Waiting For The Promise

Take your Bibles and turn to the book of Acts, the fifth book of the New Testament. We're going to begin reading at verse 12 and read through verse 26.

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

In those days, Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about 120, and said, Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.

He was one of our number and shared in this ministry. 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, Al-Kadema, that is, field of blood. 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. 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, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.

For one of those must become a witness with us of his resurrection. So they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justice, and Matthias.

Then they prayed, 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.

Judas Iscariot was a man who received unparalleled spiritual privileges and advantages.

Think of it. The Son of God chose him to be one of his twelve apostles. That meant that he would be with Jesus continually, up close, as one of those inner band, the inner band of his disciples.

In fact, he was even made the treasurer, wasn't he? The keeper of the bag. Think of all that Judas heard and saw as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

He heard Jesus' words so full of insight and wisdom that the people were amazed at him. He heard Jesus' words of grace and forgiveness offered to sinners if they would but repent and believe.

He was there when Jesus said, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Words of life flowing from his lips, the lips of the only Savior of sinners.

He heard them. And he also heard the words of warning, of coming judgment for all who refuse to believe and repent. But it wasn't just what Judas heard from the Lord Jesus.

Think of what he saw. He saw Jesus do miracles, things that no other man could possibly do. He had a front row seat to the feeding of the 5,000.

In fact, it was in his hands that the basket was held that just kept multiplying as it was handed out. He was there and he saw the blind healed, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the paralyzed healed.

He saw with a word, the demons flee. He even saw Jesus raise people from the dead. He was in the boat with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee when the storm came up.

And he saw the wind and the waves obey Jesus. He saw him in public under all kinds of pressures and demands and criticisms and temptations.

But he also saw him in private when the crowd was nowhere near him. And what he saw was a perfectly consistent life of holiness. He never saw Jesus sin.

No, Jesus always loved God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength. And he always loved his neighbor as himself. And Judas was on the receiving end of that love. He had experienced it firsthand.

Judas even preached and performed miracles when Jesus sent out the 12 with authority and power to do so. And yet for all of this light and life that was streaming from the Son of God, Judas' heart was spiritually dark and dead.

Of course, no one knew this but Jesus and Judas. To the very end, his fellow apostles had no suspicions that he was the one who would betray Jesus.

Outwardly, he looked like any faithful follower of Jesus would look. But inwardly, he kept hardening his heart against the grace and truth that was in Jesus Christ.

There was another master than Jesus that reigned in his heart. It was master self. Self that was always asking, what's in it for me?

That's what motivated Judas. We see it in his love for money. As he started helping himself to the bag. Surely there's some way for me to profit financially from this position as one of the 12.

We see it in his love of position. He enjoyed being in the limelight as one of the 12 and the honor that it brought to him. And it surely must have agitated Jesus when he refused to be the king that everybody wanted.

Indeed, that he was hoping that Jesus would be. Someone to rise up and to put those Romans in their place. To conquer them and to lead the Jews to victory. And Jesus turned his back on such.

And the heart that turned away from Jesus was now turned against Jesus. And yielding himself to sin. At last, Satan entered him and put into his heart to betray Jesus.

Something that he was most willing to do. Because Satan's temptations only brought out of Judas what was already there. So he went to the chief priests.

And he asked, what are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you? And they counted out for him 30 silver coins. And from then on, Judas looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

But not when the crowd was present, lest there be a riot. And we come to that last night. And Jesus says to the 12, one of you will betray me.

And everyone's asking, is it I? Is it I? Schilder, the Dutch theologian, comments, even in the upper room, Jesus still did not call him out, but was still extending the invitation to repent.

But to repent is to humbly receive grace. And Judas will not live by grace. And that is his greatest sin. He refused the gospel of the grace of God and Jesus Christ.

We sometimes think of him as a monster. But he was much more like us than we realize. For there's a part in me that loves money. There's a part in me that loves honor and position and praise.

He was so close to Jesus. And yet, so far away. And so when Jesus and his disciples were alone at night in Gethsemane, Judas, knowing that they would be there, led the band of ruffians from the chief priests to arrest him.

And with a kiss, Judas finally shows his true colors and betrays his Lord. And when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.

I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood. What is that to us? They replied, that's your responsibility. So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.

Then he went away and hanged himself. But apparently the rope or the branch to which it was tied broke. For Luke's account in Acts says that he fell headlong and his body burst opened and all his intestines spilled out.

And as gruesome as his end was, it was not as bad as the place to which he went after death. For he went to the place where he belonged.

You see, he did not belong with Jesus, even though he was one of the twelve. That was not his right place. He then, after death, went to his right place.

Even to hell. Cut off forever from the presence of the Lord. Jesus says it would have been better for him to have never been born. And surely we see in Judas just how far people can go in the way of spiritual blessings.

They can grow up in a Christian home. They can hear sermon after sermon. They can even be baptized and join the church and be serving in the church. And still be lost.

And have no heart for the Savior. No faith in Jesus alone. No true repentance. You see, Judas had remorse. He had regret. He felt sorry for his sins.

But that is not the same as repentance and turning from our sins and turning to God's grace in Jesus Christ. And so Judas perished.

And since the silver was blood money, it couldn't be used in the temple treasury. So the priest bought a field with it in Judas's name. And it came to be known as the field of blood.

Doubly fitting. For the innocent blood that he betrayed. The blood of Jesus. And for his own guilty blood that was shed in his death.

What a reward for his betrayal. A piece of ground to remember his shameful land. Land never cost so much as that parcel of ground. For he sold his soul for those 30 pieces of silver.

Squandered privileges. To be so close to Jesus. And to be lost all the while. Even as Pastor Jason says, as we read something like this, we must fall down and worship God for his mercy to us.

That could have been me. But for the grace of God. May God save us from simply living close to the things of Jesus. And not knowing him savingly.

Well, that's the background to our text. Judas was one of the 12. And so now the 12 minus 1 became the 11.

And you say, so what's the big deal? Instead of 12, they're 11. But what's wrong with 11? Why do we need to replace Judas? Well, when Jesus chose apostles.

It is not without historical significance that he chose 12 of them. He didn't choose 10. He didn't choose 20. He didn't choose 6.

He chose 12. And there was a reason he chose 12. Jacob, you remember, had 12 sons that became the 12 tribes of Israel.

And those 12 sons represented the people of God in the old covenant. And when Jesus, the Messiah, came to Israel, his own Israel after the flesh received him not.

They rejected their Messiah and Savior, Jesus. And so a new people of God must be called into being a faithful remnant from within Israel.

And including the Gentiles. So making a significant statement, Jesus chose 12 apostles. And by choosing 12, he's claiming to be the head of a new Israel.

A new people of God. A spiritual people of God. Just as Jacob was the head of Israel after the flesh. Jesus would be the head of a new people who would be born of the Spirit.

Jesus promised these 12 apostles in Matthew 19, 28 that they would reign on 12 thrones over the 12 tribes of Israel. 12 is important, kids.

That's intentional on Jesus' part. He was making a statement. It's not just a convenient even number. He's making a statement. I am the head of a new people of God.

The new Israel of God. All that will be saved through me. So now the number 12 is changed to the 11.

Something's out of harmony. Something's not fitting. Not in sync with the Old Testament type. Even the high priest had on his breastplate 12 stones with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.

So that when he appeared before God. He bore all the names of the sons of Israel over his heart. And now the high priest Jesus has ascended.

He's risen and ascended into the most holy place to appear before God on behalf of his people. Who are represented by the 11 apostles. Something is clearly out of place.

So the 11 will not do. God's plan for history called for 12. Reflecting the 12 tribes of Israel. And 12 he shall have.

And so right after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The apostles take up this matter of replacing Judas. To once again have the circle of 12 unbroken. We've started to study the book of Acts.

And we saw last week that these are the acts of the Lord Jesus. The ascended Lord Jesus. He's still active on earth.

He's still building his church. And he does it through the apostles and the church. As they are empowered by his Holy Spirit.

We see we said last week that the main event in Acts is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. That the ascended Lord together with the Father would give the Holy Spirit to his church.

As her possession to equip her to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Now the book of Acts gets to the high point very quickly. It's chapter 2.

That's the day of Pentecost. The gift of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 1 is connecting us to Luke's first book. The Gospel of Luke. And he quickly comes to the main event in chapter 2.

So the events of chapter 1 cover the period of 50 days. Pentecost 50 comes 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus.

A 50 day period. Last week in the first 11 verses. We saw what happened during the first 40 days after Jesus' resurrection.

He appeared to his apostles and gave them many convincing proofs that he was alive. And he taught them about the kingdom of God. We had two samples of those meetings during the first 40 days after the resurrection.

The first he commanded them do not leave Jerusalem. But wait for the gift my father promised. The baptism of the Holy Spirit that will happen in just a few days. The second sampling of his meeting with his apostles was the last of those 40 days.

When he commanded them that having received the spirit and the power. That they were to preach the gospel. Be his witnesses.

Starting in Jerusalem right out to the ends of the earth. And then he ascended on that 40th day after the resurrection. In full view of the apostles.

And the angel says he will come again in like fashion as you have seen him go. Well now there's still 10 days left. Between the ascension and the outpouring of the spirit on the cross.

And that's what's left in the last part of Acts chapter 1. Verses 12 to the end that was read for us. What happened during those last 10 days before Pentecost?

What was going on? Well we're going to look at the what. But first we want to look at the where and the who. The where. First of all. Where did they go?

Where did the apostles go after Jesus ascended? Well he ascended on the Mount of Olives. Just a thousand yards east of Jerusalem. And we're told that once he ascended.

That they returned to Jerusalem. Let me say what's significant about that. Only this. That. That's the place where Jesus was murdered.

That's the place that breathes with slaughter against the followers of the Nazarene. And yet Jesus says. Go back to Jerusalem.

And start there. As my witnesses. And wait there. For the power to be my witnesses. And they obeyed. Is your duty calling you into positions of danger?

Obey. They obey. They go back into Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Jesus told them not to leave there. But to wait for the gift. Of his father. They had a lot of witnessing to do.

They got the whole ends of the earth to cover. And sometimes when we get big projects. We just want to dig right in. But Jesus says. Oh no. You wait. You wait.

Until you receive the power for that work. And sometimes waiting is the hardest thing to do. We studied that for three weeks. But they obeyed. And right back into Jerusalem.

They went. Because all is vain. Unless the spirit of the Holy One come down. And so they went back to Jerusalem. To wait. There. In the place of Jesus enemies.

For the power of the Holy Spirit. To come upon them. Even Jesus did not begin his public ministry. Without being equipped by the Holy Spirit.

Upon his humanity. At his baptism. How much more do we need. The power of the Holy Spirit. So they're in Jerusalem. They're obediently waiting. For the outpouring of the Spirit.

For witness. Now who is waiting? Verse 13 says. When they arrived. They went upstairs to the room. Where they were staying. And those present. Were told who was there. And what follows. Is a list of names.

Of 11 disciples. Apostles. Judas is missing. Obviously. Since he is dead. Why are they listed here? Well.

Perhaps just to remind us. That these are the same guys. That we met in volume one. Of Luke's gospel. And if we know that. We know that. If anything good comes from this lot. It's got to be.

To the glory of God. And we're going to see amazing things done. By the apostles. And we must know that. These are the same apostles. That we saw.

In the gospel of Luke. It also reminds us. That these. Eleven. Have survived. The whole ordeal. Of forsaking their Lord.

When he was arrested. Of seeing him crucified. And buried. And now. Risen. And ascended. They're all here. Due to the saving. Keeping. Restoring.

Grace. Of Jesus Christ. Not one. Has been lost. Except the one. Doomed. To destruction. So that the scriptures. Would be fulfilled.

So the eleven are there. But they're not alone. Are they? Verse fourteen. Goes on to say. They all join together. Constantly in prayer. Along with. The women. And Mary.

The mother of Jesus. And with his brothers. Who was with the eleven. Apostles. Well there were the women. Those dear. Faithful women. Who had traveled.

With Jesus. And his band. Ministering to their needs. Here they are. There they were. At the cross. There they were. At the burial. Observing. Where they laid his body.

There they are. At the empty tomb. They were some of the first. To witness. The resurrected. Lord Jesus. And bear witness. To his resurrection. They outshone.

The men. Through that fiery trial. And here they are. Joining with. These eleven apostles. Prayerfully waiting. For the gift of the Holy Spirit. The women.

But then there's one woman. That's pointed out. Specifically. And it's Mary. The mother. Of Jesus. Thirty-three. Thirty-three years earlier. She. As a virgin. Had given birth.

To the son of God. And a sword. Had pierced her heart. Even. As it was told her. As. She was in the temple.

Dedicating him to the Lord. She had seen him crucified. Oh. But then he was risen. And ascended. And here she is. It's the last time we meet her. In the scriptures. And where do we find her?

Worshiping. Along with the other followers. Of Jesus. Not receiving worship. But giving it. Not being prayed to. But praying with them. To God on high.

Mary. The mother of Jesus. And then there's Jesus' brothers. He had four of them. Mark tells us. James. Joseph. Judas. And Simon. Though they had lived with the perfect son of God.

We read in John 7. That even his own brothers did not believe in him. They remained unbelievers. They even thought Jesus was. Mentally deranged.

Out of his mind. Well. Indeed. To hear the things that he said. He is either mentally deranged. Or a liar. Or he is all that he claimed to be.

And they chose the first. He's touched. He's off his rocker. We know who he is. He's our brother. He's not come from heaven. But that was before his resurrection.

And now. Here they are. New converts. To the risen Jesus. Whom they worship. As their Lord. Praying to him. Along with the other disciples.

As they wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Amazing conversions. The brothers of Jesus. James later becomes a leader. In the church at Jerusalem. Probably the author of that most practical book.

That bears the name. The epistle of James. Judas. Most likely the author of the epistle of Jude. Both of them referring to themselves. And their epistles.

As the servants of Jesus Christ. The wonderful grace of Jesus. That saved even them. So that's who. The eleven apostles.

The women. Mary. And Jesus brothers. Finally we come to the what. What's going on? What are they doing during these ten days before Pentecost?

And Luke records two things. We see a continual habit. And a matter of business. First the continual habit. They prayed. Verse 14 says.

They all joined together constantly. In prayer. I wanted to point out several things. About this praying. First.

It was not private. But corporate prayer. Do you see that? It was something they all did together. They all joined together. In prayer.

With one heart. And with one mind. With one accord. That's the idea expressed in the language. It was something they were all in. Together. Together. Holy and happy.

The church. Where its people are all united. In prayer. Secondly. It was not a sporadic thing. But a continual habit. It was not something they did.

If there was nothing else to do. They all joined together. Constantly in prayer. They. They continued steadfastly. In prayer. Now it doesn't mean that.

They did nothing else. But pray. They had other things to do. And they did them. But this was their continual habit. And they returned to it. Religiously. Habitually.

The ESV says. That they were devoting. Themselves. To prayer. So that means. It was priority with them. It trumped. Other activities.

In importance. And when we. Read of the. Three thousand. New believers. That were added to the church. Baptized and added to the church. On the day of Pentecost.

In chapter two. We read in verse 42. That they also. Devoted themselves. To prayer. All three thousand of them. They devoted themselves. To prayer.

And when persecution arose. And Peter and John. Were threatened. In order to stop. Preaching in Jesus name. The first thing they do. In chapter four. Is to run back to the church. And hold a prayer meeting.

A corporate prayer meeting. And together. They address God. And ask for boldness. To speak in the name of Jesus. And the place was shaken. And they did speak the word of God.

With boldness. And when Peter is in prison. The church was earnestly praying. To God for him. With many people gathered.

Praying for him. And when sending off. Missionaries. It's with prayer and fasting. We don't have time. This morning. But we'll see it. As we go through the book of Acts. The picture that emerges.

That if the early church. Was anything. It was a praying church. It was a church. That prayed together. Now what has happened.

To the prayer meeting. Of the church. Of Jesus Christ. She was born. Out of a prayer meeting. Pentecost. Comes out of a prayer meeting. She thrived.

Under prayer meetings. And she will die. With the absence. Of them. All is vain. Unless the spirit. Of the Holy One. Come down.

Brethren. Pray. And holy manna. Will be scattered. All around. A few months back. We had a couple. Visiting with us. At one of our worship services.

And I'm always curious. To learn how. How's come their visiting. Did you see us on the net. Did you know somebody. Who invited you. Well. This couple had been in town.

For the 4th of July parade. And they were just meandering the town. In the evening. And they saw on our sign. Out on our door. That we had. A weekly. Prayer meeting.

Now isn't that something novel. To attract visitors. The latest church growth technique. A church. Prayer meeting. That'll bring them in. Where God himself.

Is the only attraction. Where an open throne of grace. Is the main reason. We're here. To come and address. Our reigning Lord Jesus.

And ask him to do things. For his glory. And his kingdom. In his name. That used to gather. The church.

And if we're to learn anything. From the book. We need to learn. To value the church. At prayer. Jesus Christ. Great acts. That were done. In this book.

Were done in answer. To the prayers. Of the praying. Church. The last lesson. On these. The praying. That they did.

During these 10 days. Is that. That the promises. Are meant to be prayed. What did Jesus promise? What were they waiting for? He had promised.

That they would receive power. When the Holy Spirit. Came upon them. In just a few days. And we have reason. To believe. That that is precisely. What they were praying for. Indeed.

In the gospels. And encouraging. The disciples. To ask. That they might receive. Jesus. Says this. If you then. Though you are evil. You fathers. Know how to give. Good gifts. To your children.

How much more. Will your father. In heaven. Give the Holy Spirit. To those. Who ask. Him. The church's. Great request.

Then. Now. Forever. Until Jesus. Comes. The grand request. That we need. Is the Holy Spirit. Him. Coming. And clothing.

His word. With power. Clothing. His servants. Giving you. Power. Power. For witness. Creating. The fruit. Of the spirit. In our lives. Those who. Ask.

For him. He will. Give him. And it's badly. Mistaken. Theology. To think. That the promises. Are reasons. Not. To pray. For them. Well. If it's promised.

I guess. We don't need. To pray. And ask. For it. That is. Exactly. Backwards. To the Bible. David. Just heard. An awesome. Promise. In 2nd.

Samuel. Chapter 7. And his response. To that promise. Is Lord. Do. As you. Promised. Do. As you. Promised. The promises.

Of God. Should be part. Of the prayer list. Of the. Of the gathered church. Let's grow. And pray. In the promises. Well. That's the first thing. That they were doing. During this. 10 day period.

Between the ascension. And the outpouring. Of the spirit. At Pentecost. They were. Praying. Together. As a church. That was their continual habit.

Secondly. We see a matter of business. They filled the vacant office of. Apostle. The office left vacant. By Judas. And they replaced him with.

Matthias. As the 12th apostle. Verse 15 says. In those days. Again. We're talking about those last 10 days. In those days. Peter stood up. Among the believers. A group numbering.

About 120. Let me just. Say in passing. We should not think. That there were only. 120 believers. On the earth. At this time. I think sometimes. That's said.

Or thought. And even sometimes said. But remember. First Corinthians 15. Tells us. That after the resurrection. Jesus appeared. To over 500. Of the brethren. At the same time.

And so. We know. There was more than 120. On the earth. Now. The book of Acts. Does not follow. Everything that was going on.

In the. The realm. Of God's church. The book of Acts. Follows. A very definite pattern. He's going to show. The spread of the gospel. And the growth of the church. From Jerusalem.

To the ends of the earth. To Rome. But there was a lot. Going on. Outside of. What's recorded. For us. In the book of Acts. Let that be an encouragement.

To you. The Lord has people. Where we don't know. About them. Do you have people. And dear ones. To you. Sons. Daughters. That are far. From home. Far from your influence.

There are people. Of God. In places. Where. We're not even aware of. But. He's talking about. Jerusalem. And.

There. There was 120. That were gathered together. That's not many. To reach the world. Is it? But God's able. To do a lot. With a little.

Jesus. Jesus is able. To feed. 5,000. With five. Loaves. And two fish. And we'll see. That Jesus is able. To turn the world. Upside down.

Starting with. 12 apostles. 120. Gathered here. And then others. So Judas's defection. Is the reason. There's vacancy. In the apostolic office.

And. And Peter. Let's the 120. Before him. Know. That both. Judas's death. And the need. To replace him. Were written long ago. In the scriptures. Of the Old Testament.

He says in verse 16. Brothers. The scriptures. Had to be fulfilled. Which the Holy Spirit. Spoke long ago. Through the mouth of David. Concerning Judas. Who served as guide. For those who arrested Jesus.

He was. One of our number. And shared in this ministry. Just to pause. And notice. Peter's view. Of scripture. What is this book.

You have in your laps. It is the Holy Spirit. Speaking. Do you see that. It is. God. The Spirit.

Speaking. Children's catechism. Question. Who wrote the scriptures. Who wrote the Bible. Holy men. Taught by. The Holy Spirit.

And we have here. In Peter's statement. A statement. Of both. The human. And the divine authors. You see that. The scriptures. Which the Holy Spirit.

Spoke. Through the mouth. Of David. So what came out. Of David's mouth. Is what the Holy Spirit. Spoke. What is the product. Of all the human authors.

It is the. Infallible. Word. Of God. Even though it came. Through. Men. The Holy Spirit. So. Authored.

What they said. That the end product. Is nothing less. Than the Holy Spirit. Speaking. And when we have that. View of this book. It changes everything. You know. A lot of people.

Talk to you this week. And. You heard a lot of voices. Moms. Dads. Children. Co-workers. But when you take. This book. The living God.

Speaks. To you. God. The Spirit. That's a whole different voice. And the heart. That's been saved by. Knows the voice. Of the shepherd. And follows him.

That was Peter's. View. Of scripture. And. It is the view. Of scripture. For all those. Who know. Bird. He speaks. Through the spirit.

Through. Human authors. Well. Before he quotes. The two verses. From the Psalms. Of David. It seems. That Luke. Puts in a parenthesis. To help the Gentiles readers. Gentile readers.

Put a context. On what he's about. To talk about. And so he. Speaks all about. Judas. And what happened to him. Certainly. Peter's original hearers. Didn't need to know about that. In Jerusalem. It had just happened.

A few weeks earlier. They knew. All. About. What had happened. So. In our. NIV. And other. Translations. It's put in parentheses. As these are the words of Luke.

To us. The reader. Peter. And then. He carries on. With Peter's quotations. Of scriptures. Where it is written. In the book of Psalms. May his place. Be deserted.

Let there be no one. To dwell in it. That's from Psalm 69. Verse 25. And from Psalm 109. 8. May another. Take his place. Of leadership.

Now both. Psalms. Speak of the enemies. Of God's kingdom. During David's life. David is the author. Of those Psalms. He is speaking in part. About enemies.

That were pursuing him. And God's kingdom. And yet. Those enemies. And David himself. Were types.

Of another kingdom. That was to come. David's kingdom. Was a type of. Jesus kingdom. And David himself. Is a type. Of the greater. Son of David.

And the enemies. Of David. Are a type. Of Judas. The greatest. Of enemies. And these passages. Then. Point.

Beyond. David's time. To the chief. Traitor. And enemy. Of Jesus. Judas. Himself. That's how Peter. Sees it. And indeed.

Jesus had just. Opened their eyes. To see him. In the Old Testament. Scripture. In Luke 24. He. He opened the scriptures. And taught them. All the things. Concerning himself. And he says that.

You need to see me. And see these. Incidences. In light of the Old Testament. Prophecies. And so we'll find through the book of Acts. How many times. Luke will say.

This will fill. What was said way back here. And that's what Peter's saying. About. Judas. And his betrayal. And his death. And the need to replace him. It was all. Prophesied.

A thousand years earlier. Surely it had to be inspired. By the Holy Spirit. How else would David know. To say such things. About. Judas. And so our.

Bibles. Have this high view of scripture. It must be fulfilled. It was fulfilled. The death of Judas. Was fulfilled. Now. The second text. Must be fulfilled.

May another take his place. Of leadership. Here's the biblical justification. That Peter has. For. Taking. Up the matter. The business matter.

Of replacing Judas. He says. First of all. The one chosen. Must meet the necessary qualifications. For an apostle. And what he lays down. Are things that were all true.

Of the other eleven. Whom Jesus had chosen. First of all. He must be a man. It's necessary to choose. One of the men. Not generic. Mankind. Anthropos.

But. Andron. The male. As in contrast. To the female. It must be a man. Even as we. Eleven are men.

And. He must have been with us. During the whole time. Of the Lord's public ministry. From John's baptism. To Jesus ascension. Into heaven. For. For he must.

Become eyewitnesses. Together with us. Of the resurrection. Of Jesus. He must have seen. The resurrection. Of Christ. And so you see. Once again.

That our faith. Brothers and sisters. Rest upon proof. Historical facts. Proven. By eyewitnesses. Who saw. We were with Jesus.

And saw. Him. And his works. And heard. His words. And so. They proposed. Two men. Who met. Those qualifications. Joseph. And Matthias. Then they prayed.

For the Lord's will. To be made known. One. We don't just pray. Before our corporate prayer. Me. Or our corporate business meetings. Because it's just something. To fill space.

Do you see it? They prayed. About this business matter. Why? Because the Lord Jesus. Is still concerned. About what's going on. In his church. On earth.

And he's still. To be appealed to. And that's what they do. If. If Jesus was on the earth. What would have they done? They'd have gone to him. And said. Jesus. Who do you choose. To be the.

The twelfth apostle. But he's not physically present. He's physically. On his throne in heaven. And so this is the privilege. Of prayer. To go to him. And to ask him. Jesus.

Who do you want? What a privilege. Is the open throne of grace. To his church. And what a fitting prayer. It is. It's rooted in scripture. Lord. You know.

Everyone's heart. Why'd they say that? I think it could have something to do. With another critical time. In the kingdom of God. Of replacing the defective leader.

Of Israel. King Saul. And when Samuel was sent. To anoint a new king. From one of the sons of Jesse. Down at Bethlehem. He shows up. The seven.

First sons. Of Jesse. Are brought before him. And. Samuel sees a lie. Of the firstborn. And thinks. Surely this is the Lord's anointed. And the Lord said. Do not consider his appearance.

Or his height. For I have rejected him. The Lord does not look. At the things. Man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. But the Lord looks. At the heart. The Lord looks.

At the heart. And he goes through. All the other seven. Is this all your. Your sons? No. There's one David. Bring him. We'll not start. Till he gets here. He comes. And the Lord says. Rise and anoint him. He's the one.

Because the Lord looks. At the heart. So now here we are. The new Israel of God. Needs to replace. A defective leader. In God's kingdom. And they address their prayer. To the Lord Jesus.

Who is the heart knower. Lord. You show us. You who see. What no man can see. Right into the hearts of a man.

The heart of a man. Show us. Which of these two. You have chosen. They both meet the requirements. Show us. Which one you've chosen. To take over this apostolic ministry. Three. And so look what they did.

They proposed to men. They prayed. And thirdly. They cast lots. And that was a common way. Of determining the Lord's will. In the Old Testament. And before Pentecost.

It was used often. Throughout the Old Testament. It was probably. That they. What the form they used. Was probably to take. Two stones. With each man's name. Written on one of the stones.

Put it into a container. And then start shaking. And until the first one. Flew out of the container. And the lot. Fell. To Matthias. And so he was. Added to the eleven.

Apostles. And the circle of twelve. Is now. Unbroken. The twelve. Are one. Once again. Whole. Here are the twelve.

Apostles. To represent. The new. Covenant. People. Of God. Saved by. Jesus Christ. Who are to have. A foundational. Role. In building. The church.

These twelve. Men. Will sit. On the twelve. Thrones. Ruling over. The twelve. Tribes of Israel. The newly. Constituted. People of God. Two questions.

And we're done. Number one. Are we to use. The casting of lots. Today. To determine. The Lord's will. Say. Wouldn't that. Simplify. Business meetings. At Grace Fellowship Church.

I'm for that. In the 18th century. John Wesley. Picked up this practice. From the German. Moravians. That he met. As he came to. The colony of Georgia. Anabaptists.

Have used it as well. Local Amish. Still used the lot. In determining. Leaders in the church. What is the answer. To this first question. Well though it. Was often used.

In the Old Testament. And is used here. This is the last. Use of it. Found. Anywhere. In the New Testament. Though many. Decisions. Were made. Hereafter.

And many. Office bearers. In the church. Had to be. Chosen. And appointed. After the gift. Of the Holy Spirit. At the. Upon the church.

At Pentecost. Leaders in the church. Are appointed. Not by the casting. Of lots. But chosen. By the congregation. Who recognizes. The Holy Spirit's choice.

By qualifying them. According to the necessary. Qualifications. And that fact. Alerts us. The fact that we never. Find the lot.

Cast again. In the New Testament. I think should alert us. To an important principle. In interpreting. The book of Acts. And it's simply this. Not everything done. In the book of Acts. Is meant to be done.

Today. And that gets. Many. Churches. In trouble. For not seeing that. Acts is a transitional book. And we'll see things done here.

That are not to be done. In the church of Christ. Today. This is one of them. The casting of lots. There are no more. Living apostles. There's no more need. To replace apostles.

The use of the lot. To determine the 12th apostle. Was a unique situation. One in which. The Lord Jesus alone. Is to be involved. He must choose. He had chosen.

The other 11. He must choose. Who this 11th one is. And there is a special place. Given to his choice. Second question. Was Peter wrong. To initiate.

A replacement. For Judas. Some commentaries. And. Otherwise. Good commentaries. Sometimes blame Peter. For running ahead. He was an impetuous fellow.

Wasn't he often. And. They blame him here. For running ahead. Of the Lord. And choosing to fill. The apostolic office. That. That. Was left vacant. They say.

It led to the choice. Of Matthias. And. Matthias. Is never heard of again. In the scriptures. Whereas. We do read much about. The apostle Paul. Who. Who must have been.

The Lord's choice. And if Peter had been patient. Then. The Lord would have. Filled the vacancy. With. His chosen. Apostle Paul. What do we say.

To such a charge. Well. It's true that Peter. Made a lot of blunders. And the Bible. Doesn't hide them. From us. Does it. But. When Peter. Makes a blunder. We know he made a blunder. Don't we.

It's not a question. Was that a good thing. To say Peter. Or not. It's always very obvious. Lord. This will never happen to you. You don't say that.

To the Lord Peter. And he gets rebuked. We. We have no word of rebuke. We. We have no indication. At all. From Dr. Luke. That this is anything.

Other than the Lord's choice. And here we see Peter acting. Not leaning on his own understanding. But according to the scriptures. It is written. Let another take his place of leadership.

And the scriptures must be fulfilled. He's acting according to scriptures. And he does not push forward his own mistaken desires. But he prays for the Lord.

Lord. You show us. Who you want. As the twelfth apostle. Apostle. And besides. Matthias. Is not the only apostle.

That's never heard of again. You don't hear of many of these. Other apostles. Listed in chapter one again. Now it doesn't mean they didn't do anything. It just means that. Luke was not following their labors.

They labored elsewhere. Church history has it that Matthias. Labored as a gospel missionary. In Ethiopia. And died as a martyr there. We don't know. But it's just to say that. Just because we don't hear of him again.

Doesn't mean he was some failure. And didn't do anything. No. The book of Acts. Follows chiefly. The ministry of the apostle Peter. And then the apostle Paul. Doesn't cover all the others.

And Paul himself. Did not regard himself. As one of the twelve. He saw himself. As a rogue apostle. One born out of doom. He does not put himself. In the same category. As the twelve.

Indeed. He didn't fit the qualifications. He hadn't been with Jesus. From the time of. John the Baptist. Baptism. To his ascension. Where was he during that time?

He was as lost as could be. He didn't even know Jesus. During that time. And so. I think it's. There's no reason. To think here.

That we are. We're reading of. Peter running ahead of Christ. And blundering. Rather. The replacement of Judas. Was according to scripture. It was carried out. Under the direction.

Of the Lord Jesus. The reigning Lord Jesus himself. Who chose. By the casting of the lot. Whose every decision. Is from the Lord. The last word of the chapter.

Has Matthias chosen by the Lord. And added to the eleven. And kids. Eleven plus one. Is what? It's twelve.

The twelve. They're whole again. And now. We're ready. For the falling of the spirit. The gift of the spirit. To come. And to take these twelve men. And the few other believers.

Gathered with them. And to fill them with the spirit. And to fill Jerusalem. With their gospel. And right on out. To the ends. Of the earth. So the stage is set. For the biggest event.

In the book. Indeed. The greatest event. Since the ascension. Of Jesus Christ. God. The father. And son. Pouring out. God the spirit.

On his church. To equip us. For gospel witness. I just. With a few questions. What does the heart knower.

When. What does the heart knower. See. When he looks into your heart. Indeed. Does he see real faith. In the Lord Jesus. And real love.

For his commands. Do you truly belong. To Jesus. Or are you like Judas. Who only had an outward show. Of religion. Without the heart. And power.

Of godliness. The greater your privileges. Spiritually. The greater your judgment. Will be. Oh. Come to Jesus. Do you know. If Judas. Would have gone to Jesus. He'd have been forgiven.

Jesus says. I will turn away. None. That come to me. So it doesn't matter. How long. You may have. Been rejecting. Jesus. You come this morning. He'll receive you. That's just how gracious.

He is. How good he is. Come to him. Do you belong. To the church. Of Jesus Christ. By faith in Jesus. Well. Are we as obedient. As the early church.

When he said. Go back to Jerusalem. The place of danger. And wait. And they put aside. Their own. Concerns. And they did what. Their ascended. Lord. From the throne. Command.

Are you devoted. To the court. Prayer meeting. The church. As they were. Are you pleading. The promises. Are you asking. For the Holy Spirit. To be poured out.

Upon you. In fresh power. Well. We do that. In our. Concluding song. Revive. Thy work. Oh Lord. And we pray. For the work. Of the spirit. To come.

And revive us. Make this. Our response. Make it. Your response. Revive. Means. To give. New life. Maybe you need it. For the first time. Number.

Two. Ninety. Seven. Maybe you need it. For the hundredth time. But we all need. The reviving. Of the work. Of the Lord. In our hearts. Let's stand and sing. Two ninety seven.

And we'll sing it. To a more familiar tune. Let's pray. Lord Jesus Christ. It is well for us.

That you are reigning. This morning. You are reigning. As your early church. sought your face. You are reigning today. And you are reigning today.

Having poured out. The gift of the spirit. Upon your church. We still need him. Oh how we need him. We would be like Judas. If it were not for the Holy Spirit.

Taking the things of Christ. And opening our blinded eyes. And turning our self-centered wills. So we give you thanks. For the work of the spirit.

That we have received. And we ask that. You pour him out. In fresh power. And life. In our hearts. Lord we've done the easy thing.

We have heard your word. We now ask for the spirit. To do the harder thing. And to obey. And so in our obedience. And in our trust. And in our repenting.

In our ordering of our lives. According to the scriptures. According to the mind of Christ. The head. We ask that you receive glory. And praise.

As we give it to you. In Jesus name. Amen.