Episode 2

Good morning everyone, I hope you are all having a great morning and I trust this will be the start of an amazing week filled with the Lord’s blessings and grace. I am so happy to be here, and I know that you are probably tired of hearing that, but the reality is that there is just something special about the family right here at LRBC. I truly enjoy being able to come here and see everyone every Sunday and catch up with people as we all seek to grow in our relationship with the Lord together.

To those of you online, I want to thank you for taking the time to join us and I trust the Lord will use this time between you and him in order to deepen your trust and understanding of the grace of the Lord. As always, if you are blessed by this time together then I would love to personally invite you to come on over and join us in person. We are here every single Sunday at 9:30am and I know that our lovely welcome team would love nothing more than to serve you a cup of coffee.

Speaking of serving, I want to thank those of you that serve, the reality is that an organization like LRBC is run almost entirely on volunteers. Nothing we do would be remotely possible without the tireless work of all of our volunteers, and so I want to thank you for your time and commitment to serving the Lord by serving the people of LRBC.

Leaf River Baptist Church is a church with a short, but truly rich history. We have lived a hard life so far as a church having a few pretty rough circumstances, but as a church we have been able to see God’s hand throughout the history of the church. I think that is amazing. Actually, did you know, and you probably did, but did you know that LRBC was started in 1985 and already by 1986 we had already been able to begin purchasing this plot of land and begin building our first building. I mean that is amazing is it not…If you are newer around here you will have to chat up some of the older folks to get a perspective on some of the things that have happened around the history of LRBC.

Knowing the history of things I think can be fascinating. I will be honest, sometimes history is boring, but if Hollywood has taught us anything it is that history and origin stories can be great. That is why we decided that learning a little about the origin story of the church would be kind of a fun thing to do. I think its important to know where we came from so that we can ensure that we are still accomplishing the goals and mission that the church was created to accomplish. So, last week I started a brand new series called, “The book of Acts, an origin story”. Last week in Episode one we saw that Jesus gave a job to the disciples. However, there was more than that…If you remember last week we saw that, Jesus did not only give a job to the disciples, Jesus gave a job to the church. Now, if you are honest that is a heavy realization that we have to be aware of. Then I challanged everyone by asking you,When is the last time that you personally participated in the mission of the church?

And...that was just episode one. Today we continue the story because last week was a little of a cliffhanger with Jesus telling his disciples that they have this job to do. However, he didn’t just give them, and by extension us, a job…he gave the tools to be able to complete the job. He reminded them about a promise that he had made to them and told them to stay together becuase the Holy Spirit is coming. Then something amazing happened…While he is there talking to these men...

Jesus Ascended...

Yeah, like while he is having this conversation and giving them their final instructions Jesus is literally wrapped in clouds and taken up into the heavens. What i really love right now is the clouds taking him in like this reminds us of the presence of God in other places in Scripture. We recall the Israelites in the wilderness following the Lord as a cloud during the daytime so that they would know which way to go. It’s a beautiful experience that the disciples were blessed to experience. Some of them had previously experienced something like this when Jesus revealed himself to them on the mountain with Elijah and Moses. But, this was really special. It’s so special as a matter of fact that these men kept staring into the sky where Jesus was. I mean, I can’t say anything, because Im pretty sure I would have been frozen in time not wanting to miss anything that was happening. Let’s take a look at what happened here, and see if we can image ourselves in this place.

Acts 1:9–11 ESV

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

This is an amazing picture that we see here. Luke did well to write down the importance of what is happening here. However, you will notice that this was not a long drawn out experience. Im sure they were there for a little while talking about what they had just seen, or just being awestruck at what happened and just frozen in silence. I don’t know exactly what that looked like. However, Luke does not dwell on the actual ascension of Jesus. It seems that neither did Jesus want the disciples to dwell on the ascension. That was a gift that these men were able to experience, but this moment was not the end itself. The men quickly had their attention shifted back down to Earth. This is actually an important realization for us today. You see, many times we are blessed with such an incredible experience with the Lord, that we become so focused on that moment and that moment only. We have what is called a “mountaintop moment” This is called a mountain top moment becuase frequently in Scriptures the moments of incredible blessing happened on a mountain top. You can think back to Abraham on the mountain, or Isaac, Moses as well as Joshua. Then when we think about the times that Jesus went up to the mountain to pray and talk to God, we are able to see that there is something special about being with the Lord on a mountain top. That is a place of communion with the Father.

This happens to us all the time. The best place I can think of here is youth camp for teenagers. You see, teens will go to camp and have this amazing time with the Lord and really commune with the Lord and then when they come back they have a little hard time transitioning sometimes because they are still so focused on what happened there. They same thing happens to you when you have a rich moment of blessing with the Lord. Many times we will be so focused on that moment that we will have a hard time seeing anything else going on around us. Well, in this case these men are interrupting this mountain top moment for the disciples so that they can complete what Jesus has just instructed them to do. You see, it is really important to remember that these moments of high spiritual experience are never ends in themselves. There will always come a time to be a witness to what you have seen and experienced. You are called to be a witness of this mountain top moment, not dwell on the mountain top moment.

What I love though is that this interruption by these angelic men was not just an interruption for no reason. This interruption was actually a reminder that Jesus will be coming back…that this is not the end of the story. This is a strong affirmation of Jesus’ return. This isn’t just a promise but a reality concreted and affirmed by the ascension they had just witnessed. This ascension is the guarantee that this is not the end of the story, and now they have a job to go do. OK, so here’s the deal though…The disciples have been instructed to go and wait for the Spirit. They have been instructed to go to Jerusalem, and not to leave there…So now,

The Disciples Waited...

This is likely very hard. If you think about it, they have just witnessed some amazing things. First with Jesus’ entire earthly ministry, then the resurrection and now the ascension of Jesus…This is all really big stuff. Let’s take a look together at what happened next.

Acts 1:12–14 ESV

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.

OK, so we can see that they did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They gathered together and the waited. Now, I do want to just express really quick what the upper room would have looked like. While we can see that they have gone up into the upper room to devote themselves to pray in unity. The upper room is a large room on top of a large house. Typically these large Palestinian houses would be a 3 story house and the upper room would have been accessible with outdoor stairs. These rooms would vary in size and function, many times being used for dining, for studies, or even rented out for those that were poorer. This is not neccisarily the same upper room that they were in when they had the last supper.

We also see that the disciples are there, but there are others there as well. Jesus had 6 brothers, the natural offspring of Mary and Joseph after Jesus was born. This is important becuase they are about to have to make some decisions together. The women that Luke refers to are likely the wives and sisters of the disciples, as well as other who have come to follow Jesus closely. They unity of this group of believers in confirmed here in Acts. We can see that Luke gives us a summary of the Christian community. The primary characteristic that marked their life together in this period was prayer, as they anticipated together the promised gift of the Spirit.

Unity is such a beautiful thing. You know I was talking to a pastor earlier this week and he shared something very sad with me. He told me about a deacon that came to him to let him know that no one liked him. He made comments like “everyone is saying” and then following up with the idea that this mad does not know how to preach and how he needs to maybe look at another job, and just generally being mean. After asking the other deacons about this it was confirmed that this was not a true sentiment in the church. However, this person is threatening and breaking the unity that exist in this particular church. That is kind of a big deal, as that is the opposite of what we see in the very beginnings of the formation of the church. The origin of the church was rooted in prayer and unity. If the origin of the church was rooted in prayer and unity, do you think that the church today should reflect those same characteristics? Yes, of coarse. Prayer was actually a hallmark of the church in its formation, much like prayer was a hallmark of LRBC during her formation. The disciples are still waiting for the Spirit, but they also have to begin preparing for the mission that Jesus has left with them. If you recall the disciples have been charged to be Jesus’ witnesses to the whole earth. That’s kind of a big job and so they are focused on prayer for the Spirit that s coming, becuase as John Pohill says,

There is no effective witness without the Spirit, and the way to spiritual empowerment is to wait in prayer. —John Pohill

So, the disciples waited. But that is not all they did...

The Disciples Prepared...

There is a big whole in the ranks of the disciples. If you recall Jesus originally called for 12 men to follow him closely. 12 men were called his apostles. Well, one of those men is now gone. Peter steps into leadership of the group and tells them why they will need to replace Judas. Look over at

Acts 1:15–20 ESV

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 the reality is that they had 12 apostles and now they have 11. This is problematic as the apostles have a specific mission, but also are seen in illustrative purposes throughout Scriptures. For instance in, we see that the 12 apostles are called to judge the 12 tribes and sitting on 12 thrones.

Matthew 19:28 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Well, if there are only 11 apostles then this will be difficult for them to fill the role that God has set forth for them. Peter looks to David in order to understand that Judas’ home is desolate. It has been called the field of blood…a place where nothing will grow. Luke gives a very vivid picture as to what happened to Judas. Else where in Matthew we read that Judas hanged himself, and here we read that he fell headlong, or basically he fell onto the ground, but then his bowels, or his intestines burst out. That is the type of thing that will happen when your body has swollen due to death and then falling onto the ground. So you see, these passages aren’t contradicting each other…they are both true. Anyway, after this gory picture and explanation about what happened to Judas, Peter points out the obvious that he needs to be replaced.

After Peter brings up the subject we see how the Lord worked in this meeting. Now, remember that this meeting has been bathed in prayer and unity…that is vitally important. But here we kind of see the first church business meeting. Even though they are not officially the church yet, as the church has not been formed, we see a model for how to conduct business. First of all there is a large group of people there that Peter is speaking to. We know that because Peter address all of the “brothers” in the room, and there were around 120 people. We know that these are not just men as Luke has already told us there were women there. However, what Peter says is directed to the men that were apostles of Christ. Peter reminds them of the need to be prepared for what lies ahead. They will need the full twelve men called as apostles to do what Jesus has instructed them to do.

Acts 1:21–26 ESV

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.

Peter sets up the qualifications of Judas’ replacement. This has to be a person who has actually walked with Jesus from the beginning of his personal ministry when he was baptized by John. Someone who has witnessed the entire ministry from baptism to resurrection. You see, the Apostles were primarily Jesus witnesses. Therefore, there is no apostolic succession plan and there are no apostles alive today. Today, we are disciples because we live and follow Jesus, but we are not apostles becuase we did not witness Jesus’ earthly ministry the way Peter has just laid out.

As we read we can see that the group of beleivers put forth two names. We do not know much about these men other than they must have fulfilled the qualifications of having walked with Jesus all of this time in order to be faithful witnesses to Jesus’ teachings and miracles. After these men were put forth, and it was agreed that they fit these qualifications, they prayed…Again, prayer and unity is part of the preparation of the church.

The prayer of the apostles was for God to search the hearts of these men and to choose Judas’ replacement. All of this preparation, all of this prayer shows us that the apostles relied on the Lord, not on man. Now, I do want to acknowledge that this seems a little weird now. Like they pray about who should take over, then they cast lots…I mean, that sounds an awful like dumb luck to me, right? Isn’t casting lots basically just throwing dice? Why didn’t they just take a church vote and decide on who should fill that role in that way?

Well, there is actually two questions here. First, casting lots is not really just dumb luck. You see, this is how those in the Old Testament would use this manner to gain Godly wisdom and it has always been seen as being directed by God. When we recognize God’s sovereignty, then it is not hard to realize that God absolutely controls these lots. I mean, Jesus directed Peter to go get a coin from a fish to pay taxes, Im pretty sure he can manage to organize this event. Secondly, there is something missing very much from this group of people. You see, they do not yet have the Holy Spirit in order to guide them and give wisdom and insight. Polhill says,

Before Pentecost, before the presence of the Spirit to lead it, the church sought the direction of God and used the Old Testament procedure of securing divine decision. After Pentecost the church in Acts made its own decisions under the direction of the Spirit. —John Polhill

So the disciples are preparing for what is about to happen, but to be honest, they have no idea what is about to happen...

To tell you the truth, we are in the same boat, aren’t we? We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, or next week, or even later today. We do not have the benefit of some prophecy to guide every step we take, do we? No, not really…so, what are we doing to prepare? The disciples literally walked with Jesus and they saw an amazing sight in Jesus ascending into the heavens, and they still felt unprepared for what was going to come next. They still saw the need to get together in prayer even though they had walked with Jesus for 3 years. They recognized the importance of unified prayer to the Father in order to prepare them for what lies ahead...

What about you? Have you prepared for what is happening next personally? What about as a church? Are we prepared for what God is going to do next here in Leaf River? Last week we saw that we have a job to do. This week we can see that we need to prepare to do that job just like Peter acknowledged. There was an end goal in sight, and Peter knew that in order to fulfill what has been written then they needed to make an adjustment. Peter reminded the men of a prophecy so that they can prepare…Well, Christian, this morning, let me remind you of a prophecy as well.

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

What are you doing this morning to prepare for this prophecy to be fulfilled? This morning we are going to have a moment of communion soon, and I want to encourage you to look forward to what Christ is bringing. Bringing here in our church, but more importantly bringing to the world. Then I want you to ask yourself, and be honest…How are you preparing for what God is doing next?

Now, specifically I want to ask you all to be praying about some things around here for our church, as well as for our community around us. Im not going to give you any specifics right now, I just want to ask you to be praying that God would impress on your heart what your part is. There are so many things God has been laying on my heart over the last couple of years and I am telling you it is exciting to think about how God is going to explode in this community. However, we will not be a part of that, unless we begin preparing today...

Let’s pray

At this time we are going to do communion a little different. I would like to ask us each to get up and come forward. We read in Luke about the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples prior to his crucifixion.

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Jesus instituted this time for us to bond us together as believers. To bond us with him, and to bond us with each other. I am going to pray for our time of communion and then I am going to ask you to come forward while the song is playing. Take the elements of bread and juice and go back to your chair where you will spend a moment with God preparing for what comes next… Then after a while, I will pray over us again and Nathanael will come up and lead us in a closing song together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7qi2KlUffs

Let’s Pray