Discerning God's Willl
Notes
Transcript
Acts 1:12-26
Acts 1:12-26
When I was younger and people would ask me what I was going to do with my life one of my chief responses was that I wanted to “find God’s will for my life.”
I am sure that many of you can relate to this desire to discover what God’s Will for your life is.
What does God have in store for me? How can I live the life God wants me too?
For the young, the questions tend to be “Where does God want me to go to school?” “What kind of career does God want me to have?” “Should I date him/her?” “Who will I marry?”
For those who are a little more “seasoned” the questions become “Should I stay at my current job?” Is it wise for me to get that new car?” Where do I want to live? Is God challenging me to step out of my comfort zone?
These are all good questions, but the underlying question for the Christian in each of these is “What is the will of God?”
The disciples faced a decision about the will of God in replacing Judas Iscariot.
We will see in the study of this passage that they were committed to the Word of God, Prayer, Work, and the Sovereignty of God in making this decision.
We will study this text together and see what principles we can import into our daily lives.
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
“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.
For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
(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.
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.)
“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.’
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
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.”
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
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v.12-14
In these verses we can see that the apostles were obedient to what Jesus had commanded them to do.
They returned to Jerusalem. Which Jesus commanded them to do in v.4.
So they were on the right track…Obedience.
Does any one know a child or even an adult that wants to question every command or instruction from a parent or a boss?
Sometimes it may be appropriate, but often we should
“Obey first, ask questions later”
This was the proper response for the disciples after witnessing Jesus’ ascension they went back to “hurry up and wait” on the H.S
Luke gives us the list of Apostles that were present at the time of this gathering in the upper room.
It is tempting to imagine or argue that this is the same upper room where the disciples and Jesus had the Lord’s Supper, but that would be complete conjecture.
Upper rooms were a common feature in homes during this time, commonly rented out to people, kinda like conference rooms today.
But there is little evidence, other than the fact that it would be cool that suggests that this is “The UPPER ROOM”
The list of apostles is similar to the list given in Luke 6:13-17 with the glaring exemption of Judas Iscariot and the order of the ones listed.
Here Peter, John, and James are the first three mentioned.
Note that this is the last time all the apostles are mentioned in the book of Acts with the exception of Peter, John, and James.
As they gathered, what were they doing?
They were devoted to prayer. They were devoted to deep relationship with God.
Prayer is no inconsequential thing. Prayer is an important part of having a thriving relationship with God.
We pray to communicate with God, but also so that he can communicate with us.
They weren’t just praying…they were devoted to prayer.
This word devoting means “to persevere devotedly”
This wasn’t just a one off prayer. This wasn’t just a quick “shotgun” prayer. They were devoted to seeking God’s face.
They were devoted to communion with God.
They were devoted to communication with God.
They were devoted to God over their circumstance.
After they had prayed, Peter (being Peter) had something to say.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,
“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.
For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
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Side Note- 120 was the minimum number needed to constitute a new Jewish Community.
There where enough disciples to be separate from the community at large.
We know that the Apostles and Disciples had spent the last 40 days learning from Jesus. He had revealed the Scriptures to them and their eyes had been opened to what God was doing and had been doing since creation.
We know that they had a very high view of Scripture. Meaning that if it was written in their Bible (Hebrew Bible), then it had to be from God. That meant it had to be intentional, authoritative, and truthful. Much like how we believe the Bible to be today.
“Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke”
If God said it then it has to be done. God is the God of Truth and he has never and will never speak a lie.
The Holy Spirit was guiding the authors of scripture.
In this instance the fulfilment of Scripture was painful. Jesus’ death was painful for his disciples. It was painful for him.
Likewise, Judas’ betrayal was painful for all those involved.
Imagine spending every day for three years with a man. You laughed with him, cried with him, rejoiced with him. He saw your weaknesses. You saw his. He saw your strengths. You saw his.
Then he sells you and your friends out for his own gain. Selfishness. Betrayal. Wickedness.
“There was an imposter among us.”
He led those who opposed Jesus to him, but it must happen in order that God’s will be accomplished.
We can’t stop at the pain. We need to move on. We need to find a replacement for Judas.
“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.’
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The Scriptures Declared that it needed to be done, so it needs to be done.
These quotes are found in Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8.
Judas was the only Apostle that was ever replaced.
This shows us that his replacement had to do with his betrayal of Jesus and not due to his death.
The other apostles died, but they were never replaced.
The replacement of this specific apostle is descriptive not prescriptive.
There are certain requirements needed to be an apostle.
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
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.”
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They had to be with the group during the life of Jesus. From his baptism to his ascension.
They had to be a witness to the resurrection. Being one of those that heard, saw, and learned from Jesus after the resurrection. So that they could be a witness to the end of the earth.
Two men are brought their attention that meet all the criteria.
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
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Joseph and Matthias
Both men of equal character and criteria
They leave the decision up to the sovereignty of the Lord through the casting of lots.
This the process of putting 2 stones in a jar. Each stone is marked to represent each candidate. They would them up and “Yahtzee” one would get chosen.
This process of choosing an Apostle can sound a little haphazard to us, but we must remember that these men were Jewish. They had a long history of casting lots for decisions to be made.
In fact,
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
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It is also interesting to note that this is the last time casting lots is mentioned in the Bible.
Because after this point, the Holy Spirit comes to live and guide the hearts and minds of believers. We no longer need to cast lots to discern God’s will.
We have access to the Father and we ask for wisdom and knowledge on how to move forward.
So I guess the question of the hour is how do we take what is here and apply it to our discerning of God’s Will?
We first need to understand that God has 2 wills
He has his revealed will and his concealed will.
His revealed will is the history of redemption.
He wants to make his name great and have people come and worship him.
He wants people in a relationship with him.
He wants people to know and enjoy him.
God’s revealed will is written in the pages of Scripture.
We have to recognize like the Apostles that God’s word is truthful. God’s Word is authoritative. And God’s Word is intentional.
The Bible is given to us so that we will know, love, and worship the creator of the universe.
We need to take God’s Word seriously. Even when its painful.
We need to call sin sin when it is sin.
We need to recognize that God is the standard by which everyone, including myself is judged.
We need to recognize that these 66 books are not going to read, study, and enlighten themselves.
We need to know that if I disagree with something in the Bible, I’m the one that is wrong.
We need to know that the richness, depth, and goodness of God is inexhaustible.
We need to recognize that we don’t take God’s Word as seriously as we should.
We need to recognize that God has given us His word so that we can know him.
We need to know that if we want to know God’s Will we need to know God’s Word.
If what you want goes against God’s Word then it isn’t God’s Will.
We find God’s Revealed Will Through interaction with his Revealed Word. But how do we find God’s Concealed will.
Most of us won’t wake up one morning after an intense night of dreaming and realize what God’s Will is for our life.
Much like the apostles we have to discover what God’s concealed will is for us through prayer, trust, and discernment.
Prayer. The Apostles devoted themselves to prayer. Notice that they were praying before the need was presented (v.14) and after they decided what needed to be done (v.24).
Our lives as followers of JC need to be clothed in prayer.
We need to pray in thanks. We need to pray in praise. We need to pray to commune with God.
We need to pray without ceasing. Even before a need arises we need to pray. Even before a decision needs to be made we need to pray.
Too often prayer is secondary or even tertiary.
We don’t come to God in prayer until we are on our last leg. At our wits end, ready to have a mental breakdown from the stress.
Pray, Pray, Pray. And when you think your done Pray some more.
God never gets tired of hearing our voice. But when you pray don’t just talk. Listen.
Sit in silence. Sit in the quiet. Open your Bible and listen for God to speak through his Word.
We need to also trust God.
I know that this sounds simple, but it isn’t easy.
We need to trust that God is working everything out that He may be seen a great, wonderful, and majestic. That he is glorified.
Remember our life isn’t for us. It’s For Him.
Nothing is better than God. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing him.
He is more trustworthy, more gracious, and more loving than anyone else.
Even in the pain, we need to recognize that He is there.
Even in the pain, we need to recognize that He is working on us.
We need to know that not one ounce of our suffering is wasted if we are truly pursuing him.
Trust that he knows what he is doing. Trust that he is working it out. Trust that even when we don’t see it He is accomplishing his will.
We need to participate and seek Discernment.
Our participation in decision making is not passive.
God has called us to take part in this method.
If we are committed to knowing his word, we are prayerfully seeking him, and we trust him we can take steps to discover his concealed will.
Look at what the apostles did.
They set the standards for the new apostle and they discovered the ones that fit those standards.
They didn’t stand by idly and wait for a sign from God. They went out among the 120 that were there and found two men that fit the criteria perfectly.
When trying to understand God’s concealed will we always have to view it in light of his revealed will.
Whatever decision that we are trying to make we need to ask these questions.
WILL IT BRING GOD GLORY?
WILL IT DRAW ME NEARER TO HIM?
DOES IT VIOLATE WHAT HE HAS REVEALED TO US THROUGH HIS WORD?
So let’s say you want to buy something (TV, New Car, Dune Buggy, Whatever) run it through this criteria:
(Revealed Will) What does God say about money?
It’s all his. We are simply Stewards of it. Everything that we have is a gift.
God wants us to be generous with the gifts he has given to us?
Do we give regularly to the mission of the church or do we hold onto our money b/c we aren’t stewarding it well?
If you are a good steward and are generous with your money toward the church ask if this new purchase will hinder that generosity in any way.
If these questions can all be answered honestly with all glory going to God then let’s examine his concealed will.
Concealed Will
Will this purchase prohibit me from growing in my faith?
Does this purchase draw me nearer to God?
Will it cause me to sin or neglect my walk with God?
These are the simple principles and questions that you must ask if you wish to discern the will of God.
God’s primary will is that people will know and love him. That he receives all glory, honor, and praise from all creatures great and small.
Trust, Pray, and Love God.
Pray.