Good men, below are some insights into the sixth and seventh verse of Acts 1. It’s the first time the disciples speak in Acts. It’s also the first question in the book.
Verse 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Verse 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?: Their question has deep roots. The nation of Israel, both spiritually and politically, looked forward with great earnest for the promised restoration of leading themselves and being a theocracy (God is the leader and Scripture is central to all governance) again.
will you: The get this part right. Jesus is the change agent.
at this time: They were doing the math. Jesus had died, and had been resurrected, and was leaving again, and was about to send the Holy Spirit. They saw and hoped these big events were setting things up the great moment of wanted change.
kingdom: The men were thinking more politically. The Kingdom of God is spiritual. The men will be spiritual leader. They will change the world with the gospel and not with politics. And they will fully devote themselves to this spiritual change.
It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority: See Mark 13:32 for the same kind of statement. And see Acts 17:26 for a statement that God sets the boundaries of for all nations.
you: They were to be witnesses (see verse 8), not political or professional religious leaders.
It is not for you to know: This is difficult for us hear. God keeps secrets. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal things.” See also Deuteronomy 29:29. We must trust that God knows what information is good for us to know and what information isn’t.
Father/authority: He is the potter. We are the clay. He is Lord and we the servants. He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. He is the creator and we are the creation. He is infinite we are finite. Keeping these distinctions in mind matures us.
Christian maturity often come down to what is called a high view of God or a low view of God. A high view holds God high in word and speech and thought and action (actions matter more than words with this!). God is treasured in the inner-life, and the outer-life clearly reflects it. A low view of God pushes God away from the center of thought, speech, word, and action. A low view of God is a passive, casual, sloppy view.
Seeing God as a wise, trustworthy Father and taking his authority very seriously matures us.
This video! We need this! We need to be reminded! It’s only 4 minutes long.
The Men's Bible Reading Idea 