I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that I want to talk to you about something that relates to Israel today, it's just on my mind. It's going to be a while before it gets out of my mind. But I want to start with two passages. I'll start with two passages that find themselves as bookends for the book of Acts. The first one is found in Acts one, in which Luke records, "to whom he also presented himself alive," referring to Jesus, "after his suffering by many infallible proofs being seen by them during 40 days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." And at the end of the book of Acts, in Acts 28 the last verse says this about Paul, as he is imprisoned under what appears to be house arrest. He has visitors. He himself cannot come and go, but he can have people who can come and go. Luke records, "preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence no one forbidding him." The Kingdom of Heaven both begins this book and it ends this book. Luke's second letter to Theophilus, opens and closes with these Kingdom statements. And while I was there, I thought about these Kingdom statements, and there was there is one section of Scripture that we're going to look at this morning in which a question is asked that I want to share some thoughts with you about this morning.
In the same first chapter, in this same Letter, as Luke records this to Theophilus, and as he wants Theophilus to know something about what Jesus has done, the text tells us, beginning in verse two, "to the apostles, whom he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many infallible proofs being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, 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've heard from me, for John, truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized With the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Our tour guide, that is a tour guide by law in Israel. And what I mean by that is the guides are licensed. They go through a series of classes, of tests, to make sure they are familiar with the historical things that go on in the land of Israel. And so Barry, while he does a lot of teaching and a lot of talking, he is not the primary source of that. We had a wonderful tour guide, and Barry uses Gus on a variety of tours that he does, and there are some in this crowd that are very familiar with Gus, even more than I. Gus's political, or rather, Gus's religious background is Catholic. He lives in Old Jerusalem, but when asked about his religious affiliation, he will tell you now that he is really non-denominational, because he sees, in his own words, inconsistencies in the church. But his commentary over the 12 days we were there, especially around Jerusalem, spoke to an earthly realm in which Jesus comes back to the very place we stood while he said this to me. We were on the Temple Mount and on the eastern side of the Temple Mount. And he said not only to me but to others, that when Jesus returns to earth and he comes in from where the side of the hill, where the Garden of Gethsemane was walks across the Kidron Valley into this area to begin his earthly reign. And he talked about it in those kind of terms. And we all just, understood his particular take, and so we just let it go. He was very knowledgeable, I think just biblically misinformed, because I do not believe for a minute that the Lord will return to Earth. I do believe that he will return, but I believe he will return to take his own to be with Him forever. That is not the case with most fundamentalists who are on this earth. Most Christians, and I use that term very loosely, most Christians, believe that he will return, but I do not, and we talked about that. And I believe the Bible is both explicit and implicit when it comes to understanding that that is not the nature of God's kingdom now. And I thought about that a lot while we were there walking in the land and thinking about things that related not only to God's new spiritual kingdom, but God's old physical kingdom as well.
And so my question this morning is the question that was asked in Acts the first chapter in verse six, "Will you at this time," The Apostle said to Jesus, "will, you at this time, restore the kingdom to Israel." And my question is, was the account in Acts one Just about misinformed apostles? When they asked this question, what were they asking? I think it's a really important question for us to ask, and I think I have at least a little bit a greater appreciation about what it was that they were asking. And I want to just share some thoughts about that with you for just a minute this morning. The explanation that I most often hear regarding their question, which is on the screen behind me, is that the apostles were just ignorant about the nature of The Kingdom. I don't believe that. I used to preach that. I used to preach that they just simply misunderstood the nature of the kingdom. Verse three of Acts one says that Jesus spent 40 days. Think about this. Jesus spent 40 days after the resurrection, talking to them about the nature of the kingdom. I think in 40 days that Jesus could have explained it to them. While they, while it may have been hard for them to understand, I believe, to have 40 days to talk to the apostles, these men who were about to preach the gospel, to have 40 days to teach them about what it was that the kingdom was in terms of its nature. Did they not understand? Well, it seems to me, as we've already, as I've already tried to indicate that kingdom restoration is the focus of the entire book of Acts. And I'm not standing before you this morning that, saying that I know everything that was involved with that but, but I do want to tell you this morning that I really would like to know what it was that they were asking in Acts one and verse six. And maybe more important than what they were asking, I'd like to know what Jesus means when he says what he said to them, what does that kingdom focus mean?
I want to just share some thoughts with you about that for a few minutes. In Acts three, Peter makes a statement concerning Jesus. He says, "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." I want you to think about this phrase, the time of restoring all things. Was he just talking about what was about to happen in Acts two? I think that was included. But I think there were some things prior to that, and I certainly believe there were things after that that were included in the restoration of all things. I think what the question that Jesus was about to refer to was bigger than what's going to happen in a few days. I do believe that what happened on the day of Pentecost was part of that process. But it just wasn't simply just an event. Because what he says in verse seven, after they asked the question is this, "he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority." In other words, it's not about time. Verse eight, here's what it's about, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." We know when that was, that was Acts two. We're very familiar with that. "And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." That's the statement that Jesus makes to his apostles when they when they say, When will the kingdom be restored to Israel? What is the message of Jesus right before his ascension? That's what we're talking about in Acts one. We're talking about what he said to them right before his ascension. And basically said, You've asked a question, and I don't know the answer to it, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is not the answer. The important thing is that you understand what your responsibility is, because he says it's not for you to know, but you shall receive power when the Spirit comes on you, and you shall be witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria.
In other words, you don't worry about the time of complete restoration. You involve yourselves in the process of restoration. It just makes perfect sense to me, the question and his answer, it begins., it's starting now to really, at least for me, it's starting to make more sense. Your father, He in essence Jesus says, your Father will complete the process. Your Father will completely restore the Kingdom of God. When it when he says it's time to do that. You don't worry about it. But when it's time to complete it, it will be completed. And what you have prophesied in the book of Isaiah, as well as in other places, beginning in the latter part of the 48-49 and on throughout the rest of the book of Isaiah, you really have a picture of what this restoration is going to look like when the Messiah comes.
I want you to turn to Isaiah, 54 I'm going to read some passages, and I'm going to take my time reading these passages, and I want you to follow, if you would, and I want the flow to be there, and I want you to see it in your Bible. That's why I'm not going to put on the chart. In order for you to see verses as well as as I want you to you have to make the font pretty big on these charts. But I want you to open your Bible, because I want you to see the flow. I want you to read with me the verses that I'm going to read. I want you to think about it, but I want you to get in your mind to picture before and after. So I want you to open your Bible Isaiah 54. Let me offer what I think is a commentary. This is not the only chapter by any means. You're very familiar with Isaiah 53 the suffering servant, the Messiah, who's going to come. And now chapter 54 talks about, really who he is and what he brings, what he's coming to bring. And you remember Isaiah 55 the passage that in our lectureship Andy talked about, I thought, very well, about God's ways are not our ways, and the fact that what we need to do is adapt our ways to his ways. His ways can be our ways, but only if we're willing to adjust and change what God wants us to believe. But let me go back to chapter 54 and let me, I just want to read it to you. I want to read all these verses, and I want you to think about this restoration beginning to take place, really, throughout the whole, really, all of creation. God's rule in our life has had been from the beginning. God had a rule, and Adam and Eve were under that rule in the very beginning, and that rule changes, and it will continue to change, and it will continue to fulfill God's plan until the end comes and the Lord himself will give the Kingdom back to God his own Father.
But listen to what is said. I appreciate Caleb reading these verses before we begin our lesson this morning, but I want to read them again for emphasis sake. So just read with me and picture what's going on now in the Messianic age. Think about what's going on as Christ has come okay? And before I read that, let me say that there are many in the world who would read this and go, that's that's what God is going to do. Yes, it is. Let me say this is what God is doing. This is what God has done. This is what God continues to do, and he continues to do it in a spiritual way, through people who have access to the gospel. Isaiah 54 is not about God establishing some kingdom on earth where this takes place. This is about God establishing a spiritual kingdom on earth where the hearts of men and women are changed. And so think about that as I read Isaiah 54.
"Sing, O barren. You who have not borne, break forth into singing and cry aloud. You who have not labored with child for more of the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Do not spare, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, neither be disgraced. For you will not be put to shame, for you will forget the shame of your youth and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, He who called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman, forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. For a mere moment, I have forsaken you, but with great mercies, I will gather you. With a little wrath, I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness, I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer, for this is like the waters of Noah to me. For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so I have sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you, for the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you. Oh, you afflicted one tossed with tempest and not comforted. Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal and all your walls of precious stone, all your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness, you shall be established. You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed, they shall surely assemble, but not because of me. Whoever symbols against you shall fall for your sake. Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals and the fire who brings forth an instrument for his work. And I have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord."
What I would like to do, but we don't have time, I'd like to just take every phrase and just let it, let it build like I think Isaiah intended for it to build, to just help us understand what God, in His mercy, has done through Jesus Christ, throughout this whole restoration process that continues even today. But let me just make a couple of comments based upon a section that I've just read verses one through three, break into song. He says, children will be in abundance, and they will come. Enlarge the place of your tent. Let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. What, what Isaiah is saying when this, when this kingdom restoration is coming, what's going to happen is it's going to be bigger than anything you've seen, and it's going to be different than anything you've seen. Verse four, you will not remember. He says it in numbers of ways. But he says, you will not remember the bad old days, because you're going to be grateful for the good days that are coming. I love the statements that are made. He talks about you will remember your Redeemer, verse seven. For a mere moment, for a mere moment, he says, I have forsaken you. When did that happen? Well, when they turned against him, when God's people in the Old Testament turned against him, he said, he God says, it's just for a mere moment that I have forsaken you. Why? Because you didn't listen to me for a mere moment. Youleft me, but, but with great mercies, I will gather you. And then verse eight, with a little wrath, I hid my face from you for a moment. Think about what happened in that Old Testament time when they they left, God, he says, what's happened is just with a little wrath I hid my face from you. Just for a little while. And I think that's in contrast to what his great mercies and his everlasting kindness is going to do for his people when Christ would come. But with everlasting kindness, he says, I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.
I have just literally, well, not literally, figuratively, I've just touched the hem of the garment with what I've just read and with what I've just said. But I think what I want us to understand this morning is is that kingdom restoration is a continuing mission. Kingdom restoration is a continuing mission. That's why, when the disciples asked Jesus the question, that's why his answer was, I want you to go. I want you to go, and I want you to preach, starting in Jerusalem and in Samaria and in Judea and to the uttermost parts of the earth. Why, Lord? They didn't say it that way, but if they could have said that to him, I think what he would have said is, because you're part of the process, you're part of this continuing restoration that is going on. And what I want to say to us this morning, and what I want to say to me, I think that as I think about this, I think it's been life changing to me, because I think I'm looking now at the kingdom and the question they ask and the statement that Jesus made. I think I'm looking at that a little bit differently, because I think it shows the importance of my life, and I think it shows the importance of your life too. I think it shows the importance of every person who is a Christian, because it should be our motivation to help him restore the kingdom to Israel .Not physical to Israel, but to help restore this spiritual kingdom to God, because that was his ultimate goal.
Now, having said all that, turn to the last chapter in Acts please. I'm reading now from Acts 28. I've mentioned this several times during my time here with you over the past several years, I've mentioned this passage several times, but I'm thinking about it this morning a little bit differently, okay? So, I'm going to read beginning in verse 23 of acts 28. "So, when they had appointed him a day," it's referring to Paul, "many came to him at his lodging." You see where he's staying in a place, he's under some level of arrest, but there are people who are allowed to come to Him. And when they come to him, the text says, "to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets from morning till evening." Now, get that. People were coming and going, and they were coming in and they were going out from Paul. And Paul, while he has them in the room with him, he teaches to them about the kingdom, the text says, about the Kingdom of God. Persuading them not just reading, not just reading from Moses and the prophets, but explaining to them about Moses and the prophets and about the importance of this great kingdom of God, and he's letting them understand that. And I'll tell you what it does. It makes me think, what am I doing? This is what I'm to do. This is what you're to do. Verse 24, "and some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved." How interesting. When it's explained, some people understand and some people accept it. Some people disbelieve. It's the way it is today. Preaching is done, teaching is done, study is done. What happens? Some accept it. Some toss it.
Verse 25, "so when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul and said one word, the Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah, the prophet to our father, saying, Go to this people and say, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the heart of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and ears, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand where their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. Therefore, let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves." I love it. It stated succinctly. It's just kind of left there. Can you imagine the Jews leaving Paul's house going, can you believe what we just heard? And some of them saying, You know what, I get it. And the response to I get it is, I have no idea what he was talking about. And yet, Paul preached this kingdom of God.
And so, what we have in the book of Acts, and this is what I've said to you many times. The book of Acts, listen to this, it closes, the words close with people coming in and coming out from Paul talking to them about the kingdom of heaven. It closes. There's none of this peace be with you, and grace be multiplied, and etcetera, etcetera, and all. That's not, what this is. This is Luke saying this is what I want you to remember him by Paul. The last thing I want to tell you is he was teaching about the Kingdom of God. Verse 30 says, "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him." Here they were coming and going. What was he doing? He was preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no one forbidding him. What does that have to do with you and me? Listen to me. That's what we need to be doing. That's what we need to be doing. Paul was just continuing the process. Paul was just continuing to do what the other apostles had been told they were going to do in Acts one. And what they began doing in Acts two, and what others, through subsequent generations would continue to do. And my life and your life will close. And when our life closes, our part of the process will be completed. When will it be fulfilled? Only God knows. Only God knows.
I am not sure what the apostles had in mind in Acts one, but I do know what they did beginning in Acts two, which is exactly what we need to be doing. They taught the peace and they taught the joy and they taught the mercy that comes with becoming Christ. When will you restore the kingdom to Israel? If Jesus had answered that in full, he would have said, I'll restore it completely when I return to take my own back. But until then you be about the father's business. That's what we need to be about. And I pray that we will. I pray that we will. As I've told you before, that's one of the great advantages, I think for me personally, because I get to express those kinds of things to this group and to others when asked. I think it's the, I think it's the privilege of my life, and I pray that I can do that to some advantage, so that people will respond to the gospel.
Now, let me talk to everybody in this audience this morning for just a second. If you're here this morning and you have never obeyed Jesus Christ by confessing the fact that he is the Lord and Savior of everybody. You never done that this morning you need to do that. You need to tell the world I'm a believer in Jesus Christ. I believe he's the son of God. I believe he can take away my sins, and I believe that, based upon his promise, he'll do that if I'm willing to do what he asked me to do. What he asked you to do is repent of your sins and then be willing to be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins. And when you come out of that water, you will be as pure as you've ever been, and you'll be free from your sin, ready to walk the kind of life that God wants you to walk, and then you can begin your part of the process of restoration. I wouldn't just ask you to do that this morning. I beg you to do that. I beg you to do that, not for my sake, but for your sake. If you'll do that this morning let it be known by coming to the front as we stand in as we sing.
