Acts 1:12-26
Acts 1
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“ ‘Let another take his office.’
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the
baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. 1
There is an oft-asked question among church goers today. It is a legitimate question asked from sincere desire. Yet, this question reveals something among Christians that reveals a gap in our disciple-making.
Before I go any further, let me ask you this question. “Have you ever been lost?”
Oswald Chambers, the storied devotional writer uses this illustration. Imagine you’re walking in the woods on a path. The only time you have to ask where is the path, is when you’re off the path.
What to do? Where to go? What is next?
And here’s that question Christians ask. That question that has somehow scurried up to the top of the list of “most asked questions by Christians” in our culture, if such a list were developed. A question that is elevated when individual experiences and personal preferences become the desire and the reasonings why people go to church and seek to follow God.
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 1:12–26). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
That question that often sounds innocent, but ultimately reveals that a basic tenet of biblical truth was not grasped. And I have asked this question. I imagine many of you have as well.
The question “What is God’s will for my life?”
This passage in the book of Acts seems at first just to be a narrative moving the story along from the ascension of Jesus into heaven and the launch of God’s church and a movement of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Yet, it is not filler. No words, no passage, no scripture is just filler. It’s intentional and needed.
Yet in this account, we see the disciples of Christ gathered. They have followed his instructions to go back to the city. They are waiting. They are in Jerusalem and go into an upper room. There’s a roll call of sorts and we see the names of the apostles in verse 13.
13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
That’s eleven. Eleven apostles. There were twelve, but Judas betrayed Christ, then hanged himself on a tree, the rope broke and his body landed on rocks and...it was gross and explained well in these verses.
This left eleven. But, as Peter and the others knew, there must be twelve. So, they needed to discover the man who was chosen by God to replace Judas. There were qualifications so this could not be a random selection.
This created a bit of a quandary for the disciples. They did not want to choose unwisely or put the wrong guy in the position. In fact, the guy whom they were replacing, from their perspective was great initially and not until the end was discovered by them to be a betrayer. Of course,
God knew Judas’s heart all along and his role was secured not by a bad election, but by God’s choice for his own glory.
The pressure is on. How can they know God’s will? How can they be sure they do the right thing? Going to a bookstore and buying a book with the title “How to find God’s will for my life” is not the answer. Writing “God’s will” on the white board in the Life Group class as a prayer request is not the answer. Getting coffee with a deacon or pastor and asking his opinion is not the answer. While these all may be used by God, they are not the answer. Nor are they the way to discover something that is not hidden anyway.
It seems that “God’s will” in modern Christianity is often considered equal to the ark of the covenant or the holy grail and we need an Indiana Jones to help us uncover it.
Yet, that is not the way. God gives the way to know here.
1. Lead with the known will of God. What is that? God’s will has not changed. It is not fluctuating with the times. His will is revealed and available in his Word.
The Bible is the authority and if Christians do not read, study, and ruminate over what has already been given, what happens?
Already answered questions will be asked.
For instance, it is not God’s will for you to cheat on your spouse and leave them for another.
It’s not God’s will for you to embezzle money or steal from the big corporation.
It’s not God’s will for you to cheat on your taxes.
It’s not God’s will for you to look at pornography or worse because you have “needs.”
It’s not God’s will to justify your sin. Never.
Peter and the disciples know there have to be twelve apostles (the sent out ones) because Christ selected twelve, then revealed that each would judge one of the tribes of Israel at the end of days. Twelve tribes means twelve apostles.
Not just anyone can be an apostle. They have to have been with Jesus while he walked the earth. They have to have been a witness of the resurrected Christ prior to the ascension. They have to be called by the Holy Spirit and able to perform signs and wonders through Him. This limits the number, but there are two who could qualify – Justus and Matthias.
2. Let the known will reveal the unknown will. While not everyone is called to be married (and to not be married in no way is second- class citizenship in God’s kingdom – see Paul) those who are to marry know that God has ordained this. This is known. What is unknown is whom to marry. That’s what the believer seeks.
The same is true for work. God wants you to work. He blessed this, right? But where?
For home. You have to live somewhere? But where? We live in a culture where people find a church based on where they buy/build a house. I actuality, it should probably be the other way around – people find a home near where God has called them to submit to covenant membership in a local church. That’s a sermon for another day.
The known in this story is that God desires twelve. The unknown is “who is number twelve?”
The known will reveal the unknown. You cannot start with the unknown will of God. You have to start with the known.
When you start with the unknown (which is what we often do) we end up with right answers to wrong questions. Then, what we believe to be our discovered “will of God” is simply our own will with a desired “bless me God” over it.
3. Listen to God’s clarifying voice. Prayer is not the least of these steps, and should actually be understood to saturate each, and it does. In prayer, read the Word seeking clarity on God’s revealed will. In prayer, seek God’s lead regarding that which has up to this point been unrevealed.
In prayer, seek clarity, peace, and step out in faith.
CLOSING
The will of God is not a mystery but can be mysterious. That faith step is still a faith step because not every upcoming event will be revealed. This requires trust.
Perfectionists will struggle with this. Those who struggle with fear of doing the wrong thing or anxiety may be paralyzed in the decision- making process.
This is not God’s will – that you never step forward in faith. What is God’s will is that you surrender to him as Lord, love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. It is God’s will that you be his child, his disciple, and that you make disciples.
This much is known.
