The Church Prepares to Change the World (Acts Sermon 2)

Turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter one. We’re looking this morning at verses 12 through 26. In the time of one of the greatest awakenings in church history and the great awakening in America, Pastor Jonathan Edwards said this, “It is the manner of God, before he bestows any signal, mercy on a people, first to prepare them for it. Our God is a God of preparations. He’s a meticulous preparer before bestowing goodness on his people.”

We see this right at the beginning in Genesis chapter one as in the succeeding days of creation, step by step by step, God prepared a beautiful orderly world for man, male and female, in his image. He got everything ready. Then in the unfolding story of the old covenant, as He called Abraham, and promised through him and through his offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.  The centuries of preparation that went through the Jewish nation, preparing for one who had come, a Messiah, an awaited king who had come to bring righteousness and salvation, and long, long centuries of waiting and preparation. 

Now we’re in a different phase of waiting, as God prepares heaven for us. As He says in John 14, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father’s house, there are many living spaces, for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I’ll come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.”

That’s been 2000 years of Jesus Christ preparing heaven for us. We also perceive him preparing us for heaven. God is meticulously working both sides of the equation. It’s a beautiful thing. Ephesians 2:10, a very important verse says, “We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them.” Very beautifully, there’s meaning to every day of our lives, and we believe like the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud, that God has gone ahead of us every day and has gotten good works ready that we should walk in them.

Doesn’t that give meaning to our lives, brothers and sisters? Not only does God prepare the works in advance for us, but He prepares us for them. He works both sides of that. We’re going to see that beautifully in Acts 10, where He works in Cornelius to go send men to get Peter to preach the gospel, and then He prepares Peter to go to the home of a Gentile and preach, which he wouldn’t have ordinarily done; again God is working both sides of that. We’re going to see that in the chapter we’re looking at today.

Before He bestows, in the language of Jonathan Edwards, a signal, mercy on the people, the outpouring of the spirit, the paradigm revival there has ever been in church history of the day of Pentecost. He gets them ready for it, and that’s what this chapter is. It’s a chapter of preparation, the church preparing itself, and indeed God, preparing the church to change the world. How exciting is that? Later in the Book of Acts, we have this incredible statement made by the enemies of the gospel at that point, Acts 17:6, they said, with chagrin and frustration, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.”

Isn’t that a great, these men who have turned the world upside down? Of course, that’s all a kind of a perspective problem. I think it was Adam and all the sinners that followed that turned the world upside down. It was Jesus and the gospel that set it right again, amen. Don’t we want to be part of setting the world right through the preaching of the gospel? If we’re going to do that, we need to do it following the paradigms of scripture. The Book of Acts is given to us to teach us, I believe, timeless principles whereby we can be used by God, though God does do unique things in the Book of Acts that will never be repeated.  Even in this chapter, we’re going to see some aspects that I think are meant to be a lasting paradigm, but then there’s a unique aspect too that does not need to be repeated. We’re going to walk through that. 

As the Lord got the church ready for the day of Pentecost to come, got ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, He was preparing in a significant way, and had already done that mostly through the work of Jesus. This is just by way of review from last time, in Acts 1:1 through 11.  We saw in Acts 1:1 this statement, “In my former book, Theopolis, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.” The facts of the gospel, the greatest preparation for the salvation of the world, the facts of the gospel, Luke laid out in his gospel, his former book, the Gospel of Luke. We believe the same thing, the Spirit, working in Matthew, and in Mark, and in John, giving us those four records of the life of Jesus.

That’s foundational to everything that would come, Christ’s birth from the Virgin Mary, his sinless life, his astonishing miracles, his teaching unlike any man that had ever spoken in history, all of these things, but especially his substitutionary death on the cross and his bodily resurrection from the dead. Those historical facts plus the proper doctrinal interpretation of them, those two together, that is the gospel. That’s the good news that is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

That’s the preparation that was done in the former book. Then we saw how Jesus, after his resurrection, appeared to his disciples, to his apostles, over a period of 40 days, giving them many convincing proofs that He was actually physically alive, that He had been raised from the dead, and how He also taught them carefully in scripture, everything that was written about himself in the law of Moses, and the Psalms, and the prophets. He got them ready with a doctrinal basis under them, and then established his mission to the ends of the earth in the word of God, how it was written in the scriptures that the gospel would spread out to the ends of the earth.

Then He gave them the version of the great commission we have in the Book of Acts we saw last time, Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Those were Jesus’s final words to the church, physically on earth. Immediately after saying that, He was taken up to heaven before their very eyes, and he ascended higher and higher until at last, a cloud hid him from their sight. That was all last time.

In Acts 1:12-26, we’re going to see the rest of the preparation the Lord does in the church, and the way He calls the church to prepare herself for the outpouring of the Spirit. We’re going to see the church prepared, first of all, by obeying what the Lord told them to do, and then secondly, by waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and praying, and then also choosing an apostle. As we walk through this, my desire is that we would be able to learn from these things, and draw out lasting principles for us, so that we will be better prepared to do the good works that God wants us to do in our generation.

I. Prepared by Obeying

Let’s go through them step by step. First, the church prepared by obeying. Everything starts with obedience. We cannot do anything that God considers good. We cannot do any work of eternal consequence that we weren’t first commanded by God to do. It’s all about obedience. God isn’t looking for a bunch of creative freelancers. They’re thinking up for ourselves what we think is best, but instead, we are those that have learned to listen to God and do what He tells us to do, and to obey.

Throughout the Book of Acts, we’re going to see the messengers of the gospel being led by king Jesus, by the power of his Spirit to do the works He wants them to do. The church prepared by obeying. We see Jesus the king through the Spirit, delivering his presence, and his power, and his authority to the church and to his subjects throughout all the pages of the Book of Acts. By that alone, do we function well in the kingdom of Christ to this day.

Now, what is this obedience? Well, they went to Jerusalem and waited.  They did what Jesus told them to do. The angels alluded to it, they didn’t give any commands, but look at verse 10:11, “They were looking intently into the sky as he was going, when suddenly, two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘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’ve seen him go into heaven.’” I know the angels didn’t tell them to do anything, but they clearly implied they needed to move on. “Why are you standing here? You have something you should be doing.”

The command clearly is seen in what they did immediately next, their obedience, verse 12-14, “Then they return to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath’s day walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.” That was obedience, by the way, Sabbath’s day walk, about one to two miles, a short distance at most. They didn’t go and preach, or heal, or feed the poor, or do anything. They just went to a room and waited. They just obeyed. The command is earlier in the Book of Acts, Acts 1:4.  On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command, so there it is very plainly, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” There it is plainly. Don’t leave Jerusalem, wait for the gift. Even more clearly in Luke’s earlier book, the Gospel of Luke, Luke 24: 46-49, He told them, “This is what is written, that Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Friends, obedience is everything. We can’t take matters in our own hands. Christ alone must be king, …Jesus absolutely tied obedience to our love for him.

It’s the same command. Wait, stay in Jerusalem and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Friends, obedience is everything. We can’t take matters in our own hands. Christ alone must be king, we, his subjects, and by his guidance and by his spirit alone, can we build his kingdom. Jesus absolutely tied obedience to our love for him.  In John 14, He said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. In other words, to know me is to love me, and you must know me as authority. You must know me as king and you as subject, you as creatures, me as the creator. Know that about yourself.  That’s who I am, and that’s what I will be for all eternity. That is what you will be for all eternity, always creatures, always subjects. Beloved adopted sons and daughters, yes, but not authority over me. If you love me, you will obey what I command, and I will ask the Father and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever, the spirit of truth to be with you forever.” 

He’s saying they’re directly linking their obedience to the gift of the Spirit. He does it later in John 14, again, “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we’ll come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words that you hear are not my own, they belong to the Father who sent me.’” In other words, I’m not acting independently of the father, I just do what the Father told me to do. He gives me the words to say, I say them. I don’t do anything apart from the Father. You also must not do anything apart from my direct leadership and authority.  Then He said, “All this, I have spoken while still with you, but the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I’ve said to you. By obedience and by the spirit, we build the kingdom of Christ.” 

We see also, the primacy of the word of God here. They didn’t have any information about Jesus, apart from the counselor, the Spirit reminding them of everything Jesus had done and said among them. Remember, the New Testament hadn’t been written yet, later they would write it. That would be foundational for all of us who never knew Jesus personally.  Jesus said, “The counselor is going to lead you into all truth.” 

II. Prepared by Waiting

Secondly, the church is prepared by waiting. Wow, we hate to wait, don’t we? We are a very impatient culture. I have caught myself being impatient at the counter of a fast food restaurant. I thought about people a hundred years ago who would be like, “What is wrong with you? You expected your food in how many minutes?” We are impatient people. We’ve been spoiled by so much amazing efficiency. We hate to wait, but the church was prepared by waiting. Look at verse 12-14, “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath’s day walk from the city. When 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, Simon, the zealot, and Judas, son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with the brothers.” They’re waiting. What are they waiting for?

The waiting teaches some important lessons. Waiting teaches us our own inadequacy and our subservience.

They’re waiting, as we’ve clearly said, for the Spirit to come. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” The waiting teaches some important lessons. Waiting teaches us our own inadequacy and our subservience. First of all, our own inadequacy, we lack wisdom. We don’t know what to do. A clear example of this is Romans 8:26 where we’re told we don’t know what to pray for. If we don’t know what to pray for, we sure don’t know what to do.  He says in Romans 8:26, “In the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us, with groans that words cannot express.” We lack wisdom. We don’t know where to go, we don’t know what to do. It’s best to just wait until the Lord leads us. 

Not only do we lack wisdom, we also lack power. Even if we knew what to do, we wouldn’t be able to do it. Honestly, the spread of the gospel is a work of tremendous spiritual military power.  Jesus is plundering the strong man, stripping him of his armor and plundering his house. We can’t do that. Only by the power of the Spirit will be able to plunder Satan’s house. We lack power. That’s where it says in Zechariah 4:6, “’Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” What he means there is not by human might, not by human power, but by the Spirit’s might and power alone will the kingdom be built. That waiting, that waiting develops patience.

It shows the overall need for patience in this great work of the worldwide gospel advance. Jesus consistently used agricultural parables, seeds falling into the ground, being watered, and then waiting. A lot of waiting, and a powerlessness, where you can’t do anything but kill that seed. You certainly can’t make it grow. There’s just a lot of waiting in the kingdom. There’s a doctrine of waiting in the New Testament. There’s a doctrine of perseverance and waiting. Even God himself waiting in a mysterious sort of way, because he’s sovereign over the hearts of every person.  It says in Romans 10, “All day long, I’ve held up my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” That’s God waiting. There’s just a lot of waiting. Then II Peter 3, the Apostle Peter says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” [v.15] Again, he says in that chapter, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises as some understand slowness. He’s patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” [v.9] 

That agricultural image, Paul says, “I planted the seed of Paul’s water, but God made it grow. Neither he who plants nor he waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.”  [I Corinthians 3:7]  Or in Mark 4, there’s that image of the seed that falls in the ground, the farmers plants a seed, and then night and day, whether he’s awake or asleep, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain, versus the stock, then the head, then the full kernel in the head, and then the harvest comes because the harvest time has come. What is the farmer doing? Nothing. What can he do? It’s a work that only God can do. There’s just a lot of waiting in general.

We believe, the Bible teaches that God had chosen people before the foundation of the world. He knew their names before ever they were born. Some of them haven’t even been born yet. There’s just a lot of waiting in the kingdom. We need to do that. Therefore, James says in James 5:7, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.” This was a waiting, but it wasn’t just a random waiting, it was a purposeful waiting.  They’re waiting for the gift of the Spirit, for the coming of the Spirit. There’s a specific promise, and for them, an additional help in which Jesus has said that it’s going to be not many days from now. They only have to wait, not many days. It’s a short time, they’re waiting for the gift of the Spirit. 

III. Prepared by Praying

They’re also prepared by praying, prepared by praying. Look at verse 14. It says, “They all join together constantly in prayer.” It’s a beautiful prayer meeting that’s going on in that upper room, arguably the most significant prayer meeting there’s ever been in history.  Who was there?  The eleven apostles at this point. They’re listed in verse 13.  Then you’ve got other key people. It says, “Along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”  This is so beautiful, so beautiful. 

First, the women, Luke has a special focus on them. You learn some things about the entourage, the women in Luke 8, that traveled with Jesus from place to place and were financially supporting him out of their own means. They’re listed there. Those same women were there, watching Jesus die. They were witnesses to his death.  Then there were witnesses to where He was buried, which was essential to identify the tomb. They were witnesses to his actual resurrection, because they went there early on that first day of the week to finish the burial proceedings. They’re listed in Luke 24:10, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and the others with them, also Mark 15:40 had Salome. You’ve got all of these women, and they’re there in the upper room together, praying.

Then a special note is Jesus’s biological family, his own family. Definitely, you’ve got Mary, the mother of Jesus there. She was not in any way, clearly not in any way, the focus of piety there. She wasn’t esteemed as a Co-Redemptrix like the medieval Roman Catholic Church has taught a focus of love, and affection, and piety, like to be worshiped like a goddess. Not at all. She’s just redeemed by the blood of her own son. She’s there, along with everyone else, waiting and praying.

Even more amazing are Jesus’s brothers, or we could say half brothers, because they all had Mary as their mother, but they didn’t have God as their father, as Jesus did, but they have Joseph as their father. They’re listed in scripture in Matthew 13:55, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. We’re told in John 7, even his own brothers did not believe in him. They didn’t believe in Jesus at that point. It’s interesting, because at that moment in John 7, they’re giving Jesus some advice, like PR advice.  They said, “If you want to be a public figure, you got to act differently than this.” It was like when Peter put his arm around Jesus and said, “Do you have a minute? That whole going to Jerusalem and dying thing? Don’t do that.” If you think you can give Jesus advice, you’re wrong. It’s evidence in John 7 that even his own brothers didn’t believe in him at that point. 

Even worse, in Mark 3:21, we’re told that Mary and Jesus’s brothers went to take charge of him, because they thought He was out of his mind. That’s a low moment for Jesus’s family right there.  He’s crazy. We got to go take charge of him. I don’t know what Mary was thinking at that moment, but she was there with her sons. That’s a low point. Now, everything’s different. Like in Corinthians, Paul says, “Though we once knew Jesus according to the flesh or in a worldly way, we don’t know him that way any longer.” [II Corinthians 5: 16]  That’s not what matters. Jesus just was consistently, did you not see, respectfully putting Mary in her place. “I’m not going to be taking advice from you and changing water to wine. Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Those who do the will of God.”  

He’s constantly trying to get up to that other level. You don’t have any special connection with me because you’re my biological family, but if you believe in me and in the gospel, you’ll have a special connection with me. Then you’ll be my brother and sister and mother. He’s doing that, but now, they’re there. Praise God, they’re there. God had worked an incredible work in them, a saving work, and it had to be humbling.  For example, James would eventually become the leader of the church at Jerusalem, and would write the Book of James. I have to imagine, Mary was at least tempted to say, “Why can’t you be like your older brother? He never gives us any trouble. He’s never done anything wrong.” Imagine being Jesus’s younger brother, and there’s got to be that human pride and jealousy. That was all set aside now. He’s willing to get on his face and worship Jesus as God. Why? I believe part of it was Jesus specially appeared to him after his resurrection from the dead.

As a matter of fact, he says in 1 Corinthians 15, “He appeared to James then to all the apostles.” Think about that, the ordering, James first, then the apostles. Then his brother, Jude, I know it’s hard to see that, because he’s sometimes called Judas, but Jude wrote the little epistle. You’ve got James who wrote the Book of James. You’ve got Jude who wrote that little Epistle of Jude. It’s fantastic to see that. 

Then the entire church is there, gathered for prayer in Jerusalem, and how small it is. Look at verse 15. “In those days, Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about one hundred twenty.”  That’s it. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, a tiny amount of yeast that’s hidden, and then permeated the whole dough.” That tiny little church in Jerusalem started at one hundred and twenty people and just exploded. I do believe that there were genuine believers that were not assembled there. They were out in Galilee there in Judea, and other places. There were 500 that Jesus had appeared to. This isn’t everybody, but still, it’s just that small church at Jerusalem, one hundred and twenty. What a small number.

They’re there, and they’re devoted to prayer. They’re assembling. Look at verse 14. KJV has it this way, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” They continued or devoted themselves is one aspect to it. They were immersed in prayer. It was all they were doing. They clung to prayer. They were persistent in prayer. Prayer was the work for today, and it was days that this went on. It says, they were of one accord. The Greek gives a sense of one mind, one purpose, one impulse.  There was a sense of unity and focus in their prayer, unity and focus. They’re all there, unity of heart and mind, and it’s going to continue into the next chapter. In 2:1, it says, “When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place,” same thing. This was the very thing that Jesus had prayed for and continued to pray for. He prayed for it in John 17, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them, even as you’ve loved me.” He prayed for that in their hearing in John 17 before he went to Gethsemane.

Then He told them in John 14 what He was going to go up to heaven to pray for. He said there in John 14, “I will ask the father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever, the spirit of truth.” Jesus is praying for the Spirit to come. Isn’t that beautiful? “Father, send the Spirit.” The church is praying for that, and their prayers are wafting heaven, where the picture in the book of Revelation, it says, “As of incense, going up to the throne of God.”  They’re all there together, assembled, and they’re praying for the Spirit to come, and Jesus is asking for the counselor to come, according to the eternal plan of God. 

IV. Prepared by Choosing an Apostle

Finally, they have prepared by choosing an apostle, verses 15 -26. The church decided that they needed to replace Judas as one of the twelve. First of all, some have come along and questioned whether this was the right thing to do, which I get, I think we, as spiritual people, try to make judgments on all things, but there is zero indication in the text that they did anything wrong.  There’s no rebuke in the text, there’s no correction in the text. The reason they say it is a couple of things. First of all, they’re not comfortable with the casting of lots, rolling the dice to see who it was. That’s unusual, obviously, and I get that. They point to the fact that God clearly ordained that the Apostle Paul would be an apostle. Very clearly, Paul said in Galatians 1, “Paul, an Apostle, sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.” We all acknowledge that God chose Paul to be an apostle.

It’s the Lord that gave some to be apostles. The Lord chose the original twelve after a night of prayer. The Lord through the Spirit, we believe, was now guiding them up to the days leading up to Pentecost to replace Judas. I don’t think anything was amiss. I understand the number twelve, and there’s something significant about that, that number twelve, and I think that I’m going to talk more about that in a moment. Peter leads and says, “All right, I feel led by the spirit to replace Judas.” Look at verse 15- 16,  “In those days, Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about 120, and made this statement.” Here, we see Peter’s leadership, and we should not minimize this now.  This is just a handful of days after he had denied even knowing Jesus. He had called down curses on himself. The night that Jesus was arrested, it was his absolute lowest point. Yet the Lord has beautifully, in John 21, restored him, asked him three times, “Do you love me, Peter? Feed my sheep.” He’s restored him, and now he’s back in his position of leadership and it’s a beautiful thing to see.

We also see, however, just like I said a moment ago about Mary in the Catholic conception, he’s no pope here. He’s not the leader in that sense. He’s just one of the eleven. He uses the word “necessity.” “It  is necessary for us,” verse 21, “to replace Judas.” I think it has to do perhaps with the symbolism of the number twelve. The twelve apostles, I think, aligned with the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus himself said this in Matthew 19:28, “I tell you the truth, that the renewal of all things, when the son of man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

That’s a direct correspondence between the twelve apostles, twelve tribes of Israel. God is a very symbolic communicator of truth, He loves symbolism. Furthermore, the twelve apostles of the lamb will be commemorated eternally in the new Jerusalem. In Revelation 21:14, the walls of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb. I know you’re wondering, did Paul bump one of them? Did Paul bump Matthias? We’ll find out when we get to heaven, but there are the twelve foundations with the twelve apostles of the lamb. 

Their names are commemorated for all eternity, but now we have to sadly focus on Judas’s story. It’s a devastating story. Peter says it this way. He starts with scripture, “Brothers, scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas.” This is the clear, first of all, articulation of the doctrine, of the inspiration, and indeed the inerrancy of scripture. Look what he says, “The scripture had to be fulfilled.” Scripture cannot be broken, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David.”

The Bible like Jesus is an incarnation, 100% human, 100% word of God. David wrote the passages that they’re going to quote, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through David in the words he wrote in the Psalms to speak about the later betrayal that Judas would do. David had his own immediate circumstances. He had many trials and tribulations leading up to his kingship and during his kingship, and he would write Psalms about that. Some of that aspect was a type or picture of what would happen later to Christ.  That’s how that prophetic aspect worked. Jesus said it this way about Judas in Matthew 26:24, “The son of man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man who betrays the son of man. Would be better for him if he had never been born.” It’s the same teaching. It is written what’s going to happen. He’s going to be betrayed by one of his close followers, but woe to that man. He’s fully responsible, even though it’s predestined. 

Again, Peter and John, after they were arrested in the Book of Acts, later, Acts 4, they go back, they gather the church together for prayer.  They say this, that the enemies that had orchestrated Jesus’s death, including Judas and the chief priests, teachers of law, the high priest, and Pontius Pilate, all that, “They did,” they said to God, “What your power and will had determined beforehand should happen.” This is all the same teaching, sovereignty of God, prediction of the scripture, but still, Judas was accountable for what he did. It would’ve been better for him if he had never been born, Jesus said. It’s a terrible crime, as Peter lays it out, verse 16-17.  “Judas served as a guide for those who arrested Jesus. Come right this way. Let me show you the man you’re looking for.” Betrayed him with a kiss, disgusting. Verse 17, “He was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” Judas was given an incredible privilege among all the humans that have ever lived. After Jesus spent a whole night in prayer, He came down and chose him to be one of the twelve, and he was an eyewitness of the only perfect life that has ever been lived. He was right there watching it. He heard Jesus speak. He watched him act. He watched his facial expressions.  He saw these miracles, a river of miracles. He saw it with his own eyes. He was an eyewitness to all of it— stilling of the storm, the driving out of the demons from the demoniac of the gatherings, all of that, the feeding of the 5,000. He gave out bread to people. He was one of our number, and shared in this ministry. He took part. He was sent out two by two, and was given the power of the spirit to do exorcisms. It was terrible, the betrayal, what he did. All of it predicted, part of God’s plan but still, it would’ve been better for Judas if he had never been born.

Then in Acts 1: 18-19, “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. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language, Akeldama, that is “field of blood.” Putting it all together, is we always seek to do that as an errantist. We want to harmonize the accounts. We’re told that Judas hanged himself in the Gospel of Matthew, but here, he fell headlong and his body burst open.  Putting it together, we would imagine, I guess, one way to put it together is that Judas hanged himself on maybe a tree branch or something, over a cliff, over a high area, branch broke, the hanging killed him, or maybe he was mostly dead, and falls headlong, and then his intestines spilled out. That’s the way I would harmonize it. The intestines spilling out just a sign of reprobation, really. It’s kind of like a physical symbol that God has rejected this person.  We see this in King Jehoram in Elijah’s day, who died of an incurable disease of the bowels that led his bowels to come out. Why do we know that? It’s just that’s how bad a man King Jehoram was. The same, later in the Book of Acts with King Herod, where he had some kind of, he was eaten by worms and died. Peter quotes the prophecies. It is written in the book of Psalms, may his place, or camp, or something like that be deserted. Let there be no one to dwell in it, and may another take his place of leadership.

The first Psalm 69:25, speaks of Judas’s camp being deserted or a place to be deserted, no one to dwell in it. The idea is he has no honor at all as an apostle. That’s stripped of him. All honors are stripped from him. Nothing but reprobation on his name, nothing but a curse on his name. That’s what it means. There’s no honor for him, having been chosen one of the twelve. No one, well, almost no one would name their baby boy Judas. I looked it up. Social security records about 10 every year on average. I’m like, “What are you thinking?”  Could not have a better name than Judas, but it’s there like Adolf, and Genghis, and all that. Who would name your son that? This stripped of honor, there’s no honor at all in the name of Judas. Then the second Psalm 109: 8, says, “Another must take his place of leadership.” His honors are taken away from him, but his place of leadership needs to be filled. That’s what he gets.

The job description for an apostle verse 21:22, “Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who had been with us the whole time, the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning 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.” I’ve said this time and time again, eyewitnesses are key to everything. The New Testament is about the eyewitness testimony. Luke, at the beginning of his gospel, said, “Many have undertaken to drop an account among us, so I talked to all the eyewitnesses so I could write a logical orderly account, so you would know the certainty of the things you’ve been taught.”

Eyewitnesses are 1 John 1:1, “That which we’ve seen with our eyes, what we’ve handled, what we’ve touched, this we proclaim concerning the word of God.” It does really matter whether these things actually happened. There is no religion in the world for which history is so essential as Christianity. If these things didn’t happen, there is no Christianity, but they did. We have these eyewitnesses, and again, the New Testament hadn’t been written yet. The Gospel of Luke hadn’t been written yet, none of it.  These would be eyewitnesses who had been with Him as He went in and out, and as He did all of his ministry, and then could testify especially to the bodily resurrection from the dead. One of these must be his witness, a witness with us of his resurrection. Fundamentally, that is it.

Also, it’s not just witness, but a place of leadership. May another take his place of leadership. Apostles were given authority. They were the authoritative keepers of the doctrine, saying yes or no to the understandings of what it was they were teaching.  It all came back to their authority. They held the keys. That’s one image. They held the keys, not just Peter, but all of them. The apostles held the keys. They were authoritative. He says in Matthew 18:18, “To all the apostles, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” You have authority. It’s not independent authority. That verse actually is better translated, “Whatever you bind on earth will be having been bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed, having been loosed in heaven.”  The heaven does the loosing, but the apostles did the communicating or the binding, but they had authority. 

They have these candidates, verse 23, they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. Honestly, other than this one account, this one passage, we don’t have any other words about these men. Nothing, either one of them. It’s interesting. There’s nothing about Matthias later in the Book of Acts. We don’t know anything else. We don’t know anything about Joseph called Barsabas. Barsabas means “son of the Sabbath”, son of rest, or son of an oath.  He’s given a nickname, Justus, meaning upright or righteous, so he’s a good man, obviously, but they chose, Christ chose Matthias and established him in Judas’s place. Matthias means “gift of God”. This is how it happened. Then they prayed, verse 24, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart, show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots and the lot fell to Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles. It is a beautiful prayer;  “You know everyone’s heart, Lord. You know these men, you know who you’ve chosen. Let us know who it is. Lead us, guide us.” 

Then as I said, it’s problematic for us that they cast lots, but it was a common occurrence in the Old Testament. It was something that they would do from time to time. The division of the promised land was done by lots. It’s called the allotted territory for that reason. That’s how it was done. It was a common thing.  Again, they believe in the sovereignty of God over that. Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Again, casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. Yet though the practice was well known and often done in the Old Testament, you never see it again from this point forward in the New Testament. It seems like the outpouring of the Spirit in the next chapter in the day of Pentecost means that time is done.

Even when Paul and Silas are kind of checkmated and don’t know where to go, in Asia minor, they don’t know where to go. They’re waiting on the Lord in prayer and they get a vision. They don’t cast a lot, good to go north, south, east, or west, but they’re waiting. If you have a decision, seek the Lord in scripture and prayer, and ask him to guide you. 

V. Lessons and Applications

As I close now, I just want to go back to the theme of preparation. Preparation. I believe every week that I get up to preach, I must be preaching to some people who, when they walked in here today, were not yet converted. It’s a stewardship I have to make certain that you know what’s coming. One Old Testament prophets said, “Prepare to meet thy God.” I would say to you, prepare to meet God. Judgment day is coming. It’s unavoidable.  You’re going to stand before him and give an account for every careless word you’ve ever spoken. If you don’t have Christ, you’ll be condemned to hell. Jesus came so that you would not be condemned to hell. I’m saying, prepare for judgment day by repenting and believing in Jesus. You’ve heard the gospel and the facts of the gospel again and again and again this morning, in the baptisms and in this sermon multiple times, Jesus is ready to be your savior. Trust in him, so prepare. Prepare for judgment day.

Secondly, if you’re already a Christian, prepare to do good works. Get yourself ready every day. Every day, get ready. Say, “Lord, I know you’ve gone ahead of me to prepare good works for me to walk in. I want to do those good works.” Start with a quiet time. Start with a time in the scripture, hearing, and with an obedient, quiet, submissive heart. I want to do your will. Speak to me, get me ready. Prepare to do those good works by the ministry of the word in your life and also in prayer.

Then I would say thirdly, prepare to be attacked. I can guarantee you, the world of flesh and the devil will not let up on any of you until the day you die or the Lord returns. I would say, as in Ephesians 6, prepare by putting on the full armor of God. Put on the full armor of God, and get ready to take your stand against the devil and his schemes. 

Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for the time we’ve had to walk through this chapter. It’s a fascinating chapter. We know there are some aspects that we are called on to do waiting, and obeying, and preparing, and prayer, but we are not called on to choose ever again an apostle.  As we walk through the Book of Acts, help us to see those timeless principles that are pressing on us even today, but also, to learn with great reverence and great awe, what you did in the past to get us to this point. In Jesus’ name, amen.

These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.

Later in this magnificent book of Acts, some of the earliest enemies of the gospel said this about the earliest evangelists and missionaries:

Acts 17:6 These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also

How awesome is that! Men who turned the world upside down for Christ! Preachers of the most powerful force that has ever entered the human race—the gospel of Jesus Christ. And no, the gospel didn’t “turn the world upside down”… sin had already done that. But rather, the powerful gospel set the world upright again in the lives of countless thousands.

Oh how I yearn for FBC to take its place in that vast and powerful work. But HOW?

One of the most exciting books I have ever read, Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s Joy Unspeakable has an electric theme: Again and again in church history, Christ has prepared his church for evangelistic fruitfulness by pouring out the Holy Spirit on them. He contends that the Day of Pentecost was just the first and most significant of a repeated pattern… there have been many smaller “days of Pentecost” since that first one (famously recorded in Acts 2). He shows that Acts 4 was the second recorded “day of Pentecost” or mini-Pentecost, for at that time the Lord poured out his Spirit in answer to their fervent prayers resulting in awesome evangelistic power:

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Brothers and sisters, if this is true, then the Book of Acts is given in part to teach us at First Baptist Church how we may imitate the early church in preparation for great evangelistic power and fruitfulness.

And the preparation for the first and greatest Pentecost outpouring is in Acts 1. Acts 1 is the careful preparation of the church to turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ.

The most significant preparation for that work we saw last time in Acts 1:1-11

The spread of the gospel is the CONTINUATION of Christ’s saving mission to this sin-cursed world

Acts 1:1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach

So, the facts of the gospel were established in the Gospel of Luke (and Matthew and Mark and John!)… Christ’s birth from the virgin, his sinless life, his astonishing miracles, his amazing teachings, especially his substitutionary death on the cross and his bodily resurrection from the dead. Those facts, plus the interpretation of them is the GOSPEL that is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”.

Then we saw how Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days, giving them many convincing proofs that he was alive. And how he taught them carefully in scripture (i.e. the Old Testament) all that was written about himself… establishing their mission on the written word of God. And how he then gave them the great commission:

Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then, after he gave these final orders, his last words on earth to his beloved church, how he ascended before their very eyes into heaven, rising higher and higher from the surface of the earth until at last a cloud hid him from their sight.

Now, in Acts 1:12-26, we will see the rest of the preparation the Lord does in the church, getting the church ready to conquer the world with the gospel.

In these verses, we will see the church prepared by 1) obeying; 2) waiting; 3) praying; 4) choosing an apostle

My desire as we walk through this magnificent Book of Acts, is that the Spirit will work similarly in FBC, preparing us for the evangelistic work he wants us to do in our place and in our day. Yes, there will be significant differences… FBC does not need to (indeed we cannot) choose an apostle to be an eyewitness of Christ’s resurrection. But there are other kinds of preparations we must make if we are to be those who will turn our world right side up for Christ.

I. Prepared by Obeying

Everything starts with obedience. We cannot do anything of eternal consequence except in obedience to the Word of God.

Throughout this Book of Acts, we will see the messengers of the gospel being led by Christ through the Spirit… Jesus is the King, the Spirit delivers his presence, power, and authority to the church, and by his power and word alone do we function.

What is the obedience? They went to Jerusalem and waited.

A. Obeying the Angels

Acts 1:10-11  They 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.”

Though the angels didn’t actually give them any command, they clearly implied that the Christians needed to stop yearning for the kingdom of Christ to come immediately.

Acts 1:12-14  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.  ¹³ When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.

This is obedience.

A “sabbath’s day walk” was about 1-2 miles at the most. They did not go preach or act or do anything. They just obeyed.

B. Obeying Jesus

Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

And even more clearly in Luke 24:

Luke 24:46-49  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,  ⁴⁷ and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.  ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

C. Obedience is Everything!

1. We cannot take matters into our own hands

2. Christ alone must be king and by his guidance and by his Spirit alone can we build this eternal Kingdom

3. Obedience tied to love for Christ and the coming of the Spirit

John 14:15-17  “If you love me, you will obey what I command.  ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–  ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth to be with you forever.

John 14:23-26  Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  ²⁴ He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.  ²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you.  ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

4. By obedience and by the Spirit we build the Kingdom of Christ

5. Thus again we see the primacy of the Word of God!

II. Prepared by Waiting

Acts 1:12-14  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.  ¹³ When 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.  ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

A. Why Did Jesus Want the Church to Wait??

Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”

B. It Teaches Key Lessons

1. Our Own Inadequacy

a. Lacking wisdom: We don’t know where to go, what to do… by the Spirit alone can we discern how best to advance the Gospel

Romans 8:26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

b. Lacking power:

Zechariah 4:6  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

2. Needing Patience:

It shows the overall need for patience in this great worldwide gospel work. Jesus used the Parable of the Seed and the Soils… kingdom work is slow, patient work… the planting of seeds and watering and WAITING

2 Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

C. Waiting for the Coming of the Spirit

1. It was PURPOSEFUL waiting

2. They were waiting for the Lord to send the Holy Spirit

3. They showed their focus and purpose in waiting in their prayers

III. Prepared by Praying

Acts 1:14  They all joined together constantly in prayer…

A. Who Was There?

1. The Eleven Apostles

Acts 1:13  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.

2. Other Key People

Acts 1:14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

a. Beautiful!

b. “The women”… those eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection; those women who had loved Jesus so dearly and supported him financially and who watched him die and went to the tomb on that first day of the week

Luke 24:10  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them

Mark 15:40 [adds] Salome

c. Of special notice is Jesus’ own biological family

i) Mary, the mother of Jesus was there, though John 19 tells us that the Apostle John had taken Mary into his home as his own mother; but they were spending the day in the room with the church

ii) Mary was not the focus of piety or worship that Roman Catholics have traditionally made her… she was just one of the believers

iii) Even more amazing were Jesus’ brothers… they were half-brothers, having Mary as their mother, but not God as their actual father… rather Joseph was their biological father; their names are listed

Matthew 13:55  James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas

iv) During Jesus’ ministry, they had not yet believed in him, as John 7 made plain

John 7:5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

v) And Mark 3:21 says Jesus’ family, including Mary, at one point thought he was out of his mind and tried to take charge of him!

vi) What changed them? The resurrection! And Jesus’ special appearance to James, his brother, after his resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:7  he appeared to James, then to all the apostles

James would eventually become the leader of the church in Jerusalem and would write the Book of James

And Jesus’ brother Jude would write the little Book of Jude! How beautiful to see the grace of God save Jesus’ family!

3. The Entire Church in Jerusalem:

Acts 1:15  In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

What a tiny number! 120 believers in that room praying and waiting for the Spirit to come… but this would be that tiny amount of yeast that was hidden in the world that would eventually spread to the ends of the earth

B. Devoted to Prayer

1. The whole church was there… assembled together… all of one mind and heart, fired by their passionate and focused prayers

2. This prayer was essential to their preparations

3. They were praying CONSTANTLY and of ONE ACCORD…

^KJV Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication

The Greek words “continued” = “devoted to” “clung to” “attached to” “persistent in” prayer

AND… homothumedon =  one mind, one purpose, one impulse

4. This unity of mind and heart, and the passion of their prayers was powerful and a great example to all succeeding generations of Christians who want to win the world for Christ

5. It would continue into the next chapter

^KJV Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

C. What Jesus Had Prayed for… and How Jesus Was Praying

John 17:23  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 14:16-17  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–  ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth.

So, the prayers of the church were wafting up from that room with power and passion and persistence and unity… and they were mingled with the perfect prayers of Jesus, our Mediator, asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit on the church

IV. Prepared by Choosing an Apostle (vss. 15-26)

A. Was this the Right Thing to Do?

1. Many have questioned this whole thing, saying Peter acted presumptuously

2. Many are very uncomfortable with the casting of lots, like they were leaving it all to chance; or that there were two candidates, rather than one clear choice

3. Many point to the fact that Paul was clearly called to be an apostle later, and maybe the church should have kept open the slot for him

4. However, we believe that it is the Lord that “gave some to be apostles” (Eph. 4); and it was the Lord that chose the original Twelve after a night of prayer; and the Lord through the Spirit was guiding them (even before the Day of Pentecost)… everything was unfolding step by step as the Lord willed; and there is no rebuke or word of censure here at all

5. No one can take this honor upon himself

Galatians 1:1  Paul, an apostle– sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father,

B. Peter’s Leadership

Acts 1:15-16  In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)  ¹⁶ and said

1. So beautiful to see Peter’s leadership here so soon after his disastrous fall

2. Peter was no “Pope”… but he was often the leader of the Twelve

3. He was led by the Lord to address this need

C. The Necessity

1. Peter used the word “necessary” concerning replacing Judas in verse 21

2. Jesus established Twelve Apostles clearly for a symbolic reason

3. It aligned with the Twelve Tribes of Israel… as though this is the prefect consummation of what God intended amongst his people

4. He zeroed in on the number Twelve especially

Matthew 19:28  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

5. Furthermore, the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb will be commemorated eternally in the New Jerusalem, the Twelve Foundations of the eternal city

Revelation 21:14  The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

6. Now one of those slots empty because of Judas’s betrayal & suicide

7. It would be an embarrassment to the purpose of Christ to leave that slot unfilled as they preached the gospel in Jerusalem and Judea. That empty position HAD to be filled

D. Judas’s Story

1. Peter’s account

a. Starts with the scripture… all of this was predicted by the prophets in the scriptures

Acts 1:16-17  “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas

This is the clear doctrine of inspiration of scripture… the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David

Though David wrote of his own trials and sufferings in his own life, he was a type and pattern of Jesus Christ

This is also vital to show that what Judas did was part of the sovereign plan of God

Matthew 26:24  The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.

Acts 4:28  They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

b. The terrible crime

Acts 1:16-17  who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus–  ¹⁷ he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.

Judas was given an incredible privilege as one of the Twelve Apostles

He saw Jesus’ miracles day after day; he heard the prefect teachings of Jesus day after day; he saw Jesus’ glory up close, the only perfect life that has ever been… he SHARED IN THIS MINISTRY… but he betrayed Jesus’ loving friendship and the immense privilege that had been lavished on him

c. Judas’s reward

Acts 1:18-19  (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.  ¹⁹ Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

Judas hanged himself… then the branch broke and he fell a long distance into a field, resulting in what Peter said happened

The spilling out of his bowels was a picture of his reprobate life and nature. Like wicked King Jehoram in Elijah’s day, who died of an incurable disease of the bowels; also King Herod who was eaten by worms and died (probably with a similar disease)

d. The prophecies

Acts 1:20  “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.’

i) The first: Psalm 69:25, speaks of Judas’s place being deserted with no one to dwell in it… the idea is one of Judas’s honor being completely stripped from him, and no hereditary honors going to his family; Judas’s name would live in infamy… almost no one names their baby boy Judas (Actually Social Security data shows that generally between 10 and 20 people are named Judas every year! But clearly, not a popular name!)

ii) The second: Psalm 109:8 says another person must take his place; seems to be a contradiction! But it is easily remedied… Judas as a person is excluded from all honor; but the office Jesus established must be fulfilled

E. The Job Description

Acts 1:21-22  Therefore 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,  ²² beginning 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.”

Eyewitnesses. Establishing the facts and the history of the physical life of Jesus Christ, on which everyone else’s faith would be established for all eternity

Especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But also leadership:

Acts 1:20  ‘May another take his place of leadership.’

Apostles had real spiritual authority… symbolized by the “keys”:

Matthew 18:18  “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

F. The Candidates

Acts 1:23  So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.

Other than this one passage, we know nothing else about these men!

“Barsabbas” means “son of rest” or “son of an oath”

Justus = righteous, or upright… this man was held in great honor

Yet Christ chose Matthias and established him in Judas’s place

Matthias means “gift of God”

G. The Prayer and the Choice

Acts 1:24-26  Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen  ²⁵ to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”  ²⁶ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

1. Beautiful prayer… God searches hearts and minds

2. The church left it to God who knows the right man for this role

3. They asked for guidance

4. Why lots?

Proverbs 16:33  The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Proverbs 18:18  Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

Yet, though the practice was well-known, it is the last time in it appears in scripture. The coming of the Holy Spirit brought the church into a new realm of guidance and wisdom unknown in the past.

V. Lessons and Applications

A. Come to Christ

B. Follow the Wisdom of this Chapter: Obeying, Waiting, Praying

1. How would you characterize your patient, obedient waiting on the Lord?

2. How do you see God working on you in those areas?

3. How is waiting on God in prayer a humbling experience for you and all of us?

C. Begging God to Work at FBC Durham

All summer long on Wednesday evenings… “Go teams”

Prayer: “We are asking God for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit resulting in a durable culture of evangelism as demonstrated by persistent patterns of creative outreach and courageous witness to the lost around us, leading to MANY CONVERSIONS!”