Untitled Sermon

Do you have any important decisions to make?

If so, do you want to know what God’s will is regarding those decisions? Chances are you will answer both questions with an emphatic yes!

You probably know other people who are faced with decisions as well. Some will consider adopting children. Some will consider changing jobs this year or relocating to another city, state, or country. Some will decide where to go to college or graduate school. Some will consider making major purchases like a home or a car or a business. Some face the prospect of getting married. Others will need to determine whether God wants them to pull up roots and go to a mission field overseas. And the list of possible decisions people face continues.

Most of us make discovering God’s will more complicated than it really is! The Father wants you to know his will about important decisions in your life, so he provides guidance in his Word.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, his followers needed to know who was supposed to fill the apostolic office vacated by Judas, who committed suicide after he betrayed Jesus.

The way they approached that decision is significant for two reasons: it had huge ramifications for the future of Christ’s kingdom, and it provided a helpful model for the way his followers approach weighty decisions.

Those two things must go together—finding God’s will in decision making and doing so in view of advancing Christ’s kingdom.

Choosing Judas’s Replacement

Luke has purposed in Luke and Acts to record details about the real life and ministry of Jesus as well as the beginnings of the early church.

While Luke shows that Christianity is founded on the historical resurrection, he also demonstrates that those who proclaimed the resurrection were trustworthy.

After his crucifixion and death, the Lord Jesus “presented himself alive to [his disciples] by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (v. 3).

Jesus commanded them “not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise” (v. 4).

The disciples and apostles, along with Jesus’s mother and half brothers, obediently returned to Jerusalem to wait and pray (vv. 12-14).

The lives of these individuals had been changed by an encounter with Jesus, and they were committed to him and his mission.

Luke lists the eleven apostles by name (v. 13), helping readers understand Peter’s imminent speech (vv. 16-22).

Jesus previously appointed twelve apostles, corresponding to the twelve sons of Jacob, the tribal leaders of Israel. For Peter, the apostolic number of twelve had to be restored, as the true Israel needed to be complete.

Israel was suddenly entering a new era in redemptive history. The eleven apostles thus went into the upper room and were in consensus with Mary and the brothers of Jesus as they “united in prayer” (v. 14).

Luke will develop the importance of prayer throughout Acts.

After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter realized that all of the Scriptures testify about Jesus.

Peter defines qualifications for the replacement apostle. The individual who would take Judas’s place as the twelfth must be an eyewitness of Jesus’s life and resurrection (vv. 21-22).

Christianity is founded on the historical resurrection, and those who first proclaimed the resurrection had to be trustworthy and informed. Two men, Joseph and Matthias, were put forward as meeting the criteria set forth by Peter.

Here is another example of how the apostles were clearly Christ centered in their interpretation of the Scriptures.

The apostles and disciples turned to the Lord in prayer to seek his will on the decision (vv. 24-25).

Citing and 109: 8, Peter applied the psalmist’s judgment on a wicked man as being repeated in his own day—having happened even more literally regarding the fate of Judas than in the case of David’s adversaries. As the treasonous men in and 109 rejected the friendship and blessing of King David, even more so had Judas rejected the friendship and blessing of King Jesus. Peter defines qualifications for the replacement apostle. The individual who would take Judas’s place as the twelfth must be an eyewitness of Jesus’s life and resurrection (vv. 21-22). Christianity is founded on the historical resurrection, and those who first proclaimed the resurrection had to be trustworthy and informed. Two men, Joseph and Matthias, were put forward as meeting the criteria set forth by Peter. The apostles and disciples turned to the Lord in prayer to seek his will on the decision (vv. 24-25). Lots were cast and “the lot fell to Matthias,” so he was numbered with the eleven apostles (v. 26). Make Decisions in View of God’s Plan of Redemption The primary reason this story is in the Bible is not to help us learn how to find God’s will. It informs us about how God sovereignly worked to advance his mission. However, that must reveal to us something about finding his will. And I think the obvious lesson is that we must make our decisions in view of God’s unfolding plan of redemption.

Lots were cast and “the lot fell to Matthias,” so he was numbered with the eleven apostles (v. 26).

Make Decisions in View of God’s Plan of Redemption

The primary reason this story is in the Bible is not to help us learn how to find God’s will. It informs us about how God sovereignly worked to advance his mission.

However, that must reveal to us something about finding his will. And I think the obvious lesson is that we must make our decisions in view of God’s unfolding plan of redemption.

If the reason we’re still on the planet is to advance his mission of redeeming people, then it just makes sense that every decision we face must be approached in view of that purpose.

In filling Judas’s spot, these early Christians were answering some questions that are important for us to ask any time we’re trying to discern God’s will.

What Are the Immediate Ramifications for the Gospel?

The word apostle means “one who is sent.” Jesus had instituted the formal office in order to appoint some men who could be sent out to proclaim his gospel with supernatural power. Their role was crucial for the immediate advancement of the gospel after the Lord left the earth.

The apostles were eyewitnesses who had observed Jesus’s life and could confirm his resurrection (cf. 1: 21-22). And they were firsthand learners—or disciples—who could accurately pass on his teaching. His words would thus become the solid foundation on which his church would be built (cf. ).

By filling Judas’s office, the church was acknowledging and valuing the need for such eyewitness testimony to the gospel in the days following Jesus’s departure. The formal apostolic office in view here obviously was a unique, irreplaceable role limited to these twelve men. They would have no formal successors since no further eyewitnesses could arise after they died. But these early Christians were rightly concerned about the immediate advancement of the gospel, and a similar concern should underlie every decision we make.

We should approach every decision by weighing how each choice will either enhance or hinder gospel advancement.

What Are the Eternal Ramifications for the Gospel?

It was imperative to fill Judas’s office also for a broader kingdom purpose. Jesus had told the twelve apostles they would have a unique role in the coming kingdom of God. They would judge the twelve tribes of Israel (; ). By filling Judas’s office, the church was acknowledging and valuing the special role of the apostles. These men had important work to do. Every decision we make matters. Our choices can have eternal impact.