Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 07 April 2024, by Major Michael Ramsay
To
read a version of this sermon presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation
Army, 19 May 2013 click here: Sheepspeak:
sermons, articles, and papers: Acts 1:12-26: Show Us Which You Have Chosen
(sheepspeaks.blogspot.com)
To read a version of this sermon
presented to Toronto's Corps 614, 20 Sept 2015, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2015/09/acts-112-26-who-have-you-chosen.html
1) How do we choose an important
employee, manager, CEO, etc.? (Resume, ability)
2) How do we choose the Head of
State? (Heredity: intense job-training programme from the moment they are born)
3) How do we choose the Canadian
Idol, talent show winners and politicians in this country? (Popularity contest
AKA an election)
4) What is the traditional way
that one decides whether the one they fancy truly loves them or not: ‘she loves
me, she loves me not’? (Removing leaves from a flower)
5) How does one decide which
team is going to start with the ball in Canadian football or in a soccer game?
(Coin toss)
6) How does one decide where to
transfer Salvation Army Officers? (Prayer and fasting?)
Near the conclusion of Acts
Chapter 1, the disciples who have gathered in Jerusalem – about 120 of them –
are faced with a choice that needs to be made: they decide they need to choose
a successor to Judas. This raises a few questions.
1) The first question: Who is Judas?
2) Why do they need a successor to Judas?
3) The most important questions
inherent to the text: How should we make the important decisions that we have
to make in our life?
We have started studying Acts in
our Tuesday night Bible Study; so, in answering these questions, let's review a
little bit at the context of our pericope. Acts is the second book written by
the author Luke to his friend Theophilus. Can anyone tell me what is the name
of the first book Luke wrote to his friend Theophilus? (Luke.) The book of Acts
is a sequel to the book of Luke. It is a continuation of the story: The book of
Luke tells about Jesus and his followers prior to Jesus’ crucifixion,
resurrection and ascension. Acts picks up the story from where Luke finishes
off.
We read Acts 1:1-11 in the
meeting today. This recaps what Luke had earlier written to Theophilus. Acts
1:1-2, ‘In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do
and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.’
Luke then tells Theophilus that Jesus
reminded the believers to stay in Jerusalem and wait for God to fire the Holy
Spirit off like a starter pistol, equipping the believers to run to the ends of
the earth sharing this Gospel of Salvation with everyone they meet (Acts
1:1-11).
This brings us to the first of
our 3 questions: who was Judas?
Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’
inner circle of disciples. Judas was the treasurer for the group. He as placed
in charge of the disciples’ money. He is remembered as Jesus’ betrayer. He led
the Romans and the priests to Jesus and betrayed him with a kiss. Then Jesus
was led off to be killed. Then, with the money he was paid for helping arrest
Jesus –Verse 18 –bought and field and killed himself. (Acts 1:18-20; but cf. Mt
27:3-10).
This is sad and this brings us
to our second question: Why do the disciples need a successor to Judas?
They don’t replace any of the
other disciples when they die; so, why do they need to replace Judas when Judas
dies? Jesus tells us that “at the renewal of all things,” his twelve disciples
will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew
19:28, Luke 22:30). OT Scriptures, in particular the psalmist, also speak to
this: Psalm 69:25, 109:8.[1] John,
in the book of Revelation writes that at “the consummation of God’s redemption
as a ‘Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God’, having twelve
gates with ‘the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’ written on them and
twelve foundations with ‘the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb’ written
on them (Revelation 21:10, 12, 14).”[2] Israelite
tradition, Jesus’ teaching and subsequent Christian thought and belief record
that the apostles have a role still to play at the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus says that it is their job to judge the tribes of Israel after the
resurrection of the dead.
So then, it is not because Judas
died that he needs to be replaced because he will be raised on the last day
with all the rest of us and none of the other disciples were replaced when they
died. It is because Judas abrogated his responsibility, he forfeited his
position as one of the twelve judges of Israel when he betrayed Jesus - who is
Israel and the world’s Messiah - and then took his own life.[3] This
is why they need a twelfth apostle. As a side note, this is probably where
originates the idea that we should have 12 people sitting on juries to
determine innocence or guilt in court. Also some people say they chose wrong –
that Paul is actually the twelfth but, of course, God doesn’t make mistakes and
Paul doesn’t meet the basic criteria laid out in this chapter.
In our text then the disciples
have before them then two viable candidates who do meet the criteria, Acts
1:23-26, “Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then
they prayed, ‘Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You
have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where
he belongs.’ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added
to the eleven apostles.” Luke records that these people who are gathered
together in Jesus’ name when it comes time to make a decision pray, “Lord, You
know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen.”
This is important and this
brings us to our third and most important question today. How do we make
important decisions?
When our family was called by
God into full-time ministry with The Salvation Army, it was a tough decision.
We were first called as urban missionaries in Vancouver’s infamous downtown
eastside. Susan and I had two small children then. I had businesses both on the
Island and in Greater Vancouver; but my home; Susan, the kids; and our extended
families were all on the Island. I loved my businesses. I would have to give up
my businesses that I founded and raised almost like a first child in order to
enter the ministry and we would have to leave our long-time friends and
extended family.
We had to make a decision. We
could make an economic decision and stay on the Island with our house and our
businesses or we could say, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two [options]
You have chosen.” We could make a family decision and stay near the children’s
grandparents and at that time great-grandparents or we could pray, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have
chosen.” We could make a sentimental decision and stay by all that we have ever
known and loved on the Island or we could pray, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have
chosen.” As we are here today we obviously took the latter option as our way
forward. Praise the Lord; we followed Him into the mission field.
But our reliance on God is not a
one-time thing. There are still many more decisions that each and every one of
us are faced with everyday in our lives. And every time that we are faced with
a decision we have to decide whether we are going to try to decide on our own
or whether we are going to trust God to show us the way and then follow Him.
Every year the Army has to
declare whether we as Officers are going to stay in our communities or whether
we are going to be transferred. In any of these situations any of us can just
try to make up our own minds and say to the Lord that we are not going to do
what you or anyone else says; we can just rely on own devices to make the
decision ourselves whether to accept our orders or not; we can tell the
Lord to please bless the decision that we are about to make. But really - no
matter how skilled we are at making decisions - it is much better to
instead pray like the disciples in Acts 1, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have
chosen.” And then we need to wait to see how He actually responds.
When we don’t do this we can be
tricked into making the wrong choice. I remember once when I was living in a
different part of the country, there was an election. I prayed. I looked at the
various candidates in my riding. I checked out their resumes and past
experiences and there were two of the myriad people running who seemed to have
the prerequisite qualifications for the position, so I picked one and voted for
him. He was elected but no sooner was he elected then he immediately betrayed
those of us who voted for him by joining an opposing political party. He ran as
if he belonged to one party so everyone who voted for him thought they were
voting for a member of political party 'A' but as soon as he was elected,
before he was ever even sworn it, he defected to political party 'B'; so in
essence political party 'B' had the only two viable candidates in that riding
in that election. No matter how much effort I put into casting my ballot, like
everyone else who voted for this candidate, I was betrayed.
The disciples, in our passage
today, have before them then two viable candidates to replace the one who
betrayed Jesus, Acts 1:23-26, “Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus)
and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which
of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas
left to go where he belongs.’ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to
Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” Luke records that these
people who are gathered together in Jesus’ name when it comes time to make a
decision pray, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You
have chosen.”
This is important. How do we
make decisions that need to be made in our lives? Do we attempt to make up
our own minds or do we -like the disciples here- correctly attempt to discern
the will of the Lord.
The disciples, they don’t pray,
“Lord please bless our decision making process” and
then do whatever they see fit; they pray, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have
already chosen.” They don’t pray, “Lord, please help us to
make the right decision” and then do whatever they see fit; they pray,
“Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show
us which of these two You have already chosen.” They don’t pray,
“Lord, show us what we should do” and then do whatever
they see fit; they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of
these two You have already chosen.”
Do you see the difference? The
disciples, they don’t call a big meeting and pray for God to bless the
proceedings and then make up their own minds anyway after pouring over all of
the resumes, conducting interviews, checking references; they don't make
the decision all on their own and then ask God to bless it. Quite the opposite,
they pray, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us
which of these two You have already chosen.”
So what about us? When we are
faced with life’s choices how do we decide what to do? Do we pray and then make
up our own minds or do we ask for God to show us what he has already decided
and keep our eyes and ears open to see what he is showing us? This is the end
to which I would encourage us today. Whenever we are faced with a critical
decision let us each seek the will of God in our lives and let us each pray as
the disciples prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these
two you have already chosen.” And then let us actually
wait for His answer. I know that as we do, He will show us what He has already
chosen for our lives.
Let us pray.
---
[1] Cf.
Robert W. Wall, ‘Acts’ The New Interpreter’s Bible 10, (Nashville,
Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2002), 49-50.
[2] Richard
N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:Acts/Exposition of Acts/Introduction: The Constitutive Events of the
Christian Mission (1:1-2:41)/D. The Full Complement of Apostles (1:12-26)/2.
Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1:15-26), Book Version: 4.0.2
[3] Cf.
William H. William, ‘Acts’, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for
Teaching and Preaching, (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988), 23.
[4] I.
Howard Marshall: Acts: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 5),
S.71
[5] Cf.
Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:Acts/Exposition of Acts/Introduction: The Constitutive Events of the
Christian Mission (1:1-2:41)/D. The Full Complement of Apostles (1:12-26)/2.
Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1:15-26), Book Version: 4.0.2
[6] Cf.
Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘Acts’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan:
Baker Academic, 2007), 68.
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