Dale Gooding - Acts 1:12-26 https://youtu.be/eN_Kueo6B1g Acts is more than narrative. It is often a pattern or template giving precedent for Church methodology. So it is in the last half of chapter 1 where we find: 1. Apostolic Prayer meeting - Acts 1:12-14 2. Prophetic Fulfillment - Acts 1:15-20 3. Apostolic Selection - Acts 1:21-26 Here we see the 1st instance of Jesus still leading & building, but now from Heaven: 1. To Fulfill Scripture / Prophecy This was a Biblical mandate, highlighting the Authority of Scripture and demonstrating that ministry must submit to Scripture! 2. To Provide Leadership to His Church Things Luke is doing in this section: A. Informing Theophilus (a Gk.) of early events & particulars immediately following Jesus’ Ascension B. Enlightening Theophilus of Hebrew prophecy & OT expectations (Remember, Luke is writing “orderly” for “perfect understanding” - Lk. 1:3-4) C. Informing his future reader of the flow of events following Jesus’ Ascension D. He is, whether aware or not, revealing God’s design for The Church in the future (ministry selection / qualification) of early events and particulars immediately I. Apostolic Assembly Prayer Meeting - Acts 1:12-14 A) Their Return • In obedience to The Lord - Lk. 24:49 • A Sabbath’s Day’s journey - 3/4 mi • In an Upper Room - likely where the Passover meal took place • Composed of leaders & long time followers - take a moment to imagine these people, their dress, demeanor, etc - don’t pass this by B) Their Prayer • Unified - “in one accord” (vs. 14) • Devoted - constant, continual. A lot of serious prayer C) Their Diversity • More than the 11 • A large group - 120 • Women specifically noted (“the women and Mary”) • Jesus’ brothers mentioned! His 1/2 brothers vs. the brotherhood in Acts 1:15-16 Did Jesus make a special effort to ensure his 1/2 brothers were saved? - We don’t know that, but would His familial affection compel Him? - We do know they were not converted early and thought He had a demon - Mk. 3:21; Jn. 7:5 - Personally, I want to be careful, but I have added this to my pleas for God to save my son: “if You put special effort into Jesus’ 1/2 siblings, will you please put special effort in to my family?” II) Apostolic Announcement Scripture must be Fulfilled - Acts 1:15-20 A) Peter takes the Lead - Jesus says 1) He is the “rock” 2) “feed my sheep” - he IS a leader B) Scripture must (had to) be Fulfilled - Acts 1:16 1) A 12th Apostle was needed to provide, among other things, one to sit on a throne to judge Israel’s 12 Tribes. - Per Jesus in Luke 22:29-30 - Per Revelation 21:10,12,14 2) No successor was given after James’ death - Acts 12:1-2 since no one could have met the qualifications that late C) Judas’ Death: Luke parenthetically informing us for a reason ... 1) From the Psalms cited we find a parallel between Jesus and Judas with the Psalmist and his enemy - Ps 69:25,109:8 = The righteous man’s enemies hate him without reason = The unrighteous persecutor will face retribution 2) Judas’ death was tragic and horrific = rejection of The Christ, suicide, busted bowels III) Apostolic Assessment Picking a Preacher - Acts 1:21-26 A) 3 Qualifications; 1) A Male (“men” x2) - there were women there and they had been particularly mentioned earlier 2) Who had Accompanied them “since John’s baptism” an idiom for a long time in Jesus’ ministry 3) Who witnessed the resurrection B) The Qualified - Joseph & Matthias 1) Met these qualifications 2) Were proposed by the 11 (see Acts 1:21-22 “us” x3) C) Holy Spirit Called vs. self-will Acts 1:24 (Acts and NT will speak more to this progressively) 1) The Lord had called the 1st 12 2) It stands to reason He’d call Judas’ successor - The Holy Spirit will call future Elders and Overseers - Acts 20:28 3) This prevented Criticism of Matthias’ calling thru history Special Note: Complementarianism - Male Apostles/Pastors/Elders/Deacons - Brethren referred to all attending - Men is used for men/males (v21) - If Jesus wanted to choose Females He could, likely would have with 12 He could have here too as we know women were present (Acts 1:14) - Not cultural, it is Theological Part of the pattern / precedent we find in the book of Acts D) Jesus Leads from Heaven - “the lot fell on Matthias…” 1) Lots - Prov 16:33 2) Acts 1:26 - Lots = sticks. Like dice/die, but we do not see this again after the Holy Spirit comes in Acts 2 (again, God working from Heaven) Our text does several things for us: 1) The pattern for vocational ministry 2) Jesus is still leading from Heaven a) God The Holy Spirit spoke in the Psalms 69:25, 109:8; b) The Lord was sought - Acts 1:24 (“show who YOU have chosen”) c) The Lord answered (by lots) - Acts 1:26 3) God still “fulfills” the OT 4) The foolishness of denying Jesus 5) God will fulfill what Jesus taught & did We cannot miss though Peter’s interjection about Judas. Here is a graphic example of the price paid for rejecting Jesus as Savior; - A doomed life - suicide - Condemnation in eternal life John 17:12 - Judas is the son of perdition - Don’t miss it!