Sunday School Lessons: Acts 2 Pt. 2

 

 Lesson 4

Acts 2:14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!

Who was with Peter?
To whom was Peter speaking?

These were all Jews; the church was made up of all Jews on the day of Pentecost.  (Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, ends of the earth—eventually the church would expand to include Gentile believers)

Acts 2: 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

He is saying “this is LIKE what was spoken by Joel.  How do we know this?

Acts 2: 17" 'In the last days, God says,
      I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
   Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
      your young men will see visions,
      your old men will dream dreams.
 18Even on my servants, both men and women,
      I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
      and they will prophesy.
 19I will show wonders in the heaven above
      and signs on the earth below,
      blood and fire and billows of smoke.
 20The sun will be turned to darkness
      and the moon to blood
      before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
 21And everyone who calls
      on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Peter is quoting this as a reminder that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was foretold.  The men were mocking the Apostles, suggesting they were drunk.  In this way, Peter is letting them know that this is nothing strange—they should have been expecting it!  We know that this isn’t a complete fulfillment of the Joel passage, though, because not everything that Joel predicted happened on that particular day.

Acts 2:22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

After Peter has just told them that what happened that day should not be surprising, he goes on to say two important things.

1. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was not a surprise to God, nor did it happen outside of His control.  He determined it and He knew it would happen just the way it did.

    2.  Even though He planned it, that did not take the responsibility away from those who were responsible for bringing it about historically.

Who was responsible for bringing it about?
    Religious rulers
    Crowds
    Judas
    Roman government
    All of us, because of our sin

We needed a Savior!  Jesus went to the cross “for the joy that was set before Him (He) endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

The people that Peter was speaking to may have been part of the crowd that cried, “Crucify Him!” 

The theme of the first sermon preached in the newly formed church was about Christ—His life, His death, His burial, His resurrection!  Peter was telling them the Good News—the Gospel!

Acts 2:25David said about him:
   " 'I saw the Lord always before me.
      Because he is at my right hand,
      I will not be shaken.
 26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
      my body also will live in hope,
 27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
      nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
 28You have made known to me the paths of life;
      you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

Peter is quoting Psalm 16, where David is speaking about the resurrection of Christ.  It was a prophecy that has now been fulfilled:

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
   " 'The Lord said to my Lord:
      "Sit at my right hand
 35until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet." '
 36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Peter was reminding them that David could not have been talking about himself because he had died and they all knew where his grave was!  And in vs. 32, he reminds them that they were ALL witnesses of the resurrection.
Peter quotes Psalm 110 to let them know where Jesus is now and what He is doing.  He is in heaven, seated at the right Hand of the Father, and He is both Lord and Savior. 

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

This message convicted them of their sin.  They wanted to know what they should do.  Notice, these men are no longer mocking the Apostles, they are calling them “brothers.”

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
 40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Peter tells them they must repent and be baptized.
 
Review the Great Commission. 

Jesus had told the Apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit to come and now He is here.  He will be given to all believers—those present that day and every believer that God adds to the church—all whom the Lord our God will call.

Salvation belongs to God!

Peter continued to preach and warned them against going back to their old ways.
The hearers believed Peter and were baptized that day.  Three thousand!   
These new believers’ lives were changed!  They “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread (communion) and to prayer. 

What else did they do?

How did all this change effect their lives?

Who did the signs and wonders?

Who added to the church?

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students.  You can find lessons for previous chapters here.

Sunday School Lessons: Acts 2 Pt. 1

Acts 2:  Pentecost
Acts 2:1-13                        Acts 2:14-47
The Coming of the Holy Spirit            The First Sermon

2:1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

Jewish Feasts
Passover—Represents the Death of Jesus
First Fruits—Represents the Resurrection
Pentecost—represents the Church
    Types, shadows, signs
When the day of Pentecost was “fully come” or fulfilled.
They were all together in one place
    Who? Where?  What were they doing?  Why were they doing it?

Acts 2:2-3  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

    The coming of the Holy Spirit wasn’t the wind but it sounded like a mighty rushing wind.  There were tongues “as of fire” but it wasn’t fire. 
It got their attention; they knew something unique was happening!

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Jesus told them this would happen (Read Acts 1:4-5)

What does it mean to be “filled with the Holy Spirit?”

Three things have to happen first:

Regeneration (born again) John 3:5
Indwelt by the Spirit (Romans 8:9)
Sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14
This filling, or baptism, placed the believers into the church.  (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Our baptism is a sign, too; it signifies something.  It is a sign of God’s placing the individual into the Church.

“They spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”
   
    These are not unknown tongues.
    Jews from all over were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost

All men were required to come for three of the Feasts, some did not speak Hebrew.
The Apostles were from Galilee; they spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.  They did not know how to speak some of the languages that were represented by the men present that day.  The Holy Spirit helped them to speak in the languages of those who were there.

Just like Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the day of Pentecost happened on a single day in history.  Its miracle does not have to be repeated over and over.  The Holy Spirit came on that day just as Jesus had said, and is here now.  The Holy Spirit is in the world today and His job is to glorify Jesus (Jn. 16:14)

Acts 2:5-6 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

This drew a crowd.  Every one heard them speak in his own language.  The Gospel, the Good News of the mighty acts of God, was being preached and the people could understand it.

Acts 2: 7And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

There were people from three continents present, both Jews and proselytes (converts)

Acts 2: 12And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

They were amazed and confused.  “What is going on???”

Acts 2: 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."

Some didn’t believe it was from God. They thought they were drunk. 

Review:  So, what just happened?

The Holy Spirit called out a body of believers to form the Church. This was the fulfillment of the OT Feast of Pentecost

Remember, the Feast of Firstfruits pointed to Christ’s Resurrection.
Christ stayed with the believers for 40 days before He ascended.
The Feast of Pentecost happened 50 days after the Firstfruits, so that means the believers waited for 10 days for the coming of the Spirit.

From the Resurrection to the Ascension was 40 days
From the Resurrection to Pentecost was 50 days
 

Sunday School Lessons: Acts 1 Pt. 2

 

Lesson 3 

The Ascension and the Promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:9-11)

9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Vs. 9:  “cloud hid him from their sight”
    The people watched Him go.  They “saw”
Vs. 10:  While they were watching 2 angels appeared.
    Angels are God’s messengers.
Vs. 11  Their Message
    This same Jesus
        Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever
    “who has been taken from you into heaven”
        Jesus went to Heaven.  He is alive there with His body
    “will come back”
        Jesus is going to return to this earth someday
    “in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”
This same Jesus will return from heaven to earth at the same place in the same way. 

(Zech 14:4) On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. (Acts 1:12 tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives.)

1 Thessalonians 4:13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Waiting for the Spirit:  Acts 1:12-15

12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
 15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

Vs. 12:  They returned to Jerusalem (review Acts 1:8)
    A Sabbath’s journey was about 1 mile.
Vs. 13  Who was there? A list of some of the believers who went into the upper room to wait for the Spirit.    
Peter
    John
    James
    Andrew
    Philip
    Thomas
    Bartholomew
    Matthew
    James
    Simon
    Judas
    Mary
    Other women
    Jesus’ brothers
 

What were they doing?
They were praying together.  They were in one accord.  The women were meeting together with the men.
Disciples-learners (120)  these are believers
Apostles-representatives/leaders (12) these are leaders, chosen and sent by Jesus.
Vs.15 Peter stood up
    Peter was the spokesman.
Apostles Appointed (Acts 1:16-26)

"Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
 18(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
 20"For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
   " 'May his place be deserted;
      let there be no one to dwell in it,' and,
   " 'May another take his place of leadership.' 21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."
 23So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

 Vs. 16- 18(With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
    Re: Judas the Betrayer
    Judas’ role as the betrayer was foretold and fore-ordained
God is Sovereign, even in the betrayal of Jesus.  We’ll talk more about this in the next chapter.
Vs. 19-20  more about Judas
    He was to be replaced by another
Vs. 21-22    2 men nominated
    Qualifications
        They were with Jesus and the disciples for the entire time
        They witnessed His ascension
Vs. 23-26  Joseph and Matthias
    They prayed
    They cast lots
    Matthias was chosen
Matthias is never mentioned in scripture again.  Paul is considered the 12th apostle and the one who replaced Judas.  How do we know this?

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead

Review conclusions of Gospels:
    Matthew—resurrection
    Mark—ascension
    Luke—promis of the Holy Spirit
    John—promise of His second coming.
All these are present in the first chapter of the book of Acts—a bridge from the Gospels to the Church.

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students.  You can find lessons for previous chapters here.

Sunday School Lessons: Acts 1 Pt. 1

Lesson Two:
Section One:  Jerusalem

Jesus Christ at Work by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles in Jerusalem

OUTLINE Chapter 1  
The Coming of the Spirit
        1.  Intro 1:1-2
        2.  Post resurrection ministry of Jesus (40 days) 1:3-8
        3.  Ascension and Promised return 1:9-11
        4.  Waiting for the Spirit 1:12-15
        5.  Appointment of an Apostle 1:16-26

Review:

Who wrote the Book of Acts:
What is it about?
How is the book divided according to Acts 1:8:

    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.”

Read Acts 1:1-2 (Intro)

1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 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, 3 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.

Vs 1.    “the first account” is the Gospel of Luke
    Theophilus is also mentioned in the introduction of Luke’s Gospel
    “all that Jesus began to do and teach”—that is the Gospel!
        Jesus is still doing and teaching!

Vs. 2 just because he was taken up into heaven doesn’t mean he stopped “doing and teaching.”  Now he works through the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father—the seat of authority.  (Prophet, Priest, King)

40 day ministry of Jesus (1:3-8)
 Read:

3 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.4 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; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 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 our key verse!)

Vs. 3  “he presented Himself alive”
There are 10 recorded appearances of Jesus between His resurrection and His ascension.  This was important to those living during this period of time in history.

This is important to us today—we have a living Savior (He ever lives to make intercession for us)

Vs. 4-5 the believers are gathered together and commanded by Jesus to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father.  The promise of the Father was that they would receive the Holy Spirit that Jesus had told them about.

This is a spiritual baptism and an important part of the birth of the church.

Vs. 6 “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
    This was not a foolish question.  They were looking for the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament who would establish and everlasting kingdom. (vs. 3—kingdom of God).  Jesus had just been talking to them about “things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Vs. 7 He lets them know that they will not have all the answers.  Neither will we.  This was not what Jesus was talking to them about at this time.  It is not up to us to know the future.  It is our responsibility to obey what is clearly taught in the Bible.  Jesus is giving them a commission—a job to do.  (Review from last week)

Vs: 8 This is a command to the church as a whole and to individual believers.  The church is a body made up of individuals.  We will see and understand this more and more as we go on in the study of the book of Acts.

So, what is the command?

To be a “witness of me” means to tell people about who Jesus is and what he has done and is doing.  That is the Gospel!

We are to share what we are learning so that others can learn and know Christ!  

We need power from the Holy Spirit
        To understand the Gospel
        To tell others about Jesus
        To obey His commands

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students.  You can find lessons for previous chapters here.

Sunday School Lessons: Introduction to Acts

Lesson One:
Intro to the Book of Acts

Written by Dr. Luke
    Luke was a physician and historian:
As a doctor, he was used to paying close attention to details.  The same skills that made him a great doctor made him a great historian.

The Book of Acts is a bridge between the Gospels and the letters (epistles)

Each Gospel ends in a different fact about Jesus:

Matthew ended in His resurrection
Matthew 28:18

Mark ended with His ascension (going back to heaven)
Mark 16:16

Luke ended with the Promise of the Holy Spirit
Luke 24:49

John ended with the Promise of the Second Coming of Christ
John 21:22

Each one of these facts about Jesus is mentioned in the first chapter of Acts.

The Great Commission appears in all 4 Gospels and is confirmed in Acts 1.
(Matt 28:18, Mark 13:10 and 16:15, Luke 24:47, and John 17:18 and 20:21)

Acts is the history of the church; its birth and early development.

The Key verse is Acts 1:8:

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.”

The book divides into sections according to this verse:

Chapter One—the Holy Spirit comes upon the church
Chapters 1-7—the church in Jerusalem
Chapters 8-12—the church in Judea and Samaria
Chapters 12-end—the church in “the ends of the earth”

Acts has no proper ending.  Why?  Because the story continues!

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students.  You can find lessons for subsequent chapters here.