Waiting on the Spirit
Acts 1:23-26
So they proposed two men: 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.
Thoughts for Today:
In Acts 1: 4-5 Jesus tells the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. He goes on to tell them they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, and they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
While the disciples were waiting on the Spirit, Peter stood up and suggested the 12th Apostle position should be filled. Personally, I think this was a mistake on his part. "Wait a minute," you say, "Didn’t you just point out the positive attributes of Peter’s leadership?" Yes I did, however, I believe God intended the 12th Apostle to be Paul. Matthias (the one chosen by the Apostles) is never mentioned again. Yet we all know the tremendous influence of Paul in the New Testament.
Think about how comical this must appear from the Lord’s perspective. The apostles (led by Peter) decide the 12th position is empty and therefore it needs to be filled (appropriately reasoned). The only problem is - it is they who chose the two men; cast lots; then declare it must be the Lord’s will. Clearly, the Lord had a different man in mind that wasn’t offered as an option. How often are we guilty of asking the Lord, "Should I go here or there?" What if the Lord’s intent for my life is neither of those two choices? So what’s my point? My main point is: When the Lord tells you to wait, you should wait on all decisions, not just the major ones. My secondary point is: No matter how badly we mess up when we’re trying to "help" the Lord, He is always in control.
Acts 1:15-1:26
The Importance Of Waiting On The Spirit
Acts 1:15-26
Introduction – Jesus has just ascended to Heaven. Before His ascension He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. This promise was the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Like always Peter couldn’t keep quiet. He once again exhibited his foot in mouth disease. Judas had betrayed Christ and Peter decided that it was time to fill the open position of Apostle.
Now you may look at this text and wonder where I am coming from. On the surface these verses seem to be describing a noble legitimate event. It is my opinion that this event should have never happened.
This text proves the fact that you must take the Bible in context. Many people make the mistake of just reading a portion of scripture and taking it for face value. We must look at the text within the context.
Jesus had told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait. He did not say go to Jerusalem and select another Apostle.
The sin of not waiting on the Lord is not a new one. It has been a factor in the lives of God’s people from the beginning and it continues today.
One of the greatest examples of this is a story in the life of King Saul. 1 Samuel 8:13-15 Saul became impatient and instead of waiting on Samuel he prepared a burnt offering himself. While this seemed like a good thing it was not his place to offer this sacrifice.
We are just as guilty as King Saul and the Apostle Peter. There are times in our lives when we do things that may not necessarily be bad. In fact they may even be good things. The fact of the matter we don’t always know what is best and we must wait upon the Lord!
A preacher friend of mine hired an associate pastor to work with his youth. The man seemed to be a Godly man and fit the description of what he was looking for perfectly. Another church was looking at this man as well and the preacher did not want to miss out on the opportunity to hire him. Not long after he was hired problems started and they never seemed to stop. My friend prayed to God to lead this man to resign. God told him “ I didn’t hire him you did” It was then that my friend realized that he had failed to pray about the hire and that he failed to wait upon the Lord.
Let’s look to our text to see “The Importance Of Waiting On God”
In These verses we will see some things that happen when we fail to wait on God. The first of these is:
I. There May Be Incorrect Suppositions v15-20
Let’s face it, there are times when we look at a situation and say “I need to do something about this”! I am thankful for those with that kind of attitude.
So many times we encounter those with the mindset that says “someone else will do it”. It is great that some people are willing to serve and willing to accomplish those things that God has commanded us to accomplish. But there are occasions when we must wait on the Lord’s instruction.
After his conversion on Damascus Rd. Paul asked the question “Lord, What wilt thou have me to do” And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Acts 9:6
Paul was willing but it was 3 days before the Lord sent Ananias to touch Paul.
Peter on the other hand recognized a need and just did what he thought needed to be done.
A. Peter’s Insightful Assessment - v16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
We must give Peter credit for the fact that he knew the scripture and apparently based his actions on the Word of God. He referred to the scripture in Psalms 69:25 & 109:8
Psalms 69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
Psalms 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
There are many things throughout the Word of God that must take place. But it is not always up to us to decide when and where.
Peter based his thoughts on the Word of God. Also the betrayal of Judas was something that affected the Apostles on a personal level. This was their friend, their personal companion and since the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry there had always been 12 of them.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t act when we see a need. What I do hope to learn from these verses is the importance of prayer and waiting for God in certain situations.
Did Peter wait? No he stood up and acted on what he perceived to be a major problem,
B. Peter’s Impatient Actions v15& 20
v15 ¶And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
v20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
Peter decided there was problem, that he was going to fix it, and he was going to fix it now!
Does that sound familiar? In many churches there are an abundance of people who are great at realizing where each and every problem is. Many times they will do what they feel is best to solve the problem. They have the mindset that the preachers and deacons can’t be trusted to handle this so I have to do it”! The next thing you know there is a huge mess to clean up because someone “handled things”
I am not saying that problems should be ignored. But I am saying that there is a right and wrong way to go about these things. And one of the key elements in this process is seeking and waiting on the Lord!
I know a church that always had had seven deacons. The church split and they lost four of them. Well the people had always had seven deacons and they were not content to only have three. So as a result they ordained four men, none of which lived up to the biblical standard of what a deacon should be. As you would imagine turmoil ensued shortly afterwards. Why? Because they were more worried about tradition than waiting on God.
Pastor Johnny Hunt tells as story about an associate that he had on staff. This man was causing division and harming the ministry of their church. The rest of the staff called a meeting with Pastor Johnny and revealed the problems that had occurred as a result of this individual. Bro. Hunt said that he did not fire this man immediately. Even though he was a troublemaker Bro. Hunt decided it best to seek the Lord and wait for His direction.
I used to have a Coach that would say “know your role and shut your pie hole” That may sound funny but in certain circumstances it is some great advice.
There are many time when we fail to wait on the Lord that we may make Incorrect suppositions. When we do this then we seem to always make Incorrect Suggestions.
II. There May Be Incorrect Suggestions v21-23
Peter made the mistake of assuming that Judas had to be replaced. He shared the already known fact that Judas had betrayed Christ and hung himself. Now he makes an Incorrect suggestion. The suggestion: to replace Judas.
A. The Procedure That Was Introduced - v21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Peter now suggests to the other Apostles that they take one of the men that had been with them throughout the ministry of Christ and select them to become the new Apostle.
must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection – I perceive this to be where Peter crossed the line. He says that one of these men MUST replace Judas. Says who? Peter?
This verse is where I realized the importance of this message. This verse shows us “The Importance Of Waiting On The Lord”
Acts 1:1 ¶The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
He had been with them, spoken to them, taught them about the Kingdom of God, He was with them for at least forty days. When Jesus left them He said go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Ghost. He even told them what to do after they received the Holy Ghost.
I have read several different translations and I have not found anywhere where Jesus said “while you are waiting replace Judas”!
The same is true for us. We do things the way we want and when we want them done. Many times we fail to wait on God. One thing we fail to realize is how this mindset affects other people. Peter failed to think of this as well.
B. The People That Were Involved - v23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Who are the people involved? There were approximately 120 disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus and the eleven Apostles. Two of the disciples were Joseph called Barsabas and Matthias.
Peter started this process but many were partakers in his actions.
I am sure there were some of the others in the group of 120 that thought to themselves “why didn’t they pick me. Then Joseph was probably very excited about the prospect of being a disciple just to have his dreams crushed.
We must realize that when we make decisions in our life it usually affects someone else. I am a father and a husband. Almost every decision that I make will affect my wife and kids. I am your pastor, many of the decisions that I make will affect this church and the people that are a part of it.
When we do things without waiting on the Lord it will cause problems not only for ourselves but for many other people that we sometimes are too selfish to think of when we are doing things.
A pig ate his fill of acorns under an oak tree and then started to root around the tree. A crow remarked, "You should not do this. If you lay bare the roots, the tree will wither and die." "Let it die," said the pig. "Who cares as long as there are acorns?" - Isn’t that how we are some times? We just do things without even giving a though about the consequences.
What about you? What choice are you about to make. Are you planning a career move? To purchase a new home or car? To leave your spouse? To quit or change churches? Whether it seems to be big or small take every decision you make to the Lord!
When I was younger I had a 30 year old Ford Pinto . One day I was out just killing time. I had nothing better to do so I stopped and test drove a new Cadillac . I began to talk to the salesman and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. What did I do? I bought the car. I woke up the next day walked outside and I asked myself the question “Why did you buy that car?” I didn’t really even like it! But I made the decision and I was the one who had to make the payment.So , I choose to do what ever it took to make those payment’s thus one bad decision lead to another bad decision ,,, One bad decision may take a long time to pay off or get over!
Once we have made an incorrect supposition and made an incorrect suggestion, other people will get on board with our ideas and together we will arrive at some incorrect solutions..
III. There May Be Incorrect Solutions v24-25
A. Their Good Intentions - v24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
These men did not set out to do anything wrong on purpose. I believe that they truly believed what they were doing was the right thing at the right time.
They even prayed about this situation. That is all well and good but when we pray to God we must be willing to wait on His answer.
We all have good intentions at times but that is not enough!
When a pastor resigns a church, the church will select a pastor search committee. In many cases the first meeting of the committee will go like this: Someone will stand and say “We want a young pastor” or “We want an older experienced pastor” one might say “we want a man with a seminary degree” and some will say “ we don’t want one with a seminary degree”. In many cases they decide that they want something totally different than the man who has just resigned. What ever happened to wanting the man that God wanted for the church?
Pastors have the same mindset at times. A story is told of a pastor that had been contacted by a pastor search committee. They had previously made him an offer and he turned them down. They decided that he was in fact the man for the job and called him back and offered him 10,000 dollars more than the previous one. He told them “let me pray about it and I will get back with you.” The preacher hung up the phone and shared with his wife what the conversation was about. He said to his wife “ I am going to go in the study and start praying, you go to the garage and start packing”
In both of the situations we have just mentioned the most important element is left out, GOD!
How many times this week have you made a major decision and failed to wait on the Lord?
B. Their General Indiscretion - v25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Casting Lots - The main reason for someone to cast lots was the neutrality of a certain decision. No one could argue that the decision was the result of politics, nepotism, favoritism, This process is basically the equivalent of casting of dice in our day.
In my opinion now that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct us in our life, there is no need for this to be apart of our lives today.
In the event described in these verses there was no way to really determine if this was truly Gods selection. When you choose two people and cast lots, someone will be chosen.
Conclusion: Many of you may be confused at this point as to what the problem is. I will explain. It is my belief that Matthias, though he was a good man, and do doubt a Godly man was NOT then nor ever an apostle!
Notice a couple of things concerning the requirement of an apostle:
1) They must be able to testify of Christ and of his resurrection from personal knowledge - John 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
2) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ - Luke 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Matthias may have been present throughout Jesus earthly ministry, He may have personally witnessed Jesus after His resurrection. But he was not called by Jesus!
I believe that if you look at the bible as a whole it is perfectly clear that Paul was the one chosen to be the 12th Apostle.
1. He witnessed Christ after His resurrection - Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
2. He was chosen by Jesus Himself –
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Galatians 1:1 ¶Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead ;)
What is the purpose of this message? To make us realize that good intentions are not enough. We must seek the direction of the Lord and wait on Him.
Learn to Read, Carry and Share the Word of God!
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Min. Johnathan Hester
