ. But for the apostles, the Spirit’s coming was delayed until the day of the Pentecost in Acts 2, because that event marked the beginning of something completely new – the age of the Spirit poured out on people from every tribe and nation.
In fact, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is really God’s way of commissioning each believer for their task in Christ’s kingdom. That’s why Jesus says in v. 8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Some people think that this ‘power’ means a special ability to speak in tongues or prophesy – but that’s not what Jesus is saying. This power is the strength to bear witness to Christ. It’s the strength to make Jesus known, to share His name with others, and to live in a way that shows we belong to Him as our Lord and King. In this sense, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the moment when Christians are sent out – commissioned – for their part in the work of Christ’s kingdom.
So, the Lord Jesus is saying to His disciples, ‘Leave the timing and the details of My kingdom’s restoration to your Father in heaven. Your part is to be ready for the Holy Spirit’s coming and His commission.’ And that brings us to our next and final point, summarised by the words the angels spoke to the disciples, “Why do you stand looking into heaven?”
III. “Why Do You Stand Looking Into Heaven?”
The next scene is the ascension of Jesus. Having finished His time with His disciples and having spoken about their commission, Jesus is now taken up into heaven. The eleven watch as He rises and disappears into the clouds. It must’ve been an incredible moment, don’t you think? What would you have done if you were there? I suspect all of us would’ve done the same – just stood there, looking up into heaven.
Then, two angels appear and say, as we read in v. 11, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” In Scripture, ‘men in white robes’ is a common way of describing angels. They’re not asking this because they’re puzzled by what the disciples’ behaviour – they’re pointing out that what the disciples are doing has no real purpose. The disciples have followed Jesus with their eyes as He ascended, and now, with a cloud hiding Him from view, they’re still straining to see Him again. The angels gently challenge them – they’re saying, in effect, ‘You’re missing the point again.’
What they mean is this: Jesus has now been taken up to heaven; He is no longer with them in the way He was before. It’s time to accept that and focus on what He has told them to do – to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and to receive power for their mission, that is, to be His witnesses in the world.
Isn’t that a picture of us, too? More often than not, we find ourselves just standing still, looking up, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Sometimes we even search the Bible, not so much to hear our commission, but to feel comforted or inspired – yet without stepping into the work He has called us to do. We love to look up, but we often forget to go out.
To Christians like that – like us – the angels’ words carry weight: ‘Why are you standing here looking into heaven?’ It’s as if they’re saying, ‘You’ve missed the point. You’re called to be witnesses, not stargazers.’ When we stand still, gazing upward, we forget out calling to bear witness to Christ before a watching world.
The angels go on to remind them that Jesus will return – in the same way they’ve just seen Him go – when the time set by the Father comes. But that’s not for them to worry about. Their task, and ours, is to focus on what He has commissioned us to be and do – to take part in His work in the world. Through these two messengers, Jesus once again reminds His disciples of the promise of the Holy Spirit and of their calling to serve in His kingdom. And we hear that reminder loud and clear!
Conclusion
So, what is the message we should hear from this account and take home? Jesus is now exalted, reigning at the right hand of the Father. He is not absent; He is ascended. He hasn’t left us on our own but now rules all things for the sake of His Church. The sending of His Spirit is His way of continuing the work He began – now through the lives of His witnesses, including you and me.
So, we must keep our focus on the true purpose behind all these events – the ascension of Christ, the outpouring of the Spirit, and the commissioning of believers. The purpose of it all is that we might see and participate in Christ’s reign – His ongoing work of expanding His kingdom on earth.
We’ve been called into that work. Each one of us is sent into the world, filled with the Spirit, to make the risen and reigning Jesus known. It’s no time to chase after things that don’t matter. It’s no time to stand still, staring into heaven, hoping for something to happen. It’s time to know our calling – and to live it out faithfully, joyfully, and courageously.
As we continue through the book of Acts, we’ll face this pattern again and again – how God’s people, empowered by His Spirit, carry out the mission of Christ until the day He returns. And we hear that reminder loud and clear. ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 