Blame it on the rain
Notes
Transcript
The upper room
The upper room
One mind continually devoting themselves to prayer.
Waiting on the Holy Spirit.
15 At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,
16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
17 “For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.
19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his homestead be made desolate,
And let no one dwell in it’;
and,
‘Let another man take his office.’
21 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—
22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”
26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Judas: “Acquired a field. Matthew said that he gave back the money and the priest bought the field.
Matthew account Juda Hung himself.
falling headlong, he burst open in the Middle and all his intestines gushed out.
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”
5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.”
7 And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.
8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel;
10 and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”
Peter set the standards for Apostleship.
With the 12 since the baptism of John until Jesus was taken up.
Witness of HIs resurrection.
Joseph or Matthias.
Cast lots....Drawing straws, flipping coins, or rolling dice.
The lot fell to Matthias- he became on of the apostles.
Why did Paul go into such great effort to tell the story of Judas.
It had to happen to fulfil scripture.
He suffered greatly for his choice.
We love to place blame.
We love to place blame.
We love to blame others for our problems. (victim)
Some people love to blame themselves. (martyr )
Look at poor Judas:
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Remorse = metameloma feel bad about something
10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Repent = metanoeō To change ones life based on a complete change of attitude toward sin and righteousness.
What might the disciples have done?
They would have been focused on blaming Judas rather then praising Christ.
They would have turned their blame on the Romans or the Pharisees.
They would begin to lose faith in each other. (if Judas can go that far astray, anyone of them could have.
Blame is fascinating - it shape our lives. It can be a benign way of positioning ourselves, a gentle joust or banter, or it can poisonous, hurtful, or devastating for its victims. It can tear apart marriages and frature work relationships; It can disable major social programs; it can inflict damage on powerful corporations; it can bring down governments; it can start wars and justify genocides.
Steven Covey “wherever you find a problem, you will usually find the finger-pointing of blame. Society is addicted to playing the victim.
Why do we blame?
It’s easy
It is a self-defence mechanism
Paul could blame Judas and forget about his own betrayal.
it is a way to maintain control.
Protects your ego.
Help explain a situation.
To excuse their own action.
Blaming yourself vs taking responsibility
Regret vs. repentance.
How do we stop the blame game?
Trust in the Lord:
They cast lots and prayed. They believed that God caused the lot to fall on Matthias.
God is powerful.
Batman vs. Superman
Lex Luther - Because God didn’t stop bad things from happening to him, said: If God is all powerful than he can’t be all good, and if God is all good, he cannot be all powerful.
Ancient Greek philosophy.
Like Judas and the lots, God either causes everything to happen or allows it to happen.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?