There’s No Such Thing As Luck
1. Parachute story-U.S. Airborne unit in Germany. Parachute drop zone next
to a Mercedes test track. Wind blew him onto track. Hard asphalt, braced
himself, no broken bones. Wind dragged him down track. Hit release. Car
speeding toward him. Ran to side. How lucky can I be. Turns and steps
into gopher hole and twists ankle.
2. Names-Lady Luck, Luck of the draw, Luck of the Irish. See a penny pick it
up.... If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all. Rather be lucky than
good. Rabbit’s foot, 4 leaf clover, lucky penny, birthstones, Goliath frog.
Bad Luck: break mirror, black cat, walk under ladder. Chance, happenstance
3. Lost and Found ad - Lost dog, brown fur, some missing due to mange,
blind in one eye, three legs, slightly arthritic, goes by name of Lucky.
4. Dict. Def.: the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s
life, as in shaping circumstances, events, and opportunities.
5. In our scripture, while the disciples were waiting for the Holy Spirit,
Peter and the others were searching the Scriptures, looking for guidance
as to what was going on and what to do.
6. Peter found that God knew all about Judas, it was no surprise to God.
Verse 20 verse 69:25 and verse 109:8 in Psalms
7. Peter takes it upon himself to direct the choosing of the new apostle.
Verses 21 & 22 We need to be careful with “therefore”. God knew
about Judas, betray Jesus, commit suicide, need to be replaced. God did
not say Peter needed to facilitate this. This was Peter’s deduction, Peter’s
“therefore”, Peter’s reasoning. Peter went ahead of God.
8. Peter added something God didn’t require. VERSE 21 Problem is, an
apostle is one chosen by Jesus (Acts 1:2) Peter did allow God to choose.
God must have felt like me on election day-only 2 choices. Verse 23
9. Peter didn’t get all the instructions. Connect part A to part B, AFTER.....
Peter messed up big time on this one. God had a person all picked out for
the position, but the time was not right. Peter was impatient. In that time
and culture 12 was considered complete. 11 was not. By the end of Acts,
there are 13 apostles, not twelve.
10. God picked someone the disciples would have never dreamed of,
someone they would have voted against unanimously. Saul-the man plotting
to destroy the church, who would meet Jesus on the road to Damascus,
witness Jesus resurrection, be chosen as an apostle by Jesus Himself. The
man who would become the Apostle Paul.
11. Verse 26 How many of you have ever cast lots? Bingo at get together.
small marked stones in a jar, chips with names in a bag, marked sticks.
12. Seems kind of like gambling. The modern day equivalent of “flipping
a coin”.
13. Casting lots is common in the Old Testament
Joshua 18:10
1 Chronicles 24:5
Proverbs 18:18
Jonah 1:7
Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but it’s every decision is
from the Lord.”
This is a key verse. In the Old Testament, lots were used to discover
God’s will.
14. Jewish people had long believed God used events of random chance
to reveal his will, since they felt he controlled all of life.
Dict. Def.: the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person’s
life, as in shaping circumstances, events, and opportunities.
15. As Christians, we know what that “force” is. It’s God.
16. God’s timing is perfect. Forklift through the truck cab story
17. Ride with Terry. Point about lottery ticket loser or woman held hostage.
Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t know. God has a
plan. We don’t know it. John 3:8 we see the effects of the wind.
18. Jesus in the boat in storm Jonah & the Big Fish
Eutychus falling out of window Joseph’s brothers going to Egypt
Lions, Tigers, and Bears did not eat the Antelope, Cows, and Pigs.
18. There’s no such thing as luck. Saying it was luck or attributing anything
to luck denies that God is in control. Saying: “Give credit where credit
is due” The credit for everything that happens to us is God’s. There’s
no such thing as luck, because God is alive and well. He cares
about us, and is involved in our lives.
