A Very Good Morning.
And whilst WOG’S SOCIALIZING is hitting the charts, I have a
Quiz question also….
You have a very important task to be done….. Who would you choose? How would you do this or Why
would you choose the person?
ACTS 1:12-26
We are looking at a portion of scripture that holds deep
truth for us today; in our times and circumstances as Christians. But let’s
take a look at where it is placed in the scripture and why Luke or the author of
The Book of Acts thinks it necessary to enter these details at this
point. This passage is hidden between 2
very important events 1) the Ascension and 2) Pentecost.
Let's read Acts 1:12-26.
The book of Acts is
a)
about Luke establishing the most important
foundation or truth of our belief : The Resurrection
b)
and about the credibility of the witnesses
(or people) handling this truth with a mission to carry the message of Jesus to
Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost pasts of the world – to pass it down and
on the basis of testimony and witness, people would become believers, i.e.
Christians.
Who were these men handling this
very important and dynamic truth? And what were they like?
And to answer these questions, let
us look at 3 points that you and I can remember – so write them in your books –
What qualified them as witnesses, They demonstrated in belief and action why
they were chosen to fulfill this task.
A witness is one who has
personal knowledge of something that occurred. They were to execute an
important task and were to be also persecuted and executed.
POINT 1 They knew to FOLLOW ORDERS
vs 14 tells us What kind of
people they were.
As instructed by Jesus in Acts
1:4, THEY FOLLOWED WHAT WAS COMMANDED TO
THEM
-
DO NOT LEAVE JERUSALEM ( NOT THE UPPER ROOM for
Luke 24: 53 adds to Acts 1:13-14 )
-
WAIT FOR THE PROMISE
But what was Jerusalem like? And
why do we look at these men as men of obedience?
Jerusalem was where on Sunday
before the resurrection, crowds had entered Jerusalem for the Passover. It was
a thunderous sound that emanated
-when they shouted “Hosanna in
the Highest… in the name of the Lord”….
-and then a few days later they
were shouting “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”,
-and as if that was not enough,
they refer to him as an infidel and get Roman guards to secure the tomb.
-Jesus rises, the soldiers are
paid to hide this and to put the blame on the disciples
Jerusalem was in a frenzy. People
were now waiting for Pentecost or the Feast of Harvests or Feast of Weeks as it
was referred to.
Jerusalem was a dangerous place.
They had identified Peter in the courtyard and said…. Were you not with him…you
are a Galilean.
They were confused with the
crucifixion but believed with Thomas when they saw he was resurrected.
But they did not question the
command of Jesus. They did what was
asked of them. They went back to Jerusalem from Mount Olive. They went and
gathered in the Upper Room ( the definite article seems to refer to the same
room Jesus broke bread with them.
It was a large room ( I mean
really large …. As approx. 120 of them were living there) they gathered in it.
120 of them
-
The eleven apostles
-
The women
-
Mary the mother of Jesus
-
Jesus’
brothers ( approx. 4)
-
And most probably 70 disciples
120 people – different
characters, different backgrounds, different views, different statuses and
upbringings and beliefs. 120 PEOPLE BUT
WITH ONE THING COMMON – TO OBEY THE COMMAND OF GOING BACK TO JERUSALEM, WITH
ONE COMMON PURPOSE THAT THEY STAY UNITED AND IN THIS UNITY THEY SAW STRENGTH.
Who did they comprise of?
-Peter who had denied Jesus and
had been forgiven and reinstated after spending time with Jesus in Galilee
after the resurrection.
-Jesus’ brothers – He is insane –
that is what they termed him, but had had a change of mind and heart
-Mathew the tax collector –
bribes and cheating people were part of his everyday job
-Simon the Zealot - the political agenda of these was to target
the tax collectors and kill them for sport
-Men so fearful that they all
fled at the sight of Jesus being betrayed
BUT THEY CAME TOGETHER WITH
ONE MIND, ONE ACCORD.
They acknowledged the Lordship of
Jesus and they obeyed him. They now knew that they must FORTIFY THEMSELVES for
what was to come. – the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit so they could be Jesus’ witnesses.
They had had the greatest example
and hands-on experience as they walked with Jesus for 3 years and witnessed His life. – They saw Jesus rise
early in the morning …. 3.30 – 4.00 am and go and seek the Father, giving
himself to prayer and they knew the secret and followed.
What did they pray for ?, one may ask since
the Ascension had just taken place…. What did they pray / Why did they devote
themselves to prayer and supplication? They were taught well….
-
They prayed ‘Your kingdom come, your will be
done’
-
They prayed for the promise that they were told
was to arrive
-
They prayed according to the scriptures
-
They prayed for courage and boldness and
strength… they knew what lay ahead -
WITNESS in Greek is ‘Martyrs’ (one who
has had a dramatic encounter with Jesus which was life-changing) and the person
would give a first-hand witness of what he had seen and heard which would bring
with it persecution and even death.
-
Luke 24:53 says they went into the temple and
praised God, blessed God, Extolled him.
-
They prayed and readied themselves
THIS WAS AN INDEFINITE
LOCKDOWN..… WITH NO INDICATION OF WHEN THE PROMISE WOULD ARRIVE AND THE
LOCKDOWN END.
We are in a similar situation and
so were they. But what attitude did they have? Let us read and remind
ourselves.
POINT 2 – They FOLLOWED THE SCRIPTURES – Acts 1 vs 16
From the prayer and supplication
and waiting on God, Peter was led to follow the scriptures and witness its
fulfillment.
But Peter was quite illiterate…
He was a fisherman……??
-
Like every male Jewish child he was schooled in
the study of the scriptures from childhood
-
He knew the old testament
-
He heard Jesus read and explain the Psalms, the
scriptures in the temple
-
He heard the sermon on the mount
-
He heard Jesus quote the scriptures.
Ps 119:11 says I have hidden your
word in my heart that I may not sin against you….Peter knew the word of God by
heart and it was in his heart stored away for a time like this.
And so he stands up and quotes
this word from Ps 109: 8. He says David,
led by the Holy Spirit spoke these words and prophesied about a time to come…..
the very same that had occurred in the Garden when Judas betrayed Jesus and
sold him for a price of 30 pieces of silver. ‘ Let his ……….Let his place be
taken by another’.
With conviction and as their
leader he says that the apostles were to be 12 men and they were only 11. 12
men ready to experience the very important outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He
explained his action was in line with the word of God, prophesied beforehand
about what Judas would do and now in the absence of Judas what they must do… a
man appointed in the place of Judas.
Zachariah says in Zach 11:12,13
that he had done work for his employers and he addresses them and tells them…
If you want, pay me or don’t. And they paid him for the work he had done … 30
pieces of silver …. The price of a slave… Zachariah had done work worthy of a
much, much higher wage. And God commands him and tells him to give it to the
potter's house ( the temple). Peter goes all the way to say why Judas must be
replaced. He was NO MORE AN APOSTLE. HE
WAS NOT TO BE COUNTED WITH THEM ANY LONGER
He says in vs 17 he was counted
among us and divinely appointed to a calling – the highest of its kind. It was
NO ORDINARY CALLING AND COMMISSIONING
But Judas like every one of the
disciples did not understand ….. Acts 1:6 says. He was poor and covetous. AFTER
THE RESSURECTION ….When they were assembled, they asked Jesus when will your
kingdom be re-established…. The passion version says…Every time they assembled
they asked this question.
Judas had died inwardly, much
before he died physically. Spiritually his fall began, when he is smarter
than the rest, understanding that wealth, position, and rulership in this world was
never going to be his. It was not on the
agenda of Jesus. And he sought to then make it happen by stealing the money from the kitty, or common
purse of the disciples since he was their treasurer. Each time he took some he
forfeited his honor.
A)
At first, he was disappointed at what he saw and
realized and he began to fall with stealing
B)
His disappointment soon led to him becoming
disillusioned…. Jhn 12: 5-6 says ….This perfume could have been sold for 300
denari and given to the poor….. when actually he was a thief
C)
This disillusioned prisoner was then deceived ….
Which is satan’s biggest weapon…? Betray Jesus and you will earn wealth to have
a property of your own
And with treason, he fell from the
highest calling to the lowest infamy…. Judas in today’s world is still
synonymous with a traitor or betrayer.
So for 30 pieces of silver, he
sold Jesus. But when Jesus was condemned - something he did not see coming….
Did Adam or Eve see it? it’s the same
trick satan plays………
He went out and committed suicide
and hung himself…. Nowhere does it say on a tree…. But it is likely he did it
in the Hinnom Valley, from a cliff…. but wherever, when he fell headlong his
body with the fall was hit and his belly split apart and his guts gushed
out. It was in this state that he was found
and buried in the field that was purchased with the blood money, the money he
received for betraying Jesus. Akeldama
…. Field of Blood… let no one go there… let no one visit that place….let it be
left alone.
While the other apostles asked
Jesus about his earthly kingdom, their heart was towards Jesus and not to the offings
from Jesus ruling as king… so they were prepared to listen and accept what
Jesus had to say. NOT JUDAS…. His heart
was on the worldly ….. nothing spiritual interested him. That was something he
did not understand and believe.
Psalm 109 : 7,8
When the wicked is judged let him
be condemned
Let his days be few
Let another take his office.
Peter knew the word and sought to
follow it and witness its outworking.
POINT 3 - They FOLLOWED the scriptures in its execution and
fulfillment
Peter followed the right process in
the execution and fulfillment of the scriptures.
The integrity of these witnesses
was put to the test in this crucial time and THEY PASSED THE TEST.
A witness is watched very closely
: Every action, every word, every response, is closely monitored and it
determines if you are godly or ungodly.
There is no grey area…. Only if you ARE OR NOT.
Peter, the impulsive had had a
talk with Jesus after the resurrection.
-
He was to lead. His past was never going to
determine the future.
-
He had prayed in unity with the others
-
With supplication
-
Waiting on God
What do you mean by INTEGRITY?
-Peter did not promote his
favorite candidate.
-He did not look and see and
trust his instincts
-He did not go by what showed up
in their behavior
-there was no lobbying …. Vote
for me, vote for me, no speeches to
prove they were the right candidate, no testimonies to prove it
Thinking back on three years and
on the basis of their/his calling, he put forth two very strong points. The
candidate should have been present -
-
from the baptism of Jesus by John
-
to the ascension
And Barsabba nicknamed Justus (
Justus meant just or righteous….
Something that spoke of the kind of person he was, and Barsabbas …. Meaning
born on the Sabbath)
And Mathias met these criteria.
Peter chose on the basis of these
two criteria – for he knew such a candidate had stood the test of time, dramatically
experienced Jesus in the storm, when they wanted to hurl him off the cliff, when
they wanted to stone the adulteress woman when He gave them power as the 70 to
go out and heal the sick, cast out demons, etc.
They were there in the good and
not so good times, WITH JESUS.
Mathias was just a face in a
crowd of 70 disciples – that’s what most think he was – one of the disciples. As one may conclude he was one of the 70
disciples empowered by Jesus, right from the time Jesus was baptized and
through his entire 3-year ministry…what a rich experience. It was the case of
the parable (Math 25:14-30) of the 1, 2, and 5 talents and their rewards….Because
Mathias was no Peter, no John or James…. He was just another amongst the
70.
BUT…. AND THE BIG BUT…. GOD SAW HIS HEART,
HIS FAITHFULNESS, HIS LIFE that no one else knew about and the lot fell to his
name.
GOD MANIFESTED HIS CHOICE….. IT
WAS GOD’S CHOICE….. THE LOT SHOWED WHOM GOD Wanted
And by the way, MATHIAS means the gift
of God.
MATHIAS WAS THE 12TH APOSTLE……
What is your book and my book of
Acts speaking about me and us as WITNESSES
Let us pray that the world where
we stand as witnesses see us as
-
Unitedly devoted to prayer ( take any slot or
any time most convenient to you and join the PRAYER 24/7) this is the need of
the hour.
-
Following the powerful, action-packed word as
our guide…. Hide at least 2 verses per week in your heart that you may not sin
that you may be scripture led like Peter. That you would never be led astray.
-
And execute His commands – obey them with
integrity and according to the criteria laid down in the word of God – with
cleanness of mind, heart, right attitude – God witnesses your faithfulness
And as I close I hope that your
method of choosing a person for a very important task and God’s ways are the
same – that they follow the same method and find the right criteria as laid
down in Acts 1: 12-26.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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