NOTES:

• ILLUSTRATION: In 2010, a Chilean mine collapsed, trapping 33 miners underground for 69 days. For 17 days, the world didn't even know if they were alive. They rationed food—one spoonful of tuna, one biscuit, and a sip of milk every 48 hours. Hope seemed impossible. But then, contact was made. Rescuers sent down small capsules with light, communication, and food. The miners later said that the most important thing wasn’t the food—it was knowing someone was coming. They could endure the waiting once they knew help was on the way. (Jose Henriquez, Maria Segovia, La Alcaldesa of camp hope)
• Spiritual parallel: God does not always give us everything at once—but He gives us what we need, when we need it. In Acts 1, Jesus tells His disciples: Power is coming. Just not yet.
• Big Idea: God often calls us to wait faithfully and witness boldly between what He’s already done and what He’s still going to do.
• Luke 3:16 – John the Baptist foretells that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
• Luke 11:13 – Jesus says the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
• Luke 24:49 – Jesus personally promises to send the Holy Spirit.

Point 1: Trust What Jesus Already Began (vv. 1–3)

1. We’re not spectators of Christ’s past—we’re participants in His present. Participants by and through the power of the helper, the advocate, the Parakletos, the Holy Spirit.
   1. “All that Jesus began to do and teach” (1) – The Greek verb ἤρξατο (ērxato) indicates that what Jesus began continues in Acts through His Spirit and His people.
      1. Philippians 1:6 - “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
   2. Luke frames Acts as a continuation, not a new story—Jesus is still the main actor, now through His Spirit in the Church.
      1. Hebrews 12:1-2b – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
   3. Apollonius of Tyana (a 1st-century philosopher) also had "acts" written about him, but those were biographies. Acts is unique—it’s not just about the apostles; it’s about Jesus working through His Spirit.
   4. Theophilus, likely a Roman official or wealthy patron, was addressed formally in Luke (“most excellent”) but not here—indicating a growing familiarity and perhaps discipleship.
   5. APPLICATION: When you doubt the future, look to what Jesus has already done—He taught, healed, died, rose, and appeared over 40 days proving He was alive (3).
      1. Jesus didn’t just finish something—He’s starting something in you. The empty tomb isn’t closure—it’s commission, and He rose not just to save you, but to send you.
         1. John 5:17 - “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.”
      2. ILLUSTRATION: Before Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, thousands of engineers, technicians, and support crew at NASA worked for over a decade to make it possible. The launchpad—Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 39A—was designed to bear the weight of 6 million pounds of rocket. Without that foundation, the mission would have never made it off the ground. The resurrection of Jesus is our launchpad. The foundation is solid. You can trust that what Jesus began was strong enough to carry the mission to completion.

Point 2: Wait Without Wasting (vv. 4–7)

1. God’s delays are not God’s denials.
   1. Acts 1:4 – “...Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait…”
      1. “Wait” – Greek verb παραγγέλλω (parangellō) (v.4) implies a military-style command, not a suggestion.
      2. “Not for you to know the times or periods” (v.7) – “times” (χρόνους, chronos) = general time; “periods” (καιρούς, kairos) = strategic, God-appointed moments.
   2. The disciples likely expected Jesus to restore the kingdom immediately (6). Jewish hopes for a Davidic restoration were politically charged under Roman occupation.
      1. Jesus doesn’t reject their hope—He reframes The kingdom is coming, but first they must wait and witness.
      2. We often live like children in the back seat: “Are we there yet?” But Jesus says: “Not yet—and that’s okay.”
         1. God matures us in the waiting room, not just the destination.
         2. Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait for the Lord’s help^[a]find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.
      3. ILLUSTRATION: Corrie Ten Boom, survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, used to tell a story her father shared when she was a child: She asked him once why God didn’t reveal certain things to her in advance—why she had to wait. He replied, “Corrie, when we go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your train ticket?” She answered, “Just before we get on the train.” “Exactly,” her father said. “Your heavenly Father knows when you’re going to need things, too.” Application: God gives us what we need when we need it. Waiting is not pointless; it’s preparation. The disciples weren’t being sidelined—they were being positioned for power.
         1. Lamentations 3:25-26 - “The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait patiently for deliverance from the Lord.”

Point 3: Witness While You Wait (vv. 8–11)

1. The Spirit empowers you not to escape the world, but to engage it.
   1. Matthew 28:19-20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
2. “Power” – Greek word δύναμις (dynamis), same word used for Jesus’ miracles. It’s not political or social influence—it’s supernatural capacity.
3. “Witnesses” – Greek μάρτυρες (martyres) – root of the English word martyr. This was not about convenience but costly commitment.
   1. 2 Corinthians 5:20 - “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea through us...”
4. “Why are you standing here?” – The angels are essentially saying: Don’t get stuck staring at the sky—move.
   1. Don’t mistake waiting with wasted time
   2. “To the ends of the earth” (8) echoes Isaiah 49:6—the Servant of the Lord will be a light to the nations.
5. The phrase also had Roman imperial connotations—the Roman Empire claimed to rule the “ends of the earth.” Jesus redefines what empire, power, and mission really mean.

CLOSE

Jesus doesn’t say how long we’ll wait—but He tells us what to do in the meantime: witness.

Are you spending your life waiting on God to do something later, while ignoring what He's already asked of you now?

Don’t waste your waiting. Anchor yourself in what Jesus already did, trust Him with what He will do, and live on mission in the meantime.

God gives us what we need when we need it—not always when we want it.