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Acts 1:1–3 The Introduction
The Acts of The Holy Spirit
It is a great honor and privilege to open another book of the bible with you. Can we take care of a few housekeeping items you may want to know as we jump into this book? First, you’re going to need a bible to study the bible. We have bibles in the backs of the pews. If you don’t own a bible, I’d like you to take that home with you today. That is our gift to you. Friends Church loves the word of God and we know that we have been called to share His word.
Practically speaking, that might just be buying a bible for anyone who comes through our doors so please, in Jesus name, take a bible and know that you have our most sincere blessing and encouragement as you seek the Lord in His word. Second, I believe that you are going to want a journal as you go through the book of Acts. I have one here, I jot down thoughts and notes as I go through it. I believe it will be helpful for you. Whether that’s a phone, tablet, journal, something to take notes with. It’ll be so helpful for your journey through the book of Acts. Third, can I help shape your Hermeneutics for a moment? Hermeneutics is the science and art of interpreting the bible. It’s a science because there are rules to interpreting the bible. If we don’t know the rules, we come to some conclusions we weren’t intended to come to. My favorite case study is Philippians 4:13 here.
Do you know that verse? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. One of the most encouraging verses in the bible, would you agree? Yes, especially in its context. But here’s the thing, if that was a stand alone verse and we don’t have proper hermeneutics in place, then we could look at Christians and say, well, if you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, why don’t you just get up and fly right now? Just stand out of your seat and start flying! Nothing is impossible with God, get up and get going! And then we have to wrench other verses out of context as well to make our claim, and then it affects how we view ourselves and God because now the conclusion is, well God is perfect and I’m not so the problem has to be me, so the only conclusion is!… drum roll please… You don’t have enough faith! But don’t worry, you can go to some churches and for the low monthly price of $19.95 plus shipping and handling, we can get you enough faith! Oh Lord, restore hermeneutics to your church and let that not ever be said about us God! There is a science to it. Knowing when to apply those rules and in what context, well that’s what makes It also an art. It is a great gift to study God’s word, amen? Paul writes to Timothy and tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. We have a privilege and a responsibility to rightly interpret the word of God.
Here are the A,B,C’s of our hermeneutics or bible interpretation.
A- Authorial Intent: It can’t mean to me what it didn’t mean to them. The intent of the author was to say something. There was not 20 different interpretations, there is one interpretation with millions if not billions of applications of the text because God’s word is living and active. For example, Luke wrote Acts for an intended audience. That audience read Acts and it meant something to them. It cannot now mean something different to me if it never meant that to them. To put it another way for you: The bible was written for us, but the bible wasn’t written to us. Our great God is able to communicate through millenia in His word. The way we hold on to that meaning is through the intent of the Author Himself. This is key.
B- Begin to benefit from the word. The way we begin to benefit from God’s word is by putting certain things in order: Prayer, Observation, Interpretation, Application. We don’t pray before we open the word of God because it’s a good thing to do. Is it? Yes. But that’s not the reason. The reason we pray in bible study is because we are inviting the author of the bible, God Himself, to open His word and reveal His word to us. Next, we observe the text. There are many things to do in observation but you might want to start with a basic: Who, what, when, where, why? There are certain words that are flag words for what God is communicating to us. From there, we build out the interpretation, what was the author saying? And finally, the application of the text. How do I apply this to my life? We want to be changed by God’s word to be more like Jesus, amen? This is how we do it.
C- Context. Real estate is all about location, location, location. Bible study is all about context, context, context. We read in context. Don’t interpret a verse without knowing what the chapter and book is saying first. This matters so much. If We can stick to the ABC’s of hermeneutics, or bible study, we can keep ourselves from so many hardships. I want to help produce in us a people known for the way we value the word of God and the ways of Jesus. Not because I think it’s just a good thing, it is because I believe this is how we honor God and His word and live how He has called us to. We stay rooted in the word of God.
Prayer: Today we take a first look at the book of Acts. Before we get into the word of God, can we pray a blessing over our time together in this book? I feel that God wants us to prepare our hearts and minds to receive from Him this morning and there is something extra special about starting a new book of the bible together. Heavenly Father, We come before You with reverence and awe, humbling our hearts in Your presence. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of covenant faithfulness, who calls Your people to walk in Your ways. As we prepare to enter into the book of Acts, we acknowledge that it is through Your Spirit that we are able to see, hear, and understand the truths You have set before us. Lord, as our ancestors in the faith prepared themselves to receive Your Word, we too pause to prepare our hearts, souls, and minds.
We ask You to search us and know us. Cleanse us of any sin that would hinder us from hearing You. Remove distractions, doubts, and fears, that we might be wholly present to Your voice. Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who empowered the early church to proclaim the gospel with boldness and to live as witnesses of the resurrected Christ, we invite You now to fill us anew. We long to walk in the fullness of Your power, to be a people who seek Your kingdom first, and to embody the love, unity, and mission You call us to. Open our eyes, Lord, to see the glory of Your work in the Acts of the Apostles. Open our ears to hear the truth of Your Word spoken to us today. Open our hearts to be transformed by the message of Your kingdom and our hands to join in the mission of Your church. May we be moved by the same urgency and devotion as those who first carried the good news to the ends of the earth. Father, we thank You for Your Word, living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.
We thank You for the example of those who came before us, for their faith and faithfulness, and for the outpouring of Your Spirit upon them. May their story inspire us to greater obedience, deeper worship, and more courageous witness. As we begin this journey together as a church family, we declare our dependence upon You. Teach us, guide us, shape us, and send us. May Your name be glorified in all that we learn, in all that we do, and in all that we become. We surrender ourselves to You, our Sovereign King, and ask that You do a mighty work in us and through us for the sake of Your glory. In the name of Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior, we pray, amen. Please stand for the reading of God’s word:
Acts 1:1-3 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. We are only looking at three verses today because we are going to spend some time clarifying. When we start something new, clarity is very helpful, wouldn’t you agree? Our study of the text today will be mostly a study of the terminology as a way of introduction to Acts as to prepare us for this year in the book of Acts. This text is addressed to a Theophilus. And I believe that there was a man and even a group of people that this was originally written to, but I also know that this book is for anyone who would be a Theophilus. Theophilus is a name that means lover of God.
Do you love God, do you want to love God, do you want to learn to love God? There is no coincidence this morning that we are in the book of Acts, God is calling us to lean into His love and learn His ways today. Oh, Theophilus, this is for you! The first book, that is the Gospel of Luke, our friend, host, and author Luke the physician wrote about all that Jesus BEGAN to do. Now we get the opportunity to see all that Jesus through the Holy Spirit will continue to do. That is what the book of Acts is about, what Jesus, through the Holy Spirit will continue to do.
The text very clearly tells us that Jesus was taken up after he spent 40 days alive after the resurrection and was still teaching about the kingdom of God. This is the noteworthy piece: Jesus gives commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. There are a lot of church words being used here so can we take a moment and define what we are talking about so we are clear together? I’m going to park here today and we will do a good job in defining things we need for our journey through Acts.
Let’s start with this: If you are new, here’s what you may have missed in Luke about Jesus and for those of us who made it through Luke this is a refresher for us as a whole in approaching Acts.
Jesus: The only begotten Son of God, our Lord, who came to dwell among us. The second person of the trinity. The main Character, Catalyst, and King of the Scriptures. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; as we read in Luke. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven (That’s the portion we are reading right now), and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (We are almost in this portion). From there, He will come again to judge the living and the dead (waiting for this!!). -Apostles Creed. Annotated for the reminder of Friends Church. Is that a helpful recap on Jesus? I hope so! All verifiable from your bible. This is Jesus, fully God and fully man, who we worship and follow. Let’s move on to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit: is the third person of the Trinity, fully God, who actively works in creation, redemption, and sanctification. He is the presence of God dwelling with His people, empowering, guiding, teaching, convicting, and sealing them for salvation. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ and applies His work to the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit is not “the force.” That’s Star Wars. This is church.
Allow me a quick rant in our introduction to Acts, this is going to matter. Let me build out a full breakdown for you here. If you miss some of this or feel that this isn’t clear enough for you today, or want the Scripture references, please come talk to me after or go back to the recording because I believe this is going to matter so much for our understanding of Acts.
The Holy Spirit is Co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). He Possesses divine attributes such as omniscience (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), omnipresence (Psalm 139:7), and omnipotence (Luke 1:35). He has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), intellect (Romans 8:27), and emotions (Ephesians 4:30). He speaks (Acts 13:2), teaches (John 14:26), and intercedes (Romans 8:26-27). Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11).
Regenerates and gives new life (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5). Seals believers as a guarantee of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Dwells within believers, making their bodies a temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Produces fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).
Empowers us to live holy lives (Romans 8:11-14). Equips all believers with spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Guides and directs God’s people (Acts 8:29; Romans 8:14). Enables boldness and power for witness (Acts 1:8). Points people to Jesus (John 15:26; John 16:14). And Illuminates the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-16; John 16:13). This is what the Holy Spirit does. Now, I want to clarify. We believe in the work of God and the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We affirm all of this!
And we pray that God works in our church and uses the gifts He bestows in our church! I love this! Yes! I’m even ok with when it gets a bit weird, that’s the book of Acts in a nutshell, Weird God things that happen and can only be attributed to God. you’ll see this over and over! My warning is this: God has called us as a people to guard the good deposit, and calls us into Spiritual maturity.
The Holy Spirit is not a tool to be used, but God Himself, who dwells within us to guide, convict, and empower us for His glory according to His will. Maturity in God’s word is what removes the obstacles we want to put in front of this statement. On one side you have people who want the Holy Spirit to be put in a box. No gifts, no miracles, no book of Acts or any of the epistles for that matter. That’s a spiritually immature approach to God, but it is safe and I understand that. I believe it to be an improper understanding of God’s word.
On the other side, you have Holy Spirit being wielded as a tool with no understanding, boundaries, or order and it is not according to His will and it might be for your glory and not the Lord’s. We are in great danger as a church from both of these views that are not biblical. Test the Spirits as we are commanded to do and make sure “the dream” or “vision” or “word from the Lord” is not just a case of not drinking enough water, bad pizza, or even worse desire to see things happen according to your timing and your will. There’s a name for that last one, it’s called spiritual manipulation.
We will not stand for it as a people of God. There’s nothing that gets my shepherd’s heart more fired up to ward off wolves than the spiritual manipulation of people by taking the Lord’s name in vain. “The Lord told me,” “God said this,” be very careful to use His name in this way. The third commandment is clear: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.This is again why our hermeneutics matter. Let’s talk about Apostles as our last clarifying point in Acts.
Apostle: A messenger and representative sent by God (Literal definition is “sent ones”) commissioned with authority to proclaim the gospel, establish and build up the Church, and bear witness to Jesus Christ, often through signs, wonders, and teaching. In the New Testament, the title is primarily used for the Twelve chosen by Jesus who encountered the risen Christ and were foundational to the early Church. Were there other apostles? Yes. Most of those were what we call today missionaries. The twelve apostles are set and we aren’t ordaining any more apostles. We have also misused this in some churches so for that reason we are clarifying here. If someone approaches you as an apostle today please let them kindly know that you are a part of a bible teaching and believing church and we do not need whatever they are selling.
Conclusion: the book of Acts isn’t just a historical account—it’s a living invitation to step into the story of God’s unstoppable mission. It’s a front-row seat to witness ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary Spirit, transforming the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we dive into this book, we’ll see courage that defies persecution, unity that overcomes division, and a God who works through His Church to accomplish the impossible.
Acts reminds us that this mission didn’t end with the apostles—it continues today, and we are a part of it. So, get ready to be challenged, inspired, and equipped as we walk through the story of Acts, a story that has the power to ignite your faith and change your world. It’s also going to ground us in all we need to know of God’s mission and how we join Him to love God and love people, until this whole valley knows! Let’s worship together.
Acts 1:12–26 - The Ascension and the Promise of the Holy Spirit/Choosing Matthias
Acts 1:4-26
I want to bring something up as a thought for our time together today in the word. I feel that God has impressed it upon my heart personally, through current testimonies here at our church, and especially as we are in Acts 1 still this morning. Here’s a common thought that is voiced in churches today: “We need to get back to being like the early church! They got it right!”
And I agree with the sentiment. What the early church got right was their fierce reliance upon Jesus Christ, their strict adherence to the word of God, and their operation in the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the appeal to this line of thought sort of begs the question: Have we got it wrong? “Church nowadays, or the western church, or the American church” we’ve got it wrong and so we have to go back to the way it used to be. I don’t like bullies and I don’t want to be a bully pastor. I don’t want to attack other denominations or other churches or other styles in a way to try and position ourselves as better than or “holier than thou.”
There is no perfect church this side of heaven. If you find one, don’t join it. Because by default all of us would ruin it with our sin. It’s very clear how we are to approach other Christians, we judge the fruit of each other’s lives. You want to know how my walk with the Lord is going? You might look at Sunday morning and say well, he’s got it together because he’s preaching! That might be a part of the fruit of my life, but it’s not the big game. This is a “get to” in my relationship with Jesus. Ask my wife and ask my kids! That’s the big game! And you’ll get a more honest answer too! We also have the weight of an outside world looking in.
And those who don’t know Jesus will commonly say, “you guys are hypocrites! Practice what you preach!” And if we are honest with ourselves, a portion of this is true. We take it on the chin and keep moving forward. The early church, by way of reminder, didn’t have it all figured out either. In this first chapter of Acts, We see the leader of the church take off, Jesus Himself, angels show up to tell them to get on with the mission, they’re praying and realize the wake of destruction in the early church caused by Judas leaving the faith, betraying Jesus, having Him killed, and now they have to make a hard decision.
They have to choose a replacement for the highest position in the church at that point so they can carry on while the whole entire city knows why! The field where he died is known as the field of blood because he committed suicide there, and it was bought with blood money. And now let’s go tell that whole town to follow Jesus. They’re probably thinking, “Gosh, if following Jesus leads to suicide in a field, I’m good, buddy! Miss me with that Jesus stuff!”
What I’m saying is this, I came in these doors this morning with my own physical, mental, spiritual, financial, and emotional baggage. So did all of you. And we aren’t a group of people who are saying, “Check your baggage in at the door, put on a smile and play church.” No, this is a place where all sinners are welcome to meet the King, flourish in their relationship with Him, and help others do the same. There are two kinds of people: Sinners and sinless. And the last time I checked, there is one person in the sinless camp and His name is Jesus Christ. That means for all of the rest of us, we are in this together, we aren’t competing for “who’s poop smells the least.”
I know my sin better than anyone else. I am a victim and I am an abuser. I have been wronged and I have wronged others. I am not a good person who deserves heaven. This life is a struggle. There is constant suffering and this is the way of the world. The church stands to say what Jesus has always said, There’s another way. There is the way of the kingdom of God. There’s the way of forgiveness. Someone once said that genuine forgiveness requires blood on the floor. Why?
Because something has to die for forgiveness to happen. It might be the death of my pride and ego, the death of expectations, bitterness, my temper; something must die. The point is, forgiveness requires suffering either for the offender or forgiver. For us who have been forgiven much because of what Jesus did, we realize that what died was the Son of God. The blood that was spilled was the blood of Jesus Christ. And now, I am a new creation. I am righteous because of what He has done. I have worth because I have been made in His image. All that I am is because of who Christ is and what He has done for me. So maybe what the world would see as hypocrisy is just a guy like me: a sinner who needs grace just to survive.
I know the crushing weight of my own sin, and I can’t change a lot of it, and I’ve been hurt and I’ve hurt people, and I don’t have a way to make it right. And I’m trying to follow Jesus with everything that I am. And I’m trying to break the cycle of generational sin in my life and in my family’s life. And I am not good enough and it’s not working all the time or on the timeline I’d like it to work on. But that’s not why I come to church, to pretend it’s ok and wear a fake smile. No, I’m going to walk in the joy of my salvation. I’m going to lean into the hope of heaven. I’m going to be lavished in the grace of Jesus Christ my risen Savior.
I’m trying to do what the early church did: I want a fierce reliance upon Jesus Christ, a strict adherence to the word of God, and I want to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I’m going to fail. And Jesus is going to be there and comfort and counsel me all the days of my life. And that’s why I think the early church got it right. They had all the same problems I have, and they clung to the same solution I have in Jesus Christ.
Let’s read God’s word together as a salve for our wounds today and as we rejoice together in the goodness of our God, amen?
Holy Spirit and Final Question to Jesus on Earth
V4-5
Let’s look at how powerful this portion of Scripture is. You have Jesus saying wait on the promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit. In one key portion of the text, the inception of the mission of God becoming the mission of the church, you have the Father decreeing it, carried out by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Does the word Trinity ring a bell? This is why we believe in the trinity, because it is all over the bible. The promise of the Father, which concluded the book of Luke is now the starting point in the book of Acts and sets the stage for all that will happen. You should be thinking about Luke and the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel right now. We are forging a bond here between the kingdom of God and the Spirit; meaning the beginning of God’s reign, seeking and saving the lost, now coincides with the Spirit’s presence in God’s people as it was foretold. God is on the move, and His people will be empowered to do His work.
V6-7
We now have the question posed? Lord, Will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? This matters so deeply to the equation for a few reasons. Let’s break down the question: 1. They use the term Lord for Jesus. They are making a claim that Jesus is God here and has the ability to restore the kingdom of Israel. Can’t miss that. The early church believed Jesus to be God and there is no question about that. 2. “When” is the true question. They rightly interpreted that the new covenant includes the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. So they got a lot of this right! They are reading their bibles and they are fully aware of what should be coming down the pipe. And Here is Jesus’ response: It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. Acts 1:7 Thank you for that gentle smack in the face, Jesus, may I have another? The Lord knows when the end of days is. Jesus doesn’t directly tell them “no” nor does He deny their hope, but He does qualify and correct it. He says, you’re right, it’s not a matter of “if” but of “when” and now Jesus says this is a matter of divine timing not your own. Frankly, it’s none of the Apostle’s business and it’s above their pay grade. I am so comfortable in this! We cannot know it and it’s above our paygrade, friends. Let’s take comfort in the Father knowing and us not knowing. Can you take comfort in that today? It’s not your job to try and solve when Jesus is coming back. It is your job to obey Him and live out His mission. Let’s stop spinning our wheels on these things and pour ourselves into the mission that Jesus does clearly state and gives us. Here it is: can we read this together out loud?
Commissioned with Power to Witness
V8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8
You will receive power! This is it my friends! The promise of Jesus to His people. How are you going to get the job done? Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. He’s not talking about pumping iron here, he’s talking about the Spirit of God coming upon you to make you a witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In this key verse for life and ministry, Luke lays out a very clear approach to how Acts is written for us:
Acts 1-7: Jerusalem
Acts 8-12 Judea and Samaria
Acts 13-28 The ends of the earth
Now that’s not all He’s doing here. This is a commission. Jesus isn’t saying, hey you guys should try witnessing here in jerusalem, and then check out the neighbors see if they could use a little witnessing and then fan out a bit more. NO! This is not a recommendation from Jesus, this is a fact: you shall be my witnesses!
The requirements for faithful witness is being filled with the Holy Spirit and to go do it! Right? The word witness shouldn’t be lost on us, either. This word is significant. In Greek it’s the word Martoos. It’s where we get the word Martyr from. They were to be witnesses no matter what came their way. These were very unique witnesses as we will see, but we are called in the same way to witness Christ in all that we think, act, and speak. This where we get our call as a church to love God and love people until the whole valley knows. This area becomes our Jerusalem. We are committed to our Jerusalem. Is God doing things elsewhere, absolutely! Will God call some of us to go out of this valley? Absolutely! But as a church we are committed to doing what Jesus has called us to do right here. This is our focus.
The Ascension
V9-11
We see the ascension. With those final words of Jesus, the focus now shifts from what Jesus is doing here on earth to now how Jesus leads through the working of the Holy Spirit in and through the Apostles. Jesus is taken up. I love that the ascension is also linked to a promise. Did you see what the angels tell them when Jesus has his beam me up scotty moment? They are standing there looking up into heaven and they clearly tell them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11 Jesus is coming back again my friends. This is the truth we live in today, amen? He is coming back and we are to be found doing His work not standing around looking up into heaven questioning when, or did He really say He’s coming back? I think it would be wise for us to take Jesus’ earlier words when talking about the when of the return of Jesus: “It is not for you to know.”
The Devotion, Dialogue, and Decision
V12-14
I love the scene we get next. The disciples walk from the mount of olives, a sabbath days journey. This is about ¾ of a mile. That was what they were allowed to walk without it being considered work on the sabbath. It was just a way of measuring back then. What’s important is that Luke is trying to show us that they are being obedient to Jesus in not leaving Jerusalem like He commanded. So now they are in the upper room waiting. What I love about this, is what they did in the waiting. They devoted themselves together in prayer in the upper room.
This is a very beautiful passage and display of how we wait on the Lord. Luke is pointing to a few themes for us to focus on here. The word translated together or of one accord highlights 1 the unity of the believers and 2 shares about the importance of faithfulness and finally 3 the theme of prayer. We have the 11 apostles mentioned here with a few others namely, the women which are probably some amazing disciples and the wives of these Apostles as well as Mary Jesus’ mother, and His brothers and sisters. This is huge.
Their faithfulness, their unity, and their prayers extend to all without respect for age, gender, title, none of it hinders them from being the church. Another portion we need to take note of is Jesus’ mom as well as His half brothers and sisters are there worshipping Him through prayer. The last time we saw Jesus’ brothers they weren’t believers and now the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus brings them to salvation. We know James will go on to lead the Jerusalem church as its pastor and write the book of James later in our bible.
And Mary was broken at the crucifixion and here she is now still grieving yet walking in the work of the ministry as a disciple of Jesus. This is a powerful text to show us how we function as a church in seasons of waiting, how we deal with transition, and how we treat those who are hurting.
- We commit ourselves to Jesus with everything we’ve got.
- We join in fellowship. We don’t isolate ourselves.
- We seek God in His word.
- We pray until He answers.
This is how we do what God has called us to do. This is hard to do. And yet there is no greater thing to do in this life than to remain faithful to Jesus. It’s what causes Peter to respond in this way.
V15-20
Peter stands up and gives a speech to the believers. The Speech. There’s a hard reality of the early church. A main follower of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, committed suicide and it’s known by the entire city of Jerusalem. What is powerful to me about this portion of text is this line here, “For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” Acts 1:17. Jesus never treated Judas differently. Jesus numbered Judas among them and allotted a share in the ministry. Jesus loved Judas. And you know what, Judas and Peter have a lot of the same story. They both betrayed Jesus when He needed them the most. This story must’ve been so heavy on Peter’s heart. He knew his own sin better than anyone else and he probably looked at Judas and that field of blood and thought, that should’ve been me! I deserve that death that Judas died for what I did!
That is me apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ. The difference was a matter of days between their stories. Judas isolates, deals with his guilt and shame alone, stops seeking after Jesus, stops praying, stops getting in the word, and comes to the decision that it’d be better to take his own life. If you’re feeling this way today whether you’re in person or online know that you are not alone. I wrote this next part through tears and I believe there is someone here today that needs to hear this: There’s another way! There is the way of the kingdom of God. There’s the way of forgiveness. Something does need to die, yes!
And He did, His name is Jesus. You are worthy! You are loved! Your God knows your struggle and knows your shame and says He’s already died for that! This life is worth living today for Him. You have been numbered among us and you have your share in His ministry, come to Jesus today. There’s another way. After sharing all of this Peter comes to conclusion that they need to fill this role, the 12th apostle. Not because Judas died, but because He rejected Christ. Someone once said that there’s an uncertainty, awkwardness, and powerlessness that seem to mark the episode between Jesus’ ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit. There’s this sort of dark undertone to a really joyful anticipation and work of God. it’s not one or the other. We live in that place so many times in life, right?
That in between moments where Jesus is gone, and so they pray together, listen to scripture together, they seek the will of God together. And they use what they know. They casted lots which is an ancient version of a coin toss. They’d take your name and write it on a stone and shake them around until a name fell out and that was what they did. Here’s the solace we can take in Scripture from our twelfth Apostle being decided by a coin toss: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:33 This was an ancient way of deciding the will of God but it wasn’t without prayer, the word of God, fellowship and a commitment to Jesus with everything they were and had. I don’t adhere to the thought that everything is determined by God or that we determine everything.
V21-26
After Peter’s speech is finished, the only thing left to do is make the selection for Judas’s replacement. There were specific requirements for who they are looking for:
one of the men who have accompanied the apostles during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up.
He must in particular be a witness to the resurrection, as the other apostles were.
They wanted to make sure that the person replacing Judas was just like them and knew the whole story. There were many that followed Jesus but it seemed that few were able to meet these requirements, only two. My favorite part about this is a fierce reliance upon Jesus, notice it in this verse: You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.
Acts 1:24-25 The scriptures hold a healthy tension that we make decisions and God establishes things and I have to do my best to rest in His faithfulness while remaining faithful. There seems to be no other way to navigate life.
Invite the worship team up
As we close today, I want us to reflect on the beauty of God’s faithfulness even in the midst of human failure. Acts 1 is a picture of what it means to live in the tension between the already and the not yet—the work of Jesus already finished on the cross and the work of the Spirit yet to be fully realized in His people. It’s a reminder that while we wait, we don’t wait passively. The early church didn’t have all the answers, and neither do we, but they did what we are called to do: they devoted themselves to prayer, sought God’s will in His word, and leaned into the mission with everything they had.
We’re not perfect people, and this isn’t a perfect church. But we are a people marked by the grace of a perfect Savior, empowered by His Spirit to be witnesses in a broken world. Just like the disciples, we may not always get it right. We’ll stumble, we’ll wrestle, and sometimes we’ll feel the weight of the waiting. But in those moments, we cling to the truth of who Jesus is and the promise of His return.
Friends, let’s leave here today with a fierce reliance on Jesus Christ, a firm commitment to His word, and a bold dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s walk in unity, stand on His promises, and move forward with confidence that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. The church isn’t about pretending we have it all together; it’s about pointing to the One who holds all things together.
So, let’s go out and be His witnesses—right here in our Jerusalem, in the Ohio valley where He’s placed us, and wherever He may lead us. Let’s live, love, and labor until the whole valley knows that there is another way. His name is Jesus, and He is worthy of it all.
