We are continuing our series this morning on the apostles or what we are referring to as the "C" Team and we are going to get started today by taking a look at our text. So turn your Bibles with me to the first chapter of Acts. Many of you have heard me say in the past couple of weeks that this has become my favorite book in the Bible lately...I love to read and study Acts. It is such great history...but its history written by Luke from a Theological standpoint. He covers decades of history in this very short book so it stands to reason that he left a lot of things out. Peter...he totally disappears from the book halfway through it. There is a lot of information missing about the other apostles as well...and not mention what was going on with Paul. A lot is left out. So, Luke...he gives us what he wants us to know. He has set purposes in mind when he sets out to write this book and the really fascinating thing about studying this book is discovering what these purposes are and how Luke goes about accomplishing them. Keep that in mind and we’ll go ahead and read today’s text...chapter one vv 21-26.
Now, if you don’t have your Bibles with you today you might have noticed that it seems like I started in the middle of a narrative...like I didn’t give you the whole story of what was going on here...and you’re right.... and, you know, if you had your Bibles you would be able to go backtrack just a little bit and read the beginning...but for those of you who don’t have them...let me fill in the blanks for you. All of the disciples, about 120 of them, are all gathered together. So, this isn’t just the 11 that are left but it is everybody who is a follower of Jesus. Mary the mother would have been there, Salome, Mary Magdalene...perhaps Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus...they are all gathered together in the same place...and Peter stands up in the middle of them and begins to talk about Judas. Now, don’t forget...this is very soon after the death of Jesus...this would be like somebody bringing up Benedict Arnold in the middle of the Revolutionary War or a Cub Fan talking about Steve Bartman during the World Series in 2003. The wound...even though it was helped by the resurrection of Jesus is still very fresh...but Peter brings him up all the same. Peter, he begins to explain why things had to happen with Judas they way they did...but...he doesn’t just leave it there...he says that someone has to take Judas’ place...and that brings us to our text and, it turns out...Matthias becomes Judas’ replacement.
And, the rest, as they say, is history. We have all heard of the wonderful works that Matthias performed right...we have heard of him walking on water, healing the sick, raising the dead...his name is practically a household name in Christian homes today...right? Well, as I am sure we are all aware of...he is not. In fact, after these four verses...Matthias is never mentioned again. He didn’t write any letters...he didn’t preach any fiery sermons...he just fades away into obscurity. So...we can definitely conclude that he is a worthy member of the "C" team...an everyday, average person...but you have to ask...why did Luke even include this in his book. Some might say because the Holy Spirit inspired him too...and then leave it at that. I will agree that this writing from Luke was inspired...but I am not willing to quit there. There has to be a reason...why mention this obscure man who took Judas’ place? Why was this so important to Luke? That is the question we will attempt to mention today...what, beyond being an apostle...was so important about Matthias that Luke would mention him here?
As we begin to attempt to answer this question...I want to ask you a question...what do the numbers 9, 5, and 11 all have in common? Anybody know right off? If you do...hold on for a second...you’ll ruin it for everybody else. Think about that for a while and we’ll come back to it...but don’t get so deep in thought that you don’t follow me because I think that God is going to show us something pretty amazing today.
When I was a kid...I loved sports...I would play them...watch them...and read about them. I still do all that today except play for the most part...but I was even worse when I was a kid. I would pore over the sports section and read every word of it. A lot of time you couldn’t get me to read my homework but I would read that sports sections. There was a part of the sports page that was titled Transactions and I would check that part everyday...I had to see who was being traded...who was injured...and there were always these listings in the NBA part that would have the news that somebody signed a 15 day contract with the Bulls or with the Nets or some other team. When I would first read these things I would think to myself...how stupid...signing a player for only 15 days...but now, I know why they would do that.... that was the minimum amount of time that somebody could be on the "disabled list" so they wouldn’t count on the team’s roster...so to make up that roster spot the team would sign another player to a 15 day contract. There are no minor league teams in the NBA...and the rules require them to carry a certain amount of players. These replacement players would join the team and fill the deserted roster spot until the regular player could return.
The same applies for me at work as well.... we have a certain allotment of people that we can hire...we call it a complement...there are a certain number of people who can work there.... and we are fully staffed when we reach that number. Unfortunately we have sometimes hired people who didn’t quite work out...so they quit and leave a spot open...or somebody finds another job...moves out of state...whatever the case when one person quits it opens up a spot from somebody else. We have to reach a certain number...which I don’t think we have never reached.... in order to be fully staffed.
Maybe you have had similar experiences and ideas in your life...maybe you work at a similar place...there are only so many spots available on the team and once those are filled...then no one else can join. Or ladies, maybe it was your family...you wanted so many children...and you wouldn’t be happy until you go to that number...or guys..maybe once that number was reached...then there were no more openings available!
Or...how about when it comes to church.... what is your attitude there like? Tell you what...we’ll come back to that question.
Here...I think.... is where we arrive at the answer to our question concerning Matthias...why was he included? Why did Luke bother writing about this guy that we don’t hear anything else about...what was so special about this everyday average guy? Because...like the sports teams we read about...like my work...like our families...God...he wanted to fill out his roster. He had a space available and someone had to take that space.
You see, there was something special about the number 12...I mean, have you ever wondered why Jesus quit with the 12 apostles...was he superstitious and wouldn’t go on to 13? Or maybe it was because he couldn’t find anyone else to follow him...maybe there were only 12 worthy applicants...well, 11 and one who slipped thorough the cracks of the process. The first option is 99.99999 percent incorrect...but that last one...it’s possible...but not probable. So...what was the big deal about the number 12.
If you come to Sunday school then you know that we have talked about this over three months ago...remember...back in Revelation when we were studying about the things that were going on in the throne room of God...how many elders were there? 24. And who did we say that those elders most likely were or at least were representative of? The twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles...so there is something special about this number 12...and I think the best answer to the question is that this was the number used by God to begin and establish his covenant relationship with his people. In the Old Testament...the Old Covenant...it began with 12 sons of Jacob. Now, I know that the Old covenant was established with Abraham and he is called the father of that covenant...but...when does God’s covenant relationship become really evident...when is his deliverance highlighted...isn’t it in Egypt...after the time of Joseph and his brothers...the other 11 patriarch of the Hebrew nation? When is the law given...isn’t after Israel has been divided up into these 12 tribes? So, in many ways, the Old Covenant...its base...was the Israel nation that had its foundation in the 12 tribes.
So, do we see now the significance of Jesus choosing only 12 disciples.... there were many others that followed Jesus around...who learned from him.... believed in him.... but, he chose 12 to be his main witnesses.... and I believe this had a lot to do with the number of tribes that the Old Covenant was established upon.... this was a very intentional act of Jesus.... I don’t think it just happened by accident.
Luke, he doesn’t appear to think so either.... you see he tells us about the naming of Matthias to take the place of Judas. There is an opening on the "C" Team and that opening has to be filled. If you read and study the book of Acts you will see that one of Luke’s recurrent themes is that God is sovereign...think about it...Peter taken prisoner? No problem...I’ll just send an angel to free him...Paul and Silas...again...no problem...a simple earthquake will handle it. Paul shipwrecked? No sweat...I’ll just arrange for him to land on the island of Malta...where he will be taken care of by the natives. Throughout the book Luke shows the hand of God in everything that is going on...that God’s sovereign plan will not be sidetracked...and if there is supposed to be 12 apostles...if that is God’s plan...if that is his roster size...then the vacancy on the roster will be filled.
It’s not very unlike our own experiences is it? If there is an opening at our job...then we attempt to fill it. If our sports teams have an opening...than that roster spot gets filled. However, there is one major difference between us and God...are you ready for this...because it is going to open our eyes here about everyday average Matthias...God...he just doesn’t fill a roster space for the sake of filling a space...he will only fill that space...that position...with someone who is qualified.
But, what do we do? Think about it for a second. I can tell you that in my job we have hired people that...after it was all said and done...should never have been hired. Now, we do a thorough background check and make every effort to hire the best-qualified people...but sometimes...people slip through the cracks...and they end up not making it.
Or what about our NBA example? Do you think that the guy that they sign to the 15 day contract is Michael Jordan? Shaquille O’neal? How much playing time do you think he is going to get...and the answer is...not much. If he was very good then he would be on a team with a permanent contract and not a 15-day one. He’s there to fill a roster spot...to keep the team at full strength on paper...he’s not going to be the key player that makes the difference of whether this team goes to the playoffs or not.
God, though...he works differently. You see...whenever there is an opening on his team...he fills it with quality...he doesn’t just pick somebody up because he has the empty roster space...he looks at qualifications...whether or not someone will be able to do the job...and he found one here in Matthias.
You might ask..Mike, how can you say that? We only read about Matthias in this short portion of Acts...we don’t know anything from scripture about his preaching, acts, miracles...how do we know that God the right person for the job? Because, my friends, the job description and qualifications are given to us right here...and we are told that Matthias fits them. God, he got the quality person he was looking for. Let’s look back to verse 21 and 22:
Do you see the job description here? If you were looking through the classifieds it would be one word in big bold letters...witness...or martus (mar-toos)...a Greek word that literally means a "testifier" and it means witness in every sense...in a legal sense...in a historical sense...the job that was being filled here was of someone who had been a spectator of what Jesus had done...and thus could tell other people about it.
We also read in these verses that Matthias...he has the resume for the job. He was with Jesus and the rest of the apostles from the day of John’s baptism to his ascension. So, that means that average "joe" Matthias...he also saw the dead raised...the sick and crippled healed...he heard the Sermon on the Mount...he heard the cry of "It is finished!"...and he also smelled and tasted the food when the 5,000 were fed...he saw almost everything...only missing out on those events that were just between Jesus and the 12 or Jesus and Peter, James and John.
You see, my friends.... God will fill the vacancies he has...and he will fill them with qualified people...and you know what...these qualifications are not that strenuous...so he is able to use average people in those spots.
Remember the question I asked you just a minute ago...what is your attitude when it comes to church...about the "roster" of the church...do you see it as being totally filled or with many spots available. And if you see it as having spots available...what are the qualifications that you have in your mind to fill them? I think that many times we go one of two ways when it comes to church and the spots on the roster that are available. We either aim to low...or we set the standard way to high. That’s not the example that we find here...is it? God...he has the necessary qualifications laid out...and he chooses the man who will fit them.
First...we may ask the question: how do we set the standards to high? And I think the answer is that we set them to high when we take our personal preferences and we apply them as doctrine to the church. We have our preferred worship style...our preferred preaching style...or even our preferred denomination and we set them up on the level of church doctrine and we are willing to accept anyone as long as they think just like us...but, if they don’t...then we would rather they go on somewhere else. We get comfortable in our situation...in our church...in the people we have around us...and when it comes to the roster...it’s open as long as everyone is just like us. But those that seem to be a little bit different...those that seem to have a "past"...we raise the standards and we won’t accept people that do not meet those standards.
That’s one end of the spectrum...and there is a totally opposite end of the spectrum...that is dangerous. There are those that are ready and willing to accept anyone and everyone...in today’s politically correct society we call these people tolerant. These are people who say that there are many ways to God...that Jesus is one way...Mohammed is one way...Buddha is one way. These are people who set that standard so low...in the name of what they call toleration. I want to tell you...I am a very tolerant person...I respect everyone’s right to believe how they want to believe...but that doesn’t mean that I have to accept what they believe...I can have them as friends because I am to be in the world as an example...but that doesn’t mean that I am able to worship with them and fellowship within them in the body of Christ. That’s not intoleration....it’s not setting the standard to high...it’s just obedience.
We are not called to set our owns standards when it comes to filling the team roster of God...whether they be our own more stringent standards.... or they be relaxing the standards that God has already set...we are merely called to apply the standards that God has already set...and just what is that standard? Paul...he tells us in Romans 10...if you confess with your Mouth Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead...you will be saved. It’s not about your worship style...how you preach...how you pray...whether you work on Sunday or not...it’s about confessing Christ as lord and believing in his resurrection...those are the basic standards.... and I would dare say that they are very similar to the standard applied to Matthias...because you can’t confess and believe these things unless you encounter Jesus. The first step is meeting this carpenter from Nazareth that we also know to be God...and this encounter will lead you to that confession and belief.
Let’s go back to our question...what do 9, 5, and 11 have in common? Give up? They are the numbers on each team in the "major" sports. 9 for baseball, five for basketball, and 11 for football. How many are allowed on God’s team? As many as will come...there are always openings. We talked a little bit today about Matthias and why he was qualified...and those qualifications necessary of us to be added to the team. None of us can be apostles...we haven’t seen so we can’t testify...but we can be disciples...or followers...so the roster of the "C" team is not closed. I want to ask you...are you ready to join? If so then this time of invitation is for you. For those of you all ready on the team.... I want to encourage you to examine yourselves and your attitudes...have you applied some standards that for membership that are your own and not God’s. Have you raised the bar on your own? If you have I have to warn you...you can’t raise the standards already set by God...let me encourage you to give this area of your life over to God...he will help you let go of it if you only ask. I want to encourage you...if you find yourself in either situation...or you have some other decision to make.... to come now.
