“When the Church is Expecting”
(Acts 1:9-26)
Series: The Church on Fire!
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson KY
(6-24-07) (AM)
- Take your Bibles and open to Acts, chapter one.
Last week we started a series through this explosive book of the Bible. If you missed the introductory message, you can pick up a handout at the door and get the message on the website at fbchenderson.org. For the past year now we’ve made available all sermons preached in the morning services, available both in print and in audio format. Our series is entitled, “The Church on Fire” because we read about a church ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit, carrying the Good News from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
By the way, this is a good time for us to review the key verse. Last time we learned that the key verse to the entire book is Acts 1:8. I challenged you to memorize this verse and told you I would test you today. Are you ready? Let’s recite it together—without looking at our Bibles!
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now stand as we read what happens after Jesus speaks those words.
- Stand in honor of the reading of the word of God.
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the apostles (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
- Pray.
Introduction:
Back before our children were born and Michele was pregnant she had a book that was helpful to her in the months preceding delivery. I used to see the book around the house and it appears to remain a popular book in the homes of mothers who are expecting today. It has a catchy title and I’ll bet some of you have seen it, too. It’s entitled, What to Expect when You’re Expecting. Isn’t that a great title? The book seeks to prepare mothers for the birth of their baby by answering common questions and even providing a month-by-month account of what mothers can expect while they’re expecting, what they can expect to happen in the days leading up to the birth of their baby.
I thought of that book as I studied the passage this week. What you have here in chapter one is an account of the days preceding the birth of the church. We’re going to see next time that Acts chapter 2 is the church’s birthday. Pentecost is the birthday of the church. It is at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles, equipping them with power to take the Good News and share it all over the world.
So there’s a sense in which the apostles here in chapter one are expecting. We saw last time in verses 4 and 5 that before Jesus ascends into heaven He tells them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes to them. So they’re expecting. They are awaiting what would be the day of birth for the church.
As we look more closely at these verses, we’ll learn from the apostles how to be a church with a sense of expectancy. Every time we gather together I hope we gather with a deep sense of reverence, awe and wonder about what God will do in us and through us. We gather together with expectant hearts. We look forward to God’s surprising us. Like the 300 little children coming to Vacation Bible School here this past week, we ought to come into this building with a sense of joy and wonder at what God will teach us each day. What does the church look like when the church has a sense of expectancy? How do her members behave? Number one, they:
I. Long for the Lord’s Presence (9-11)
Remember, Jesus has just spoken what we are calling the key verse of the entire book. He has just said in verse 8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” What happens next? Look at verse 9:
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
This is what we call the ascension, the ascension. Jesus literally ascended up into heaven to sit on His throne at the right hand of the Father. After He arose from the dead He appeared to many persons over a period of 40 days, then He spoke those last words to the apostles and then He went up into heaven. The Bible says, “a cloud received Him out of their sight.”
Imagine what that must have been like! I don’t know how many were gathered there on the Mount of Olives to witness that event, but it must have been quite a scene. And imagine what it must have been like on the other side of that cloud! All the host of heaven is gathered around to welcome home the one and only Savior and Lord. The Father on His throne and all the angels with celebratory music, and all the redeemed of all the ages bow and cheer as Jesus takes His seat at the right hand of the Father.
You think about that for a moment. There were a lot of people up there in heaven who were saved on credit, you know. They were those who lived before Jesus of Nazareth. Moses, Aaron, Samuel, David, Elijah, and everyone else living before the birth of Jesus were saved by believing in a Messiah who would come. Believers since the birth of Jesus are saved by believing in a Messiah who has come. Old Testament believers were saved by looking forward to the cross. New Testament believers are saved by looking back to the cross. So there were a lot of people up there in heaven who had been saved on credit, so to speak. They were looking forward to this Messiah who has now finished His work on Calvary’s cross and has returned to the glories of heaven and what a welcome reception He must have received.
But this side of heaven the apostles can only see Jesus going up into the cloud. The Bible says they “looked steadfastly” toward heaven as He went up. There is a longing in their gaze, a sort of serious, intent, fixation as if to wonder whether they would ever see Jesus again. There is a longing in their hearts to have the Lord Jesus Christ with them forever. So we have these angels:
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
That is, “Don’t be discouraged. He’s coming again. Just as you’ve seen Him exit, so you will see Him re-enter.” By the way, note that carefully when you search the Scriptures for explicit information about how Jesus will return. The Bible says nothing here about a secret return of Jesus Christ or of His coming in two phases. The angels state very clearly: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Just as you saw Him go, so you will see Him come again. His coming will be visible to everyone.
But what I really want to focus-in on here is the sense of longing in the hearts of the apostles. It is the longing in the apostles’ hearts that triggers the response of the angels. The apostles are acting as though they will never see their Lord again and that’s why the angels respond as they do.
I hope our church will always gather with a sense of expectancy, longing for the Lord’s presence in our worship services and in our Sunday school classes. I hope we’ll always be in prayer that God will be present in our midst in a way that defies explanation. I hope we’ll always pray, “Dear Lord Jesus, be with us in power and glory today.” But just as we long for His presence in Spirit, I hope we also long for His physical presence. Do you long for the return of Jesus Christ? Sometimes I think, “Wouldn’t it be great if the Lord returned today?!” He is returning again. He is coming back. I’m trying to be more intentional to meditate on heaven on a daily basis. I haven’t got there yet, but it remains a goal for me to discipline myself to take a few minutes of every day to think about heaven. What’s going on up there now? What will it be like when I get there? What will it be like to see Jesus? I believe when we orient our thinking that way then we’ll remember that all that really matters at the end of the day is not what Jesus thinks.
We have a sense of expectancy, expecting God to do great things in us and through us when we long for the Lord’s presence. Secondly, we can expect God to do great things in our church when we:
II. Love the Lord’s People (12-14)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
Remember from last time that Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Back at the end of his Gospel, in the last two verses of the book, Luke writes that the apostles returned to Jerusalem with “great joy” and that they were “continually in the temple praising and blessing God (Luke 24:52-53).” So there’s this sense of joy as the apostles return to Jerusalem.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Now as I read those verses over and over what struck me was the great love these apostles had for one another. The Bible says they “continued in one accord.” That means they were united. There was unity among these believers as they prayed for one another and sought God together.
Who is there? The apostles, some unnamed women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers. By the way, one of Jesus’ brothers was James. We started last Wednesday a very practical study of the book of James. James didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah until he saw Him after He was raised from the dead. That would make a believer out of anyone! I want to invite you to come Wednesday evenings to our Bible study following the evening meal and prayer time. We had a great time last Wednesday evening studying together and I look forward to going through the book of James with you.
So here are all of the apostles in one accord, in unity. They are united together in prayer and supplication for one another as they seek God together. It’s a beautiful picture of what the church is supposed to look like.
During Vacation Bible School this week, one of the songs the children learned underscores this kind of love for the Lord’s people we need to have in our church. Let me share with you these lyrics the kids sang this week. The name of the song is “One.” Here are the lyrics:
Being of one mind, having the same love, being of one accord, having the same heart;
Believing in one God, following one truth, believing in Jesus, doing what He says to do.
We pray for each other, serve one another, walk in unity, and care for each other’s needs;
Break bread together, brothers and sisters, hand in hand in the body of Christ, we become one.
And we will do nothing for our own glory, but in humility we will treat others as more important than ourselves.
First Baptist, if we’ll do what those words say, we can always expect God to do great things through this body! Look around here at your brothers and sisters. This is your family. By the grace of God we have a love for one another the devil cannot confound. So we must long for the Lord’s presence, love the Lord’s people, and thirdly:
III. Look for the Lord’s Plan (15-26)
The apostles sought God’s will in everything they did and we should, too. We should always ask, “God, what is Your plan for this church body? What would You have us do?” Watch this kind of spirit unfold as we read what Peter does.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the apostles (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
Peter leads the apostles to nominate a replacement for Judas. You remember that Judas was the one who had betrayed Jesus. Luke reminds us in the next two verses about Judas’ terrible fate after he betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
Luke adds the grisly details to Matthew’s account of Judas’s death. Matthew tells us that Judas hanged himself. Luke adds details that suggest either Judas’s rope breaks or his dead body is thrown into this field that was called the Field of Blood. Peter says this is all foretold prophetically in the book of Psalms:
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
So Peter leads the believers to nominate a man to replace Judas. Jesus had called 12 apostles so Peter seeks to bring the number back to 12.
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
Now watch this, watch how the apostles expect God to move. Watch how they look for the Lord’s plan in this:
24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
In those days casting lots was a popular way of seeking God’s guidance, of determining His plan in a certain thing. No one really knows with certainty what these lots looked like. They were probably short sticks that were thrown in such a way so that however they landed indicated how God was moving in a matter. Remember that the apostles are doing this before Pentecost. Once chapter 2 comes, we no longer read about God’s people seeking direction through the casting of lots. The reason, of course, is because the Holy Spirit has come to guide us. The Holy Spirit dwells within the Christian, guiding him or her in accordance with the Scriptures. The Bible and Spirit lead us to make wise decisions.
But the point I want to highlight here is the way the apostles pray in verse 24. The Bible says, “They prayed and said, ‘You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry . . .”
Do you see how they look for the Lord’s plan here? They gather together and seek God’s guidance for His church. They are not pushing their own agenda. They are saying, “God, You know everything. You know who should be the 12th apostle. So You just show us who it is.”
I remember feeling led to use this point the evening we voted to empower the Vision Team to look for property, either adjacent to our location or on some alternate site. We closed in prayer, praying as the apostles prayed here: “Lord, You know the hearts of all. You know everything. Show us what You are doing. Lead the Vision Team to discover where You are working so that we can join You in that work.” We must continue to pray that way today and we must always seek God’s plan in everything we do.
When the church is expecting, living with a sense of expectancy, we’ll long for the Lord’s presence, love the Lord’s people, and look for the Lord’s plan. If we’ll do that, God will honor and bless our efforts.
- Stand for prayer.
Invitation…
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.