Scripture: Acts 1:15 – 26 (Call to Worship – Psalm 1)
Title: "The Vote Is In!" - Finding God's Will
St. Luke shares with us how the Early Church found God's Will in receiving Matthias as the new 12th Apostle.
1. It is Possible to Find God's Will 2. God' Word is Essential 3. Prayer is Essential
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
It has happened again. Another major leader in the Church of Jesus is gone. This time it was because of alleged impropriety towards the opposite sex. The other time it was because of a financial scandal. The time before that it was because of an unexpected death. And the time before that it was merely because it was time for the person to enjoy some well deserved time of retirement.
But whether it was through impropriety, financial scandal, unexpected death or retirement the fact remains the same – there is a vacancy that needs to be filled. Someone needs to step and take the position so that the cause of Christ can continue. It is time for next man/woman up.
That is where we find ourselves in the first chapter of the book of Acts. Jesus has spent the last 40 days with his disciples ( the 120 ) teaching them and showing them what it means to live the Resurrected Life. He has been teaching them how that His mission was one that He and the Father had planned since the beginning of time. He has been teaching His followers how they should understand the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings in light of His death and resurrection.
Now, it was time for Jesus to ascend and be with His Heavenly Father. It was time for Jesus to take up his rightful place on the right hand of the Father and begin the final countdown of sending His Holy Spirit to lead the Early Church. It was time for the disciples to go to Jerusalem to wait for the Outpouring and Empowerment of His Holy Spirit.
It was during this period of waiting that our passage comes into play. The 120 are in that ten day waiting period between the time of the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost. They have gathered together to pray, to seek God’s will, to surrender themselves openly and fully to the LORD. They have gathered to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that they can go out and fulfill the Great Commission:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18b – 20 NRSV).
As they gather together they know that they are one Apostle down. No longer are there 12 main voices to lead the group. They have lost a dear and close friend or at least one who they thought was a dear and close friend. They have lost a man that walked with them, ministered alongside them and one whom they thought would be one of the 12 great leaders of the New Age of Jesus.
It may be difficult for us to understand how devastated the other disciples were to discover that Judas had killed himself following the betrayal. They had all betrayed Jesus. None of them had risked their lives or their reputations to stand with Jesus during his trial or volunteered to take his place on the Cross. They had all in their one way or the other betrayed the Lord Jesus.
But none of them had suffered the fate that Judas had suffered. None of them had been driven to such despair/confusion/depression that they had ended their own life. We may never know all the ends and outs of why Judas did what he did or why he ended his own life prematurely. And, even if we knew all the answers it would not change the fact that the 12 were down one major leader.
How could they help bring about the restoration of Israel without fulfilling the traditional complement of 12 known leaders? Everyone knew that Moses had needed 12 leaders. Any restoration of Israel would be seen as incomplete without 12 leaders. But who should take the place of Judas? Who should step up and assume his role? Who should be called into the office of Apostle?
Our passage this morning, is more than a simple election passage. It is more than a historical account of what happened during that 10 day period between Christ’s Ascension and the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It is a passage that leads us to knowing and understanding God’s Will. It is a passage that reveals to us some of the key ways that today we can know God’s Will in our lives and in the life of our churches and communities.
Let’s look at some of these ways this morning:
+ We can know God’s Will
Before we dive into how can we know God’s Will - It is first important for us to understand that we can in fact know God’s Will.
The best place in the world for any of us to be is squarely in the middle of God’s will. It is the place where we can be the most efficient and it is the place where we can best reflect God’s image for all to see. It is the place that we can enjoy the flow of God’s Holy Spirit. It is the best place that we can be all that God wants us to be.
It is also a place that we can discover and know. Many people are confused about all of this. They see God’s will as basically unknowable. They believe that much of the Christian walk is surrounded by mystery, shadows and ambiguity. They believe at best all we can know are some vague truths and directions. They believe that most of the time we are left walking in the dark with very little spiritual light to lead us on our way.
But this passage and so many others tell us a very different story. Abraham knew the direction towards the Promise Land. Moses knew how to get to Egypt. David knew the path to the Kingdom of Israel. The truth is this morning, God does not lead us down a dark path without His Presence leading us and guiding us along the way. Listen to what the Bible says:
Psalm 16:11
“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (NRSV)
Psalm 25:4-5
“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truths, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” (NRSV)
Psalm 143:10
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” (NRSV)
Proverbs 3:5-6
“I trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my paths.”
Those passages and dozens more show us one thing – that IT IS POSSIBLE for us to know God’s Will. It is possible for us to understand God and to know the direction that we are to travel. It is possible for us to be in the center of His Will. It is possible to live a life in which we walk alongside our LORD and Savior and enjoy the Abundant Life that He has for all of us!
It does not mean that there will not be some ups and downs. We may even have to endure some suffering and hard times. After all, very few people have known and followed God’s Will as well as Elijah, Daniel and the Apostle Paul. And yet, in all three of their lives we see some ups and downs, some side way moves along with some periods of spiritual heartache, drought and hardship. But we also see more days in which they experienced God’s anointing, miracles and blessings. We see more days in which their encounters with the LORD far exceeding any of their expectations.
Now, how does all of this exactly happen? How can we discover God’s Will for our lives?
Our passage this morning, reveals to us two major keys – two major ways that help us discover God’s Will.
I. Saturate ourselves in God’s Word
Judas death rocked everyone’s world. It was something that none of them could understand. Oh, they could understand his betrayal. After all they had in lesser ways betrayed Jesus. What they couldn’t grab grasp was the manner of his death. They couldn’t quite figure out why Judas had ended his life prematurely.
They knew in their hearts that while Judas’ betrayal was perhaps one of the vital keys that led to Jesus’ death, in no way was it the sole reason or even the major reason for Jesus going to the Cross. They knew that Judas had not committed the unpardonable sin. They knew that everything that had happened was a part of God’s overall plan to rescue and save mankind. God had not commissioned Judas to betray Jesus. God did not bring Judas into the world to play the part of the betrayer. That Judas had done through his own free will. Yes, it was a part of prophesy that one would betray Jesus but God never took away Judas’ free will. One of the major reasons Judas betrayed Jesus was because Judas was greedy. He valued the sound of silver coins over his friendship with Jesus.
However, let me say it again. Judas’ betrayal was not an unpardonable sin. The same Jesus that forgave Peter and restored Peter in John 21 would have restored Judas.
“The LORD is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NRSV)
That “all” in that verse includes Judas and millions and millions like Judas who have sinned greatly against the LORD.
Will Judas be in heaven? I don’t know. If at the last moment of his life he repented and accepted grace and mercy – Yes. If he did not accept forgiveness then - No. But those are answers that only Our Heavenly Father can deal with and we are to leave them in His hands.
The question before us is:
HOW CAN WE KNOW GOD’S WILL?
And that of course gets us back into God’s Word.
When the disciples couldn’t figure all this out – Judas’ betrayal, his death and the rest of the matter they went to God’s Word. They searched through the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. They took comfort and solace in God’s Word. They found part of their answers in such passages as Psalm 69:15 and Psalm 109:8. They depended on God’s Word to show them the way.
Our call to worship passage this morning was Psalm 1. Listen again to Psalm 1:2
“but their delight in the law (the words) of the LORD, and on his law (His words) they mediate day and night.”
The Jewish people were supremely dedicated to God’s Word. They believed that God’s Word was more than mere traditions passed down or words written on some parchment. They believed that the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets were God’s Word. When they read the Torah it was not merely Moses’ words or the words that had been handed down to them through the years by their ancestors. It was God’s words, God’s thoughts and God’s ideas that were being put down for them to read, to glean and to fashion their lives around.
As a result the Jewish people put at the center of the lives – God’s Word. They did their best to memorize it, to understand it fully and to live by it. At times they got off track but those who knew best knew the supremacy of God’s Holy Word. They knew that God’s Word brought life. They knew God’s Word contained the knowledge and wisdom that they would need to live a life which reflected God. They knew that God’s Word would show them best how to build a life, a family and a community.
Wherever and whenever God’s Word is central, you will be able to find people doing God’s will more and more. If we want a life, a family and a community to be more like God then we must promote, read, study and saturate ourselves in God's Word. The better we know God’s Word, the better we know God and as a result the better we know how to live in God’s Will and Way.
This is why evil was so intent at getting the Bible out of our public and private schools. This is why evil is so intent of having us read less and less scripture in our worship services. This is why evil is so intent on getting us to get our wisdom and advice from sources outside of God’s Word. The less we read, the less we know and follow the Bible the less our world will be in the center of God’s Will.
God’s Word is our Source of Life. God’s Word shares with the Truth of Life. God’s Word reveals to us God’s Will and Way. Today, we need more of God’s Word not less. Our services need to hear God’s Word more and more not less. We need to be more into God’s Word not less.
One of the best things we can do for ourselves, for our families and for our communities is to spend quality time with God in reading His Word. Yes, at times it does not always appear to make sense to us but it is during those times that we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us. We may even need to buy some Bible helps that will assist us in understanding God’s Word. We need to be studying God’s Word together for it is amazing how much you can learn in a small group Bible study.
Those early disciples knew the importance of God’s Word. They knew that its pages contained gold in the form of wisdom, knowledge and revelation. They knew that if they read God’s Word, memorized it and applied it to their everyday lives then they would experience the life that God wanted them to live. They knew that if God said it they should know it and live by it.
I know people who think they cannot learn or that they are too old to learn the Bible. Poppycock, Rubbish and Nonsense. If we can learn how to use a cell phone, how to drive a new car or learn how to do a hundred other things that we have to learn these days, then, sitting down with our Bibles should not be either too difficult or arduous. In fact, the Bible tells us over and over again that God will reveal His Word to us.
We don’t need to shame ourselves this morning on what we know or don’t know about God’s Word. We don’t need to shame ourselves about whether or not we have spent enough time in God’s Word. We are powerless to do anything about yesterday. But we can do something about today, tomorrow and the rest of our lives. We can today commit to begin to get into God’s Word more and more.
WHY?
Because once again we know that God’s words bring Life. We know that if we want to discover God’s will for our lives it will be through His Holy Word. We know that we need to be a people of One Book – God’s Holy Word!
Before we go on to the second way open to us to understand and know God’s Will let’s listen again to what the Bible says about itself -
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103 (NRSV)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)
II. Saturate ourselves in Prayer
St. Luke shares with us that these disciples went directly from God’s Word to spending time in individual and corporate Prayer. They went from reading and studying to putting themselves in God's Presence. They knew that God’s Word would help lead them to being able to hear God’s voice.
There is no greater privilege for anyone than being able to personally talk with and spend time with God – the Good God of Creation – the God who we know as - The Almighty One (El Shaddai), The Healer (Jehovah Rapha), Our Provider (Jehovah Jireh) and The Great Shepherd (Jehovah Raah).
The greatest people to walk on our planet were those who saturated themselves in God's Presence. They carved out time to just rest, to enjoy and to converse with God one on one. Individuals like Noah, Moses, Hannah, Daniel, Anna and millions more understood that their strength came from being in God's Presence – surrendering to His will, listening to His words and receiving the power that comes from such encounters with Him.
In Psalm 55:17, King David tells us that he communed with the LORD morning, noon and night. These were the three major times that all of God’s People were taught to spend time alone with God – 9 AM, Noontime and 3 PM. The Prophet Elijah lived in prayer and Moses and God became such close friends through their times of communion that it was said that God spoke to Moses as one speaks face to face to a friend. Hannah's prayer life was so strong that it changed the very destiny of her family and the nation of Israel. Daniel so valued prayer that he was willing to give up his life if it meant that he could not pray. Anna was known as a woman of prayer as she dedicated her life to working, serving and praying in the Temple.
And we all know the importance that Jesus put on spending quality time with His Heavenly Father. The Gospels are filled with the various times that Jesus went before His Heavenly Father to make sure that all he did was in line with His Will. Before He chooses His disciples, Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit had a set down session discussing who would be the right ones to choose. Lovingly they went over each candidate together until they had picked out the Original Twelve. When all those around him wanted Jesus to pick up a mantel of popularity, Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit again had a sit down session to talk over the whole matter. They all decided that first and foremost Jesus was to be a Man of Prayer and a Man of Salvation.
The Bible tells us that Jesus, His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit had a lot of team meetings. They would meet with each other early in the morning, late at night and at times throughout the night to discuss their plans of how to rescue, redeem and renew humanity. Andrew Murray the great South African teacher, writer and minister wrote these words –
“Christ’s life and work, His suffering and death, were founded on prayer – total dependence upon God the Father, trust in God, receiving from God, and surrendering to God. “ (The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer).
The Apostle Paul also understood the value of prayer and of spending time communing with God. When Paul was teaching the Ephesians about the importance of wearing the Armor of God, he included prayer as an essential part of that armor.
"Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints." - Ephesians 5:18 (NRSV)
Spiritual Formation Teacher, Dr. Richard Foster shares with us in his writings (Celebration of Discipline, Prayer) that one of the reasons perhaps we are hesitant to spend quality time in prayer is than we merely misunderstand prayer. We over think prayer. While at other times, Dr. Foster suggest that it may just mean that we don't want to be transformed through our prayers. You see, genuine prayer changes us. It changes us to be more and more like the LORD. We cannot spend time with the LORD and not be transformed.
At times we have a tendency to make prayer too hard. We may believe that we can’t find the right words or we don’t know how to properly approach God. The truth is the more we know God’s Word the more we become comfortable in prayer. For as you read the prayers of Abraham, Moses, David, Hezekiah, Isaiah and Daniel the more you understand that you can pray with an open heart, open mind and open soul. You don’t have to bottle up your emotions or even your wrong thoughts.
God invites us into His Presence to praise, to share sorrows and burdens, to complain, to argue and to bring our petitions. God invites us to bear our souls. At times that may mean us coming before Him with some rather raw and strong feelings. But, God doesn't walk away. Instead, He does the opposite. God comes closer to us. Our Heavenly Father can handle all of our humanness. He can absorb all our confusion and pain. God can even handle all of our arrogance and emotional baggage.
But as we do all of that, our LORD expects us to allow Him to join in on the conversation. Prayer is not a one sided line of communication; it is not a monologue. It is not merely our time to vent or to cast our anger onto God. It is a conversation. It is a time of learning. It is a time of oneness. It is a time of sharing time, space and life. It is a time in which we allow God to mold us and make us more like him. It is a time when we become friends sharing life together. It is a time when we learn how to hear Him, obey Him and be transformed by Him.
There is great power in true prayer. Prayer is not some mere ritual that we participate in and then check off the box. There is real raw power in prayer. There is connecting with the God of the Universe. There is linking with the Great I Am. There is communing with the One who hung the stars in place and who separated the seas from the land. There is life changing, life transforming and world shaking things that can happen in and through prayer.
James 5:16 tells us that the prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much. Elijah is given as an example of such a man. Elijah was a man whom God used to usher in a national Revival. He was a man whom God used to stop the rain, pull fire down from heaven and resuscitate a young boy. Elijah was empowered through his times of being with the LORD and used that power to help others.
In their book, The Battle Plan for Prayer, the Kendrick Brothers tell us that:
“Prayer is like a standing counseling session, 24/7, no appointment necessary. Just walk in and expect to find your Counselor – which is one of the ways Jesus described the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) – always fully understanding your situation and ready to impart timely wisdom. Even when the truth means confronting us with our sin, the truth also means reminding us of Christ’s righteousness, which covers it all with His grace and mercy, as well as the truth about our enemy’s certain demise (John 16:8-11). So in prayer, there’s no need for any secrets. There’s perfect honesty, perfect freedom, perfect forgiveness, and perfect confidence.” (pgs. 18 – 19)
So, where did all of this lead the Early Church? What did all this Bible study and prayer time lead the Church?
It led them to receiving Matthias. It enabled the Early Church to hear the LORD call Matthias into the office that was once held by Judas.
Some have conjectured that the Early Church missed the boat by electing Matthias. That the Early Church should have waited for the call of Saul/Paul. I don't think so. Given the fact that the Road to Damascus theophany happened around three years later one can understand that such a notion is without serious merit. The Early Church needed 12 leaders for the Day of Pentecost. They needed to display the New Age of Salvation as a fulfillment of the New Israel. They needed the office of Judas filled and so the Holy Spirit anointed the person that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit appointed. Matthias’ election was not a mistake. Matthias’ election was a result of Bible study, prayer and obedience.
however, our passage is both the first and last time we hear of Matthias in Scripture. There are bits and pieces of stories that speak of him in works like the Acts of Andrew and Matthias and the writings of Eusebius and Clement of Alexandria. All of these testify to Matthias' enthusiastic embrace of all that being an excellent Apostle involved. It is said that he was an excellent speaker and did the majority of his missionary work in the areas around modern day Georgia and beyond.
The one sure that we do know about Matthias is that he held the office of apostleship with honor, respect and integrity. We know that he helped the Church spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the rest of the world. We know that he was faithful in his task and followed in the paths of Jesus and was led by the Holy Spirit the rest of his life.
So, where does all of this led us? How does this all of this help us in our everyday lives? I mean after all we are not in line to vote on any apostle today or for that matter tomorrow as well.
But we do have to deal with things like:
+What school/trade school should we attend or our children attend?
+Do we need to take this new job or stay in our present job?
+Should we marry this person and share life with them here on earth?
+How large should our family be?
+Should we move near our children now that we have reached a certain age or do we do our best to stay independent?
+What will we do now that we are retired? Move? Take a part-time job? Travel? Take it as easy as possible?
+Should we sale our home and build/buy a new one over on the other side of town or just stay put and enjoy our present home and neighborhood?
+Should we continue to be involved in this church or start going to the big one downtown and just become a part of the crowd?
You see all of this is tied together. Big decision, middle sized decision and small decisions. Not all of them may require a week of prayer and fasting but the truth is if we saturate ourselves in God's Word and have a consistent and vibrant prayer relationship with God then we will better know what to do. We may not find a specific Bible verse to apply to each situation but the the Holy Spirit will guide us.
So, are you say that merely by reading the Bible and praying we can better know such things? That all we have to do is thumb through the Bible, find a verse and “Wah Lah” (Voila) we are done? That all I need to find is a promise verse, a proof text and say a few words and suddenly all the mist will be cleared and I will know how to do all I need to do.
No. That would be magic. That would be manipulating God’s Word and Will. That is more aligned to the way the ancients approached and dealt with the gods and goddesses.
No, what I believe Scripture is saying is this –
+Be a person who allows Scripture to saturate their heart/mind/soul
+Be a person who enjoys a deep and intimate prayer life with God
And then watch and wait and you will discover just how many times the Holy Spirit will lead you to make the right decision, to buy the right things and to live a way in which you are truly reflecting God's image to all those around you. Watch as the LORD uses you to show others what it means to be guided by and led by His Holy Spirit. Watch as the LORD blesses you and allows you to live a better way. Watch and receive God's wisdom, knowledge and revelation. Watch as the Bible comes alive and your times with God bring comfort, peace and strength.
This morning as we close - I wonder is there anyone here who needs some clearer instruction about something you are dealing with right now? I wonder if there is someone that would like to receive some God wisdom and direction? I wonder if there is someone who says - I need to put my life in the center of God's Will?
If that is you this morning as we close in song - our altars are open for you to come and spend time with the LORD. If you would like for someone to pray with you please let us know. Or if you would like to just be alone with the LORD then no one will bother you this morning.
Invitation/Song/Prayer and Blessing
Songs - THY WORD - Amy Grant
Word of God Speak - Mercy Me
