Welcome back to our study of the book of Acts with Dr. RC Sproul, in this sermon, Dr. Sproul turns to Acts 1 :4-14 and discusses Jesus’ answer to a question from His disciples about the restoration of the kingdom.
Imagine for a moment that you could see Jesus among us—not just with the eyes of faith, but physically, visibly standing here. Imagine hearing His voice, filled with grace and truth, inviting you to ask Him one question. What would you ask? What’s the one thing on your heart you would bring before the King of Kings?
This thought takes us back to a pivotal moment in Scripture, when the disciples, standing in the presence of the risen Christ for the last time before His ascension, posed their final question. They asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Their question reflects a longing many of us share—a yearning for restoration, for fulfillment, for the kingdom of God to fully come. Yet, their focus was limited. They were still looking for an earthly answer while Jesus was pointing them toward a spiritual reality far greater than they could imagine.
Today, we’ll not only consider Jesus’ response to His disciples but also His commissioning of them—and us
The Ascension
The Passage
4 [a]Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for [b]what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized [c]with the Holy Spirit [d]not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The Ascension
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into [e]the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into [f]the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
The Upper Room
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the [g]mount called [h]Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a [i]Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and [j]James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, [k]James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the [l]son of [m]James. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
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PS: All the videos series from RC Sproul added to the website have been thoroughly listened to by myself. And I highly recommend them to anyone looking to deepen his/her faith in Christ. We live in the age of relativism and now more than ever understanding what we believe, and why believe what believe is not optional.
My name is Tayib Salami and I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. In 2017, I entered a very dark time in my life and it’s only by the grace of the Living God that I’m still alive today. It led me to really go deeper in my faith and consider a myriad of questions that I never thought about asking myself or others before. Welcome and enjoy the ride with me.