Acts 1:12-26

Recap:

Why did Jesus have to ascend to the Father?

1. He needed to take His place at the right hand of God and interceed for us.

2. To give us a helper more suitable to our church-age needs.

3. To prepare a place for us.

V.12-14

Illustration:

When Hutson Taylor was sailing to China to begin his missionary work, his ship was in great danger. The wind had died, and the current was carrying them toward sunken reefs which were close to islands inhabited by cannibals—so close they could see them building fires on the shore. Everything they tried was to no avail. In his journal Taylor recorded what happened next: The Captain said to me, “Well, we have done everything that can be done.” A thought occurred to me, and I replied, “No, there is one thing we have not done yet.” “What is that?” he queried. “Four of us on board are Christians. Let us each retire to his own cabin, and in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us immediately a breeze.”

Taylor prayed briefly and then, certain that the answer was coming, went up on the deck and asked the first officer to let down the sails. “What would be the good of that?” he answered roughly. I told him we had been asking a wind from God; that it was coming immediately. Within minutes the wind did began to blow, and it carried them safely past the reefs. Taylor wrote: Thus God encouraged me ere landing on China’s shores to bring every variety of need to Him in prayer, and to expect that He would honour the name of the Lord Jesus and give the help each emergency required.

Knowing that our prayers touch the heart of our loving Father in Heaven and that He can meet any need, we should be confident that He will hear and answer when we cry out to Him.

Source: The Works of J. Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor

Today we see the waiting of the apostles…

3 Aspects to their waiting that we need to pay attention too in this text:

Obedience

Prayer

Equipping

Obedience

Notice…

Acts 1:12 “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.”

Jesus if you remember gave them an exhortation right before he left saying…

Acts 1:4 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;”

So the apostles are on a good tract as they start off on the ministry…

they are walking in obedience…

and let me tell you something…

obedience is absolutely necessary in the life of the believer if God is going to use your life…

without us listening and obeying God…

its going to be like trying to push a ox its not going to work…

But if you have a soft heart and ears to hear and you listen to what God is telling you then you going to see a beautiful abundant and empowered life in Jesus…

it wont always be easy, but you will always be in the will of God.

It reminds me of Noah in Gen 6-8

He was obedient to God in every step of the way

and as a result he was able to see God work in an amazing way…

It reminds me of David

A man after God’s own heart

each step along the way He feared God more than he feared man and as a result became

the root of the Messiah

the king of Israel

an amazing musician

and a powerful tool in the Hand of God.

God can use an obedient man or woman but disobedience is a waste of your life…

Prayer

Proseuchomai:

It holds the Idea of prayer and supplication…

being transported immediately right into the presence of God to lay your heart before Him.

this Greek word also holds 7 other parts of prayer within it

like a beautiful little taco with 7 little layers…

1. Supplication- a pettitionary prayer (begging)

2. Intercession- “prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another”

3. Submission- Laying down your will for God’s

4. Confession- Exposing your sins before God

5. Petition- A formal request

6. Praise- Worshipping God as He is revealed to You.

7. Thanksgiving- Thankfulness as you survey you life.

These 7 points can be boiled down into one word:

ACTS

A-Adoration

C-Confession

T-Thanksgiving

S-Supplication

God want’s to hear our voice…

The Word Prosechomai holds all of that but also with an undertone of worship to God…

You can worship Him in your supplication, in your intercession, in your submission…

in each and every way you can come to him and worship him as you realized that He is good and He has good plans…

Three things that prayer produces here in the believers:

1. Prayer produces unity

“Upper Room” “one accord in prayer”

This scene is reminiscent of Daniel in Daniel 6:10

After King Darius signs a permanent decree to throw into the lion’s den anyone who does not worship…

Daniel goes into his room to pray

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

One mind (3661)(homothumadon/homothymadon from homos = same + thumos/thymos = temperament) means with one mind, unity of mind, with one purpose, with unanimous consent, of one accord. 

homothumadon "is first found in the 5th and 4th cent. B.C. and in the political sphere is used especially for the visible, inner unity of a group faced by a common duty or danger. Their unanimity is not based on common personal feelings but on a cause greater than the individual."

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.

2. Prayer produces direction

“Peter stood up”

3. Prayer prepares hearts

The coming H.S.

Did not bring Him (already promised)

but theur hearts were ready for Him.

3. Equipping

No matter how long the disciples wait it will always result in God keeping His word.

and eventually as they waiting obediently and patiently for the Lord he provided for them!

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Do not give up dear Christian!

Did God ever fail to Abraham?

to moses?

to David?

to Israel?

Did he ever fail no matter how many mistakes they made?

no matter how many times they fumbled the bag?

No matter how many times they failed to trust Him?

And He will not fail you now!

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So we see here the disciples waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit:

This passage describes a normal gathering of believers but this church could be called the “church of the closed doors” as warren weirsbe puts it

“The description is that of the average church today: enjoying fellowship, praying, searching the scriptures, and electing officers. But when the Holy Spirit filled the believers on the Day of Pentecost, the doors were opened and God’s church began to impact the city and the world.”

If you are in a season of waiting right now and you don’t know whats ahead…

you need a baptism of the Holy Spirit

If you are on the edge of a new horizon

you need a baptism of the Holy Spirit

Because it is you helper the Holy Spirit who is going to come along side you and take this next journey and make it filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

And he will equip you…

Man you need to be hopped up on Jesus and so pray that the Spirit makes you Banana’s for Jesus!

So how do I pray?

Pray with faith

pray with understanding

pray with the Holy spirit.

V. 15-26

Mattias chosen could have been right could have been wrong…

either way…

God moves them forward in His will and they receive the gift together

and go out in the power and demonstraition of the spirit.

Pray.