Discerning God's Leadership

ME: Intro - Making a Big Decision

Have you ever had to make a big decision?

Perhaps, you have a big decision looming over you during this season of life.

Or maybe you know others who are faced with big decisions as well.

Don’t you wish you knew exactly what God’s will was regarding these decisions?

Perhaps it is a decision related to a job,

Or maybe you are considering moving to a new house,

Or maybe even a new state or country?

Perhaps you have a decision related to college.

Maybe you are considering a big purchase:

A car, a home, a business investment.

And then of course,

Decisions revolving around relationships can often be some of the most difficult.

The list of possible decisions we may face could go on and on.

Sadly, I believe most of us make discerning God’s will more complicated than it really is.

God wants us to know His will for important decisions in life,

That is why He provides guidance in His Word.

Last week, we looked at the first 11 verses of Acts,

Where we saw Jesus return to heaven.

This morning, we are in Acts 1:12-26,

Which is about Discerning God’s Leadership.

In our passage Jesus’s followers are without Jesus,

But they set out to discern who God’s leader is that will replace Judas,

Their approach to making this decision is significant,

One, because of the ramifications of their decision,

But also because of the model it sets for us when it comes to discerning God’s leaders.

Slide

Their discernment process begins with...

Connecting Through Prayer (vs. 12-14)

Interpreting Life Through the Bible (vs. 15-20)

Discerning God’s Will Together (vs. 21-26)

The early church sets a four-step model for discerning God’s leaders together.

This morning we have a glimpse of life in the brief window after Christ left earth,

But before the Holy Spirit came.

So, we see the early church devote themselves to the unifying act of prayer.

It connected them.

It made them of one heart and one mind.

After they pray, Peter emerges as a leader despite his recent past,

Where he denied Christ the night of His death.

It is an incredible testimony of the overwhelming grace and forgiveness that flows from Christ.

Peter leads by allowing the Bible to interpret life.

After laying out the requirements for being an Apostle.

The early church prays again and discerns who God’s chosen leader is together.

WE: Connect Through Prayer (vs. 12-14)

Slide

So, let us focus on the first part of this historical narrative in vs. 12-14,

Where the early church is Connecting Through Prayer.

Back in vs. 4, Jesus had commanded the disciples to wait.

Waiting is hard.

We humans hate to wait.

A great example that illustrates this comes from this study an airport did trying to improve satisfaction for people traveling through their airports.

They were rated as unsatisfactory with the number one complaint being waiting at the baggage claim.

So, made all these changes to cut the wait time at baggage claim in half.

After doing this for months,

They did another survey,

And received the same unsatisfactory marks with the number one reason being the wait at baggage claim.

So, they went back to the drawing board and decided to switch the baggage claim stations.

It was a risky idea because this meant when a person got off the plane,

They no longer went to the nearest baggage claim station and waited,

They now walked almost to the other end of the airport to get to the baggage claim,

But by the time they got there,

Their bags were ready.

So, the distance they were forced to walk significantly increased,

And the time it took for them to get their bags and leave was actually longer,

But after doing this for months,

They did the survey again,

And their satisfaction levels skyrocketed!

We hate to wait!

And that is what Jesus told the disciples to do.

So, we can empathize with how difficult this command was!

Slide

Yet, how do we see them respond?

In vs. 12 we see them obey His command.

They waited where Jesus told them to.

But they don’t wait passively,

Slide

Vs. 14 shows they wait prayerfully.

Prayer marked the early church.

Can we say that it is a mark of our church today?

Let me give a shameless plug here.

From 6-7 pm on the third Sunday of each month,

We gather in this room to pray through a Psalm together.

This month is unique because we are remembering and celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus this week.

So, instead of praying through a Psalm next Sunday,

We are having a Good Friday service,

Where doors open at 5pm,

And you will be able to come and have time to pray and worship Christ,

And His death on the cross that pays for the forgiveness of our sins.

At 6:30, we will have a casual time of worship and Scripture reading together.

Then Sunday morning we will celebrate His resurrection,

Up in Glenwood Cemetery at 6:30am,

Where we will also celebrate the Lord’s Table in remembrance of Christ.

We do this at the graveyard to celebrate both His death and resurrection,

Because it was the graveyard where it was discovered that His tomb was empty.

Christianity is founded on the historical resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus proved this with His appearances to hundreds of His followers.

Slide

Then He returned to heaven on a mount called Olivet, as vs. 12 notes.

This mountain is also known as the Mount of Olives.

It is east of the walled city of Jerusalem.

The end of Luke says it is near Bethany,

It is a Sabbath day’s journey away from the city,

Which is about 3/4ths of a mile.

That’s three laps around a varsity track,

Or about the distance from here to Henry’s drive-in.

The Gospels record frequent events taking place at this important location,

Most notably, what we call the Olivet Discourse where Jesus taught about His second coming in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Now, Jesus is using this location as the launch point for the early church.

Slide

Vs. 13 says they left the mount of olives, entered Jerusalem, and went to the upper room where they were staying.

It cannot be said for certain,

But it is likely that this is the same upper room Jesus had stayed with His disciples during Passover.

Meaning this is probably the same room where Jesus instituted the Lord’s Table,

And also likely the place where the disciples had been hiding for fear of the Jews.

Next, vs. 13-14 records who all was present,

Starting with the original Apostles;

If you count the names, you will notice eleven apostles.

Jesus originally appointed 12 apostles corresponding to the 12 tribes of Israel in the OT.

This is what instigates finding a replacement later in this chapter.

Slide

The second half of vs. 14 shows the women who followed Jesus were there too.

Likely the same women who cared for Jesus’ body after His death.

This shows the prominent role women had in the ministry of Jesus,

They were present at vital moments.

But also Jesus’ family was there,

This is the last time Mary is mentioned in the Bible,

And she is mentioned alongside Jesus’ brothers.

Why does it matter that his brothers are included here?

Because when Jesus was alive,

Slide

John 7:5 says,

John 7:5 ESV

For not even his brothers believed in him.

His brothers went from unbelievers to members present at the birth of the church,

Gathered with all the other members of the church,

Praying.

During His life, Jesus established a pattern of prayer in the lives of His disciples.

And Acts shows that prayer remains a hallmark of the disciples and the early church.

The importance of prayer is developed throughout Acts.

Slide

Vs. 14 notes that the early church was continually united in prayer.

This shows the intimacy of connecting with God in prayer,

Spilling over into connecting with others.

Acts is stressing their togetherness as they pray.

Even though they had just been promised the Holy Spirit,

And have been commissioned to the role of being His witnesses,

They still devote themselves to prayer as they obediently wait for the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.

Slide

Later in this chapter, Peter references a couple of Psalms as the reason why they need to find a 12th Apostle.

This realization came about as a result of their prayer gathering.

Now, it does not explicitly say that they prayed Psalms together.

But it was common practice for the early church to pray the Bible.

Therefore, when we gather for prayer as a part of our mission as a church,

We spend an hour praying a Psalm.

We take one verse of a Psalm at a time, read it out loud,

Then give time to pray to God about whatever comes to mind as you listen to God’s Word.

It is not about interpretation, it is about prayer.

Anything that comes to mind can be prayed,

Even if what comes to mind does not relate to a proper interpretation.

And multiple people pray in response to each verse.

Every time a verse is read, it sparks new things for you to pray.

And the Scripture allows you to pray more specifically for known requests.

You can pray specific commands, simple prayers, profound prayers,

But no one is required to pray as we read through a Psalm.

Praying a Psalm keeps you from running out of things to pray,

And keeps you from repeating the same things when praying.

The idea is that you are taking God’s inspired Word,

Meditating on them in your heart and mind,

Then speaking them back to God.

The NT demonstrates that God desires this heartfelt communication from His people through prayer.

Therefore, we must connect with God through prayer.

I bring this chart back up because,

Last week, we saw how baptism fits into the connect part of our mission.

This week, we see how prayer fits into the connect part of our mission.

Turning our attention back to our passage this morning,

GOD: The Bible Interprets Life (vs. 15-20)

Slide

Vs. 15-20 continues the narrative with a speech from Peter demonstrating how he interprets life through the Bible.

Many Christians spend so much time and energy trying to figure out God’s will regarding specific decisions,

While ignoring what He has revealed about His will in the Bible.

The Christians in the early church demonstrate a confidence and allegiance to God’s Word,

That ultimately made discerning God’s will much simpler.

It works the same way for us as well.

Slide

In vs. 16, Peter is addressing the 120 or so Christians that are gathered,

Saying the Scripture must be fulfilled.

The early church submitted their lives, circumstances, and direction to God’s Word.

Because the Bible is entirely trustworthy.

The early church was operating with the understanding that everything the Bible says would prove true.

It does not say how Peter knew they needed to fill Judas’s spot.

But the natural progression of the passage seems to indicate,

That this was a product of their prayer,

As mentioned earlier,

Potentially praying through specific passages of Scripture.

Making it clear to them that God’s will was to fill the vacant spot of the 12th apostle.

Later, he quotes what Scriptures he is talking about.

Slide

Vs. 20 first shows that he is referring to Psalm 69:25, which says,

Psalm 69:25 ESV

May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.

Slide

Then, vs. 20 also shows that Peter references Psalm 109:8, which says,

Psalm 109:8 ESV

May his days be few; may another take his office!

Peter interprets Judas as a fulfillment of these prophetic Psalms.

Because Judas betrayed Jesus, he was removed as an apostle.

Therefore, “his office” needed to be filled.

Slide

In vs. 17, Peter makes it clear that Judas was one of them,

He was an apostle of Christ.

He shared in the ministry of the other apostles.

The word translated to ministry here is the word for servant,

So, Peter is saying that Judas shared in the serving with the other apostles.

God not only allowed Judas to be an apostle,

He planned for it.

He planned to have the enemy of the Savior to serve for a time in the same ministry of the apostles.

Slide

Then, vs. 18-19 details Judas’s fate in parenthesis.

Meaning Peter did not say these words in his speech,

But Luke wrote it in to help us as readers understand.

The fate of Judas, we see, was a horrific death.

This is noticeably different from the account recorded in Matthew.

For example, here is says that Judas bought a field,

But Matthew 27 says the chief priests bought the field.

So, how are we to understand the apparent contradictions between these two passages?

Slide

Well, let us read exactly what Matthew 27:3-8 says,

Matthew 27:3–8 ESV

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

So, it was Judas’s blood money that was used to purchase this Field of Blood.

Therefore, Judas did indirectly buy the field.

It cost thirty silver coins for Judas to betray Jesus.

About 120 days worth of wages.

But he was clearly wracked with the guilt for betraying the innocent Christ,

Which led him to hang himself in that Field of Blood according to Matthew.

Slide

Although it seems like a contradiction,

Acts harmonizes by the probability that he hung himself near a cliff and eventually,

His hanging body began to decompose,

Causing it to fall to the ground head first,

Where his body broke open and his intestines gushed out.

This reminds us that our author is a doctor,

Giving what seems like unnecessary gory details.

But Luke is focusing on this death being a punishment.

So, yes, these details are graphic.

But they express the same language that is used to describe curses.

So, Dr. Luke is using his medical background to illustrate that Judas was cursed for his betrayal of Jesus.

Both Matthew and Acts agree that Judas died a shameful death.

Even with these two accounts,

The full events of Judas’s death are not really known.

Each account gives the specific details that are sufficient for their own purposes,

Not a full account.

God did not choose to give us the precise details,

Likely because the details of Judas’s death are not the purpose of the narrative.

The purpose is to understand that Judas’s sin was horrific,

The punishment for that sin was also horrific,

But above all, his betrayal of Jesus was foretold by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures.

Yet, it is not hard to imagine these early followers, who lived with Judas for 3 years now,

Feeling a mixture of confusion, shock, sadness, and even fear regarding the fate of Judas.

Slide

By citing Scripture in vs. 20, Peter is helping these followers make sense of Judas’s fate.

He is applying the judgment of God’s enemies in the Psalms to Judas,

Who ended up being God’s enemy by betraying Christ,

Showing how God remains sovereignly in control despite this fearfully shocking betrayal.

Peter, and the other believers here, demonstrate that God’s Word,

Responsibly applied provides the proper interpretation and perspective,

For even the most confusing, shocking, and emotionally-charged events.

Like the disciples, you will struggle at times to comprehend God’s plan in this world and in your life.

You will wonder about the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the innocent.

You will wrestle with setback or sicknesses.

But like the disciples,

You can look to God’s Word to make sense of this world and your life.

In the Bible you will continually rediscover perspective, truth, instruction, and the sovereign character of God.

This is why it is vital for you to interpret life through the Bible.

And when we interpret life through the Bible,

It helps us to discern God’s will together.

YOU: Discern God’s Will Together (vs. 21-26)

In the most general sense,

You must make decisions in view of God’s unfolding plan of redemption.

Because the greatest reason you are still on this planet is to advance His mission of redeeming people.

So, it makes sense to keep this in view for every decision you make.

In the specific context of our passage this morning,

The early church was trying to discern God’s will together regarding the leader who will fill Judas’s spot as the 12th apostle.

Being an Apostle is different from a disciple,

Although we often use the two terms interchangeably,

Because the twelve Apostles were disciples,

But not all disciples are Apostles.

An Apostle is a representative sent with a specific amount of authority.

Jesus instituted the Apostles as a formal office,

Where He appointed 12 men to be sent out to proclaim His gospel.

Slide

Mark 3:14 says,

Mark 3:14 ESV

And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach

The apostles were agents of God’s special revelation after the birth of Christ.

They held a unique authority in the church.

There are no Apostles today.

No successors, no remaining eyewitnesses.

But as Christians, we do participate in apostolic ministry,

We participate in the ministry of representing Christ to the world, like the original Apostles.

But no one today has the same authority given to the Apostles.

And that is okay because we have the same Holy Spirit empowering us to be Christ’s witnesses.

But Acts does show us that the role of the Apostles was crucial immediately after Jesus left earth.

Slide

Peter demonstrates this when he defines the qualifications for being an apostle in vs. 21-22.

First, this man must have accompanied the other apostles for the entirety of Jesus’s ministry,

From His baptism to His ascension.

This assured that he could speak about the things he had been a personal eyewitness of.

This is what Christianity is founded on.

The historical resurrection proclaimed by trustworthy eyewitnesses.

Not only was their eyewitness authority important,

But their firsthand learning from Jesus made them trustworthy to pass on His teaching.

They were the foundation upon which Jesus built His church.

By taking action to fill Judas’s office,

The early church acknowledged the value of having eyewitness testimony after Christ’s departure.

They demonstrate how a concern for the gospel underlies their decision making.

They wanted to fill Judas’s office for a broader kingdom purpose.

Jesus told the 12 that they would have a role in the coming kingdom,

They would judge the 12 tribes of Israel.

Well, now they only have 11,

So, by filling Judas’s office they are acknowledging the role Christ has given to the 12 apostles.

They had an important work.

And even thought we are not one of the 12 Apostles, we have an important work too.

Our decisions matter,

Our choices have an eternal impact.

In a general sense,

The early church knew there was an apostolic vacancy that needed to be filled because of God’s Word.

Likewise for you,

The primary place to find God’s will is still in God’s Word.

You do not have to wonder if you should get baptized, or should be praying, or being Christ’s witness.

He has revealed these things and much more in the Bible.

So, you can be confident that doing these things are the right course of action.

Although the Bible is comprehensive, it is not exhaustive.

It does not detail all the specifics of His will for you.

We see this demonstrated by the early church here.

They knew they were suppose to replace Judas,

But they did not know who was supposed to replace Judas.

That detail was not included in God’s Word.

So, they set about discerning God’s leader through a prayerful and wise process.

They knew God had chosen someone,

They just needed to work through the process of discerning God’s leader.

Slide

Vs. 23 ends by showing they did their homework on all the potential candidates,

Out of about 120 people in total,

They propose two men who met the qualifications: Joseph and Matthias.

Once these two men are put forward,

What do we see them do?

Slide

Vs. 24 says they prayed again,

They continued to turn to God to seek His will regarding the decision between Joseph or Matthias.

Just like the disciples,

You must pray to God for wisdom to discern His will.

God has given you a mind,

He has given you the ability to reason,

He has given you the church where you can seek wise counsel,

But most important of all, He has given you His Spirit,

Because His ways are not our ways,

We see and judge what is on the outside,

But God looks at the heart.

So, seek Him in prayer.

That is what we see in this brief prayer.

Referring to God, they say He knows the hearts of all.

It is actually a literal description of God as Knower of hearts,

Or more simply, Heart-knower.

He has a knowledge of the inner, hidden faculties of every person.

He knows who you are down to your core,

And He knows this for every person.

Second, notice they say the Lord has already chosen the twelfth apostle,

Past tense.

The apostles recognized their human responsibility to choose a man to fill this role.

But they recognize that their role takes place within the bounds of God’s sovereign will,

And whoever ends up as the 12th apostle is who God chose,

They are asking Him to make clear whom He has chosen.

Slide

So, in vs. 25, they close their prayer by highlighting that this man will take Judas’s place as an Apostle.

Because Judas left the apostolic ministry to go where he belongs.

This comment is further curse language,

Referring to Judas’s fate in hell.

Slide

After discerning the qualified men and praying, vs. 26 shows them casting lots.

At this time casting lots was a common practice for making decisions.

This was seen throughout the OT as a way to discern God’s will,

For example, it is how they divided the land of Israel among the 12 tribes.

They would put small objects in a jar, shake them up, then dump them out of a jar and the order they fell out determines what God’s will was.

But make no mistake, this is not a prescription for how we are to make decisions as Christians.

In fact, this is the last example of it in the Bible because in the next chapter God replaces this practice with the Holy Spirit.

In this instance, the lots fell on Matthias,

And the disciples understood that this was Christ appointing him to be the 12th Apostle.

God in His sovereignty, chose Matthias to be the 12th Apostle,

To fulfill the Scripture,

To fulfill Jesus’ promise,

And to be part of the foundation upon which God builds His church,

And the church discerned that this was God’s choice.

We can learn from the process the early church went through here to discern God’s chosen leader,

To aid us in discerning God’s will together as a church today.

When it comes to discerning who God calls as elders,

There is evidence in this passage for a general process we can do together.

Slide

We must remember this entire process is blanketed in prayer,

First is identification.

Any member of the church can identify a potential candidate,

But we see the need for an apostle being recognize here by Peter, an Apostle.

So, generally, current elders are likely to be the ones who recognize the need for an elder.

Second comes qualification.

Vs. 21-22 lists the required qualifications for the new apostle,

Then the church proceeded to vet those among them as to who fits these qualifications.

Now, these are not the same qualifications required for an elder.

But we do not have to guess the qualifications for an elder.

The Bible gives us character qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus.

After the first step of identification,

The church proceeds to vet anyone who has been identified as a potential elder through these character qualifications.

A third step that is specific to an elder not seen here is the biblical requirement that an elder must be able to teach.

So, the third step in an elder discernment process would be validation.

They would preach before the church to validate they are qualified to teach.

But then fourth would be affirmation.

The church prayed for God to show them who He had chosen to be the 12th apostle.

In this context, they cast lots.

Because we have the Holy Spirit, we do not cast lots.

We affirm by casting a vote of affirmation as a group of people filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is how we discern God’s will together,

Specifically in the context of discerning God’s elders.

Lord willing, as we go through Acts we will be able to see and embrace a similar process for deacons.

WE: Conclusion

When it comes to discerning God’s will in a general sense.

We must understand our role in God’s unfolding drama of redemption.

We must grasp what He has revealed about His will in His Word,

And we must pray!

When we do these things, we can trust God, make a decision and go with it.

Even if things don’t work out,

It does not change His love for us.

The cross demonstrates the extent of His love for us.

And He has given us the Holy Spirit to assure us of His love.

So, when you face a stressful decision, rest in God’s love for you.

We do not have to worry about a wrong decision cancelling out His love for us.

Don’t let anxiety rule you into indecision.

Trust in God’s love,

Trust in God’s sovereignty.

Let God’s mission guide your decisions,

Pray, then make a decision for the glory of God,

Through Christ, by the power of the Spirit.

The disciples prayers remind us that God’s promises and prayer for their fulfillment go hand in hand.

God makes certain promises yet also calls us to pray to Him for these things.

This is why we connect with God through prayer.

There is a tension of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility in this.

Take Judas’s story, for example.

Jesus was not surprised that Judas betrayed Him.

In fact, He had warned the disciples that it would happen.

God has an inner knowledge that we cannot know.

We only know what He reveals to us.

We know that Judas’s acts were foreordained because the Bible tells us this.

Yet we also see that Judas was held responsible for his betrayal.

The Bible does not fully answer this tension between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humankind.

It only reveals that both are mysteriously at work.

In our daily lives, we can observe the actions of others,

But we do not know their motive.

There are times we do not even know our own motives.

But we do know that God does.

As the early church prayed, God knows the hearts of all.

So, we must live by faith,

And trust what God says in the Bible.

Do this knowing that the sovereign God has provided forgiveness through Christ’s death and resurrection.

So, that even if a decision you make turns out to be the wrong one.

The grace of God through Christ offers forgiveness,

And God remains in control.

This means we simply confess that we made a wrong decision,

Repent, which means we turn away from it,

And move toward what we discern as God’s will for us.

Specifically, when it comes to discerning God’s leadership,

The early church sets a four-step model for discerning God’s leaders together.

Pray