Acts 1:15-26: Final Preparations for an Unhindered Kingdom

GREETING

STAND AND READ

Acts 1:15–26 ESV

15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “ ‘Let another take his office.’ 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

PRAY

INTRO

Remember the Titans Illus… Recounts the State Championship title run of T.C. Williams High School in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia. This was during the first year of court-ordered integration.

So racial tensions are running very high. And those tensions are reflected in the football team. The team has incredible individual talent, but they begin journey in complete disunity with a very fractured locker-room. Players sit on the opposite side of the bus. They eat at different tables, and nobody trusts anyone. And then Coach Boone begins their offseason football camp, at which he makes players on “opposing sides” room with one another. Players eat together as a unit, rather than with their “friends.” And as they begin to hear each other’s stories, and as they practice in the trenches together, they begin to build trust and camaraderie between each other, that ultimately leads them to winning the state championship.

But before the team could achieve that victory, preparations had to be made. Unity needed to be achieved. Those who caused problems, needed to be removed from the locker room. Once these happened then the team was ready for victory.

You could say that the faithful believers that we encounter in this text, have been in a similar state… and now they have come to this upper room, where they are unified and in prayer with each other.

Today in our text we look at the final scene of preparation before we see the power and victory of an unhindered kingdom. I’ve entitled the sermon

Final Preparations for an Unhindered Kingdom (Acts 1:15-26)

SERMON

What we see in this text, is that Peter seems to be the primary one who is in charge, he’s standing up and he’s taking control of the situation. But in the background, it is clear who’s pulling the strings. There’s only a couple references to God, and yet his fingerprints are all over this narrative. So we should not see these final preparations as being conducted by men, we should seem them being orchestrated and commanded by God, himself.

So from this text I want us to see three actions of God as these final preparations for an unhindered kingdom are being made.

I. God’s Command for Reconstitution vv. 15-16b, 20

We need to understand that the 12 Apostles symbolically represented the 12 Tribes of Israel.

If we think back to Jesus’ ministry we can see that he is seeking to fulfill who Israel was supposed to be and what Israel was supposed to do…

And in doing that we see in the Gospels that Jesus chooses 12 Apostles. That number was not by accident, there was a reason behind why there were 12 Apostles.

We see this played out in Luke 22:30

Luke 22:30 ESV

30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

So the 12 Apostles, as a picture of restored Israel, is promised to be judges over the 12 Tribes

Think with me here. We can see from this passage that it was very important to Peter, and the others, that they find someone to replace Judas. But the question becomes “why”? Apostles would die later, and they wouldn’t do anything to replace them. So why did they see it as such an important thing to do right here?……….

It’s because the 12 Apostles represented the 12 Tribes, and because of Judas’ actions, the Apostles currently do not reflect the 12 Tribes.

And if we understand this, that both the nation of Israel and the 12 Apostles have undergone a fracturing, then we can see that these moments right here in Acts are a fulfillment of passages that speak about the reconstitution of Israel.

You see in the OT, Israel was divided into two kingdoms… and the LORD promised a day when the kingdoms would be reunited.

Isaiah 11:12–13 ESV

12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

Isaiah 49:6 ESV

6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Regarding these predictions in Isaiah, and how the 12 Apostles have just been promised the coming Holy Spirit, G.K. Beals says this:

“Recalling that this is a promise made to the twelve apostles enhances their role as the nucleus or representative beginning remnant of true Israel, which is commencing the carrying out of the Isaianic predictions” (G.K. Beale).

The problem here in Acts 1 is that one of the Apostles has defected. Meaning, one of the Apostles has been revealed as an apostate. Judas was not actually a genuine follower, he was a fake. He was an enemy of Jesus.

And thus, there is now a person missing. From a symbolic perspective Israel needed to be reunited, or reconstituted.

And Peter’s argument here for why this must take place is based solely from the Scriptures

I love how the text phrases v. 16 (Acts 1:16)

Acts 1:16 ESV

16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

So the Scripture had to be fulfilled…

Because this was spoken by the Holy Spirit…

And how did the Holy Spirit speak? by the mouth of David

This is a great verse that helps us understand why we as conservative Southern Baptists hold to the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Word of God…

We do not believe that Scripture was simply written down by men, or that it was contrived by men. No, it was spoken by the HS, and then those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke it and wrote it down. That’s what we are told here, and Scripture speaks very clearly about this elsewhere:

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 3:7 ESV

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,…” ( Ps 95:7)

And then we’re told something else very interesting here in v. 16; we’re told that the HS spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, and notice, it says, “concerning Judas.”

What is this saying? It’s saying that the Scriptures, spoken by the Holy Spirit, knew beforehand that Judas was going to betray the anointed one! And we know this because the Bible tells us so!

Look at v. 20, “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,”

Let me pause right there for a minute. How many of you have read the Psalms?

Now if you are like me, I used to read the Psalms where I would read them as poetry, and for the most part I would use them to immediately seek to apply it to my current situation.

So if I was rejoicing at something, I could find a Psalm of Thanksgiving. If I was discouraged about something, then I could find a Psalm of lament. And if someone has really made me mad, then I’m search for one of those imprecatory Psalms.

And that’s just kind of our natural way of reading the Bible. We want to read it, and then immediately figure out how it applies to my life…

But it seems that the NT authors had a different way of reading and interpreting the Psalms. Whenever they refer to a Psalm they are understanding the Psalm to be speaking about the Messiah and the life of the Messiah. And so they were reading them in what is called a Christocentric manner!

And when you study the Psalms, you will realize that they are not randomly thrown together. They are actually intentionally organized for a purpose. There is a literary shape to the Psalms. They are intentionally structured.

They are organized into five different books.

There are little clues in the Psalms that help us to understand what historical event is going on during particular Psalms.

Turn to Psalm 3 - The text right above v. 1 is called a superscription

What you realize is that the Psalms are giving poetical reflection to Israel’s history, but they are focused upon the perspective and song of an anointed one. Now, most of the time that is David, but there’s several other authors to the Psalms. So, its giving us the perspective of the anointed one, and what happens to him.

But oftentimes the Psalms employ language that go beyond the actual historical event, using language that is either very much exaggerated, OR it is language that is actually meant to be read and sung with a Messianic and eschatological understanding.

I personally lean towards that latter view that we should read the Psalms as speaking about the Messiah, and I think the NT authors do too. Which is why they have no problem going back and saying, “Hey, you remember that Psalm where it spoke about an anointed figure being betrayed? Yeah, that was about Jesus?

That’s exactly what happens here in Acts 1.

Peter takes two Psalms and he simply understands them to be in reference to the life of the Messiah, and in particular, the Psalms are in reference to the one who would betray the Messiah. So, in light of how Peter is thinking about the Psalms, I want us to now read a few verses from each of these Psalms, and I want us to do so with what I’m going to call a Christological lens…:

Psalm 69 ESV

17 Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! 19 You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. 20 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 21 They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. 22 Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. 23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. 24 Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. 25 May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. 26 For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.

Psalm 109 ESV

1 Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! 8 May his days be few; may another take his office!

So Peter is taking these Scriptures, and he’s observed what has taken place in the life of Jesus, specifically how Judas betrayed Jesus, and now he’s connecting the dots.

So the Scripture, spoken by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of David, has declared these things to be true. What happened to Jesus, even his betrayal, was not a random act that caught God off guard. No, to echo what Joseph says at the end of Genesis: “what man intends for evil, God intends it for good.”

II. God’s Curse on Unfaithful Followers vv. 18-19

We’re given this recap of the person and story of Judas (briefly recap who Judas was)…:

A guide to those who arrested Jesus, and who had him killed

He was one of the 12! He shared in the ministry of the apostles…

And then we’re told about how he purchased a field and experienced a gruesome death. Matthew’s account (Matt 27:3-10) tells us that Judas hung himself. Luke’s emphasis, here, is not so much how he died, but he gives the gruesome details of what occurred at his death.

Both Matthew and Luke have different points of emphasis for a reason:

Matthew, in writing to a Jewish audience, wants to make sure that they see Judas as a cursed individual. Deuteronomy tells us that “cursed is anyone who is hung in a tree.” And I think the major narrative in the OT that has this idea, and that points to this moment, is the narrative of Absalom. He betrays his father, the anointed king (i.e. the Messiah), and the ending of his life came by him being hung in a tree (which signified to the audience and the reader that he was cursed).

Luke has some different OT texts, or narratives in mind, that he is drawing a connection with, and that’s with the narratives of Ahab and Jezebel. They are the king and queen of Israel. They have a man killed so that they can purchase his fruitful vineyard or field. Their reigns are filled with wickedness against YHWH and with evil towards YHWH’s followers. They oppose and want to kill the prophets of YHWH. And do you know how both of them die?

In 1 Kings 22 we’re told of the gruesome death of King Ahab who is struck by a “random” arrow that “accidentally” hits him in the perfect spot, and we’re told that he bleeds out in his chariot and dies.

In 2 Kings 9 we’re told that Jehu, who has been sent on a war-path against Jezebel and the descendants of Ahab, has Queen Jezebel thrown out of a window, after which her blood splatters on the wall and she is trampled under the hooves of horses.

Why does the Bible need to be so graphic?? Why do we need these details?? Luke, can’t you just say, Judas died, and be done with him and move on?

Well, by connecting the deaths of these characters, Matthew with Absalom, and Luke with Ahab and Jezebel, we see a pattern that those who set themselves up in opposition to the LORD, and to the LORD’S anointed, will be cursed of God, and God’s judgment will one day rain down upon them.

Psalm 2:1–4 “1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

Psalm 2:9-12 of the Lord’s anointed it says this, “9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Kiss the Son?? Isn’t that interesting?? Who is the only person in Scripture that is recorded to have kissed the anointed Son??

But he doesn’t do it out of submission to him. He doesn’t do it to seek refuge in him. He does it as mockery. He has taken counsel from the rulers of the world against the Anointed one.

And when we understand the mega-narrative of the Biblical storyline, that there is going to conflict between the offspring of the Serpent, the evil one, and the offspring of the woman, the anointed one, then we realize that anyone who is against the anointed one should be understood as an offspring of the serpent, and as such, just as the serpent was cursed, those who follow in the footsteps of the serpent are also cursed.

So Pharoah…Goliath…Ahab…Jezebel…Judas… and listen, Acts is not done with highlighting God’s judgment on the wicked, and with being very clear about what God will do to those who are seeking to live their lives in opposition to him, his followers, and his mission. Ananias and Sapphira are going to be slayed by the Spirit… Simon the sorcerer is going to be cursed by Peter. An Angel is going to strike King Herod down, and he will die a gruesome death. And Paul is going to blind Elyma the sorcerer.

This is good news for most of us…. but it’s also bad news for some…

All of these narratives testify to the fact that those who seek to set themselves up in opposition to God, and to God’s anointed, are considered cursed, and God’s judgment will one day be executed upon them.

And so,

III. God’s Choice of a Faithful Witness vv. 21-26

So in seeking to symbolically restore Israel, through the reconstituting of the 12 Apostles, they have established some criteria of who can qualify.

And here’s basically what the qualifications come down to:

They must have been with Jesus from when he was baptized,

And they must have remained his follower through his ascension to heaven.

They needed to know who Jesus was, they needed to have heard his teaching, they needed to have seen Jesus perform his miracles, and they needed to have seen Jesus, die, resurrect, and ascend.

Put another way, they chose these men based upon their proximity to Jesus!

And the way they chose between the two of these men is by casting lots… (explain what that is)

Some scholars take a negative view…

But this is actually a regular practice in the Bible:

Leviticus 16:8 ESV

8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.

Numbers 26:55 ESV

55 But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

Jonah 1:7 ESV

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

If you know the story of Jonah then you know those sailors could have cast lots 1,000 times, and it would have landed on Jonah every single time.

So let me be clear about something real quick. This is not gambling. The disciples are not playing Russian roulette. In fact, you could say this is the exact opposite of gambling.

Because with gambling, there is a risk associated with what you do. You place a bet, or you put coins in a slot, or you scoot your chips across a table, you are risking losing your money.

That’s not what casting lots means.

From a biblical and theological perspective, this was not a risk. This was there way of seeking to align their will with the will of God.

From their perspective they had done everything they could do within their own power to make a good and godly decision. And they had narrowed it down to two qualified candidates. For them, there was no risk with either one. So this act of casting lots is saying, God, we are trusting that you are sovereign, and that you have appointed one of these men to be the next Apostle. So, we’re going to cast this lot and let you choose who you want.

This is God’s choice

That’s what we’re told there in v. 24…

Now if I’m just being honest, I think God’s choice came down to the guy who didn’t have 3 names…

But this was their way of submitting to God’s decision

And by the way, this is what the Bible itself has to say about casting lots…

Proverbs 16:33 ESV

33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

They understood that even the specific rock that would be thrown out of a bowl or jar was in the sovereign control of God, and so they fully trust that He is going to appoint the man that he wants.

And so the lot falls on Matthias (the man with one name and not three), and he is numbered with the 11. Israel, as symbolically represented by the apostles has been reconstituted. True Israel is now spiritually represented through these 12 men. And if you know you’re Bible, then you know that one of the accompanying signs that comes with a reconstituted Israel, is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 39:28–29 ESV

28 Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

And that’s what we will see next week.

Application

Heed the warning of Judas

Easy for us to disregard Judas…

But listen, there was a time when Judas made a profession of faith in Jesus, and when he was “doing things” for the kingdom. Judas is labeled as one of Jesus’ first disciples, who, for a time period, looked the part. He was hanging out with Jesus; he was seeing Jesus do incredible things; I have no doubt that Judas did some good things. But doing good things. is not what will get you into the kingdom of God. Judas never truly surrendered his life to Jesus, and there came a day where his true colors came out.

So let me say this, it is possible for someone to go through the motions of professing faith in Jesus, and for their life, at least for a season, to look like they are doing a lot of “Christian” type things things for the kingdom, and yet not be in the kingdom!

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Live your life in proximity to Jesus

How do we live a life in proximity to Jesus?

Read your Bible…

Talk to Jesus…prayer

Go to church…

Later on in Acts, when Paul (Saul) is on the road to damascus, Jesus is going to appear to him and he’s going to ask him a question, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

The NT understanding of the church is that it is the body of Christ!