Serving In The Shadows Series

SERVING IN THE SHADOWS

Acts 1:15-26

(Antioch Baptist Church – Sunday March 9th, 2025)

Church history records the names of many devoted servants of God. The Book of Acts tells us about Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Mark, Luke, and many others. We know the names of notable preachers, pastors, and evangelists from days gone by; men such as Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, D.L Moody and more. Even in our generation we have been blessed by the service of men like Billy Graham, Adrian Rogers, Charles Stanley, R.C Sproul, John Macarthur, and many others. Many of us have read the biographies or heard the stories of missionaries such as William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Jim & Elisabeth Elliot, Lottie Moon, and Annie Armstrong.

We are indebted to many well-known men and women who have served the church throughout its history. However, some of the greatest servants of God are unknown to most of the world. There are many faithful Christians who work behind the scenes whose work is invaluable. I am referring to servants of God who do things that few people ever notice. These are people who witness boldly, labor fervently, and serve consistently. Often these men and women do so without any attention or public recognition.

Antioch Baptist Church is blessed with many people who fit this description, and they are no less important to the kingdom work than the men who pastor mega churches. In fact, some of them may have more rewards waiting for them in Heaven than some “ministry leaders” who are known all over the world.

The Bible gives us a wealth of information about the Apostles Peter & John. Often mentioned with them is John’s brother, James (the first Apostle to be martyred for his service to Christ). There are a certain passages that briefly mention Matthew, Andrew & Thomas. We are given a detailed description of the deceptive acts of Judas Iscariot. Interestingly, we are not given much specific information about James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, Bartholomew, or Philip. However, I would submit to you that though they may not be as well-known as the others, their service to the Lord and their impact on the Kingdom is no less important.

Furthermore, there were others who traveled with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry who were rarely mentioned, and their names are even not recorded in scripture but they are important, nonetheless. Two of those followers are about to step out of the shadows and their testimonies will be featured in our selected text; their names are Barsabbas & Matthias.

As the Apostles and the other followers of Christ spent time in prayer and waiting for the Holy Spirit, they sought the Lord’s guidance and made preparations for the future. Peter stood up and addressed this assembly. He referenced the dastardly acts of Judas Iscariot and using scripture proposed that they select someone to fill the position of Apostle. In his address, Peter reminded the people that the Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed. He said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." (v16-17). This prophecy was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Christ for 30 Pieces of silver.

Judas had been called to be a Disciple; he traveled with Jesus and His followers up until the night before His crucifixion. But recently, this deceiver conspired with the enemies of Christ and agreed to betray Him into their hands. After Jesus had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas arrived with a detachment of soldiers and betrayed the Savior with a kiss. Jesus was then seized, arrested, tried, and ultimately crucified.

Judas regretted what he had done, so much so that he attempted to return the blood money that he had received. After this, he went out and hanged himself. The chief priests took the money that Judas tried to return and bought a burial ground with it. Luke declares that Judas “purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.” It is believed that after Judas hung himself, the rope or the branch of the tree broke and Judas fell on the rocks below and his corpse burst open.

Peter explained to the assembly that Judas’ betrayal is what David was referring to in Psalm 69:25 when he said, “Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it.”. He then referenced Psalm 109:8 that says, “Let another take his office”. Peter understood this to mean that after Judas’ defection, a replacement must be appointed to fill his office.