Waiting and Replacing

The Church is obediently waiting.

v. 12 - “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,” does not mean that the ascension (Acts 1:6-11) happened at the mount of Olives.

v. 12 - Sabbath’s day journey is a form of measurement. It doesn’t mean it was the Sabbath.

v. 13 - “Upper room” - was on the second floor. It is where people lived, while the animals, storage, and kitchen were on the bottom level.

v. 13 - “…where they were staying.” We find out in v. 15 that there are about 120 people in all. That included the 11 disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers (James).

v. 13 - The 11 disciples are listed separate from the larger group to show their importance.

They obeyed what Jesus told them to do (Acts 1:4). Jesus gave a clear command, but he was gone now. This obedience took a new step of faith.

Obeying often means waiting, and sometimes waiting is the hardest thing to do.

All throughout the Bible, God calls people to obey him by waiting. Waiting on the Lord is major sign of trust. To wait patiently on the Lord one must believe that the Lord loves him, is good, and sovereign.

List some people in the Bible that God called to wait. (Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Adam & Eve, Israel in exile)

There was nothing the disciples could do to speed up the process. Jesus would send the Holy Spirit in his own time.

There are many things in life that we can’t speed up.

There are many ways in which God calls us to wait. Sex is one of those areas were God calls us to wait on a good thing until the right time.

The Church is praying in unity.

v. 14 - “All these” - the disciples, Jesus’s family, and the rest were together. The picture is of a united group of people.

v. 14 - “devoting themselves to prayer” - They did not just pray once or twice together. They prayed consistently.

We are not told what they were praying for.

The fact that they were praying shows their dependance on God.

Prayer is a means of preparing oneself of what God is going to do.

The prayer time was not segregated in any way. The women and men were together in prayer. It does not give any indication that the disciples lead the praying or were the only ones to pray.

The church is often found praying in the book of Acts.

Prayer is mentioned 31 times in Acts.

Of the 28 chapters in Acts, 20 of them mention prayer.

It is noteworthy that at the birth of the Church it is found praying.

The unity of the early church and the prayerfulness of the early church are connected. Prayer is a powerful unifier.

Prayer is important in the life of the Church

We come together to pray.

We pray for one another.

How do you respond when we pray together? (attitude, attention)

How often do you pray for the church?

The Church is founded on grace-chosen and witness-bearing Apostles.

v. 15 - Peter stands up and addresses the group. Peter seems to have been the leader of the disciples before Jesus ascended. He shows his leadership here.

v. 16 - Peter does not seem to be saying these passages from David are prophetic passages speaking about Judas. He is applying the passages to the situation with Judas.

v. 17 - Judas had to be replaced because he had been numbered among the 12. The replacement was part of God’s judgement of Judas’ sin. He would not be numbered among the 12. Judas’ wickedness, and not his death, required that he be replaced.

v. 18-19 - Peter quickly retells the story of what happened to Judas focusing on God’s judgement on Judas in his horrific death.

v. 20 - Peter quotes Ps. 69:25. “The psalm discusses the enemies of God. The psalmist cries to God to be delivered from them and calls for God’s judgment so that their camp is left desolate and no one is able to live in their tents.”

v. 20 - Peter quotes Ps. 109:8. “Once again the psalm is a lament of the psalmist asking for God’s judgment. The request is that the enemy’s days may be few and another may seize his position for good.”

v. 21-22 - Judas’ replacement must be someone who has been with them from the beginning to the end. Seeing everything from John’s baptism to Christ’s resurrection.

v. 23-26 - Two men are put forward and lots are cast to submit to God’s sovereign will in the choosing of Judas’ replacement. Casting lots to determine God’s will seems to stop with the coming of the Holy Spirit. At this point, the Spirit had not yet come.

The qualification for replacing Judas were not great spiritual acts. The men who qualified did so by witnessing what Jesus had done, not because they had done something great for Jesus.

The 12 Apostles

Chosen by grace - John 6:70, 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide”

Called to bear witness to what Christ accomplished, not to accomplish great things themselves.

All through the Bible, God choses people by grace and calls them to bear witness of him.

Why was this group together obediently waiting? Because they had been chosen by God’s grace.

Why were they united in prayer? Because they had witnessed what Christ had accomplished.

This group was not together thinking; “Christ did his part. Now, we have to do our part.”

We too are grace-chosen witness bearers.