Discerning the Will of God: Acts 1:12-26

DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD

Acts 1:12-26

Introduction: Billy Graham said, "The strongest principle of life and blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously…” Think about it, we all make choices every day. Do we consistently involve God in our decision making process? This week I was reminded of the Scripture that shaped the Reformation: “The just shall live by faith.” That means believing God, living by a commitment that says His Word is true and His way is best. As we seek God in fellowship with the Body of Christ and in submission to the Scriptures we will discern His will.  As we look at the Book of Acts again this morning, we will see the disciples making an important choice, who will replace Judas among the twelve and take his place of leadership?  The answer to that question will set the stage for the unfolding of God’s program for the early church. What do they do, and what can we learn from their decision making process?

The Big Idea: As we prayerfully act in submission to the Word and in fellowship with the faithful, God will guide our decisions.

I. The Foundation of Prayer: The Unity of the Body and Fellowship with God (1:12-14). “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet…  ¹⁴ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

             First of all, notice who was there as they gathered to seek God and His will (12,13): The eleven (Jesus’ hand-picked inner circle of disciples who would become His apostles), a group of faithful women (first witnesses of the resurrection and faithful followers), and Mary, His mother, and the brothers of Jesus.   The failures and doubts of the eleven less than two months earlier were history. Grace prevailed and they were here. Peter who three times denied Jesus among them, along with John who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested in the garden. The women, saved by grace, first witnesses to the resurrection, ever faithful, remained.  Mary, mentioned here for the last time in the Bible, alongside the other disciples, along with the Lord’s brothers (who had some doubts about their big brother earlier!).  At least one of them, James, would soon become a leader in the Jerusalem church.  What is the difference between this scene and what we saw at the arrest of Jesus until the tomb?  The uncertainty and doubts of the brothers, the pondering of these things in Mary’s heart, the scattered and cowardly disciples, all were transformed because of the historical fact of the resurrection. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone… The resurrection changed everything.

              What stands out about this group is their attitude, they were of “…one accord…” “One-mindedness” was a characteristic of this group, and something that we’ll see carrying through the book of Acts.  This great truth is a characteristic of New Testament Christianity. We are “One,” a family, brothers and sisters, members of the body of Christ.  Sometimes we fail to live in the light of that truth, but that is who we are.

             Paul would emphasize this truth in his writings, that is, positionally we are one. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free -- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).  Also to the Ephesians he wrote, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,  ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6). Verses 4-7 are quite clear in describing the unity of the body: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God and Father. That’s seven “ones.”: O.K., do the math, 1⁷=1 !  We are one. Since we are one, we must endeavor to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…” That means living in the light of who we are and what we have in Jesus.  Why is that important?

            Practically, unity in the body brings glory to God. The psalmist said it back in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”  Paul for example wrote, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,  ⁶ that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁷ Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (Romans 15:5-7). So Paul admonished his churches to strive for the unity that glorifies the Lord, ^“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:27). As we open Acts we see a united church, one in mind and Spirit, and united first of all, in prayer.

             The initial activity of the church was focused in this area of united prayer: “…in one accord in prayer and supplication…” One of the things that Luke emphasized in his Gospel was prayer. Jesus taught about prayer, and He set an example of prayer. Luke shows us that frequently Jesus withdrew from the busyness of life and ministry and spent time with the Father in prayer.  In fact, before every major decision and transition in His earthly life, Luke reminds us that Jesus prayed. The lesson is clear: if it was important for Jesus in his humanity to pray, how much more important and necessary is it for us to pray? And be assured that God hears and answers, as we prayerfully act in submission to the Word and in fellowship with the faithful, God will guide our decisions.

II. Acting in Obedience to the Word of God (1:15-23). “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (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… 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…”

       First of all, Luke wants us to know who was gathered in this prayer meeting.  Notice again the people God uses: “Peter stood up in their midst…” A sinner, a failure, three times denied Jesus on the night He was betrayed, restored by grace, rises to leadership. His earlier failure had not disqualified him, by grace he had been restored and by grace he would be used. In the first 12 chapters of Acts Peter is the key leader among the apostles (He takes the lead here in Acts 1, then he is the chief speaker among the apostles in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 4, Peter and John are out preaching Christ and are arrested and threatened.  In Acts 5, it is Peter who speaks as Ananias and Saphira come with their wrong hearted offering and are judged. Peter and John are preaching again in Acts 5 and arrested, and the Lord sends an angel to set them free. They continue to preach and are confronted by the Jewish authorities and are beaten.  And so it continues. In Acts 8, Peter and John must join Philip in Samaria for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10, while Peter is preaching in the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit falls on the gentiles. In Acts 11 Peter reports in great detail what had happened to the other leaders in Jerusalem).  Though he “departed to another place” at the end of chapter 12 he would return once more to give important input at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.  The point is God will use us, despite our weaknesses and failings, to accomplish His good purpose.

        As Peter is giving his “speech” to the assembled believers, notice the importance of knowing the Word: As Peter rises to speak, he appeals to Scripture. Jesus had taught the disciples the Word, and had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44,45). The Old Testament Scriptures in their entirety were the inspired Word of God and found their fulfillment in Jesus (see for example Luke 24:25-27). The disciples had come through a very disorienting time.  Just like we’ve been hearing in Sunday School, “It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t easy, but they got through it.”  Now God brings the Scripture to their remembrance at an opportune time. I remember hearing a saying early in my Christian life that has stayed with me: I think it was Howard Hendrix that quoted it, I am not sure if it was original to him: “Dusty Bibles always lead to dirty lives.” There’s a complimentary saying from the opposite direction, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”  Have you made a study of the Bible a part of your life?  We need to be in the Word, reading, praying, studying, listening to what God is telling us.  I get so much mail it is like “triage,” sorting through the “stuff” to find the important and urgent. The problem is, every now and then I miss something important and never open it! E-mail is even worse, I go through my inbox with one finger hovering over the delete key.  With the barrage of requests and information that we are overwhelmed with, it is easy to let time slip away and to neglect the most important written material that humans have ever received, the Bible.

      Remember, “the just shall live by faith.” That means believing God, taking Him at His word. We affirm the authority of the Word – There is no debate or question about the applicability or authority of Scripture. God said it. That is enough.  His Word is true, obedience is not an option for a follower of Jesus.

       So if the Bible is our authority, we are committed to obeying the Word (v.23). Faith means we believe God, we take Him at His word. Practically, it means we trust and obey. We see these believers hearing the Word, and acting in obedience to it.  As we prayerfully act in submission to the Word and in fellowship with the faithful, God will guide our decisions.

III. Giving the choice to God (1:24-26). The disciples pray, affirming God’s omniscience and asking for His will.

            First, they pray specifically – You sometimes hear children pray in very general terms, “God bless mommy and daddy, sister and brother, and everybody in the whole world, amen!”  That is OK for a child, but don’t hesitate getting specific in your prayers. They did here: “You O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show us which of these two you have chosen…”  They wanted God to guide them, to reveal His will, to help them to make the right decision.  They are saying, “We want your will to be done Father!”  Sometimes we can narrow the options when we have a decision to make.  Both of these jobs are possibilities Lord, which should I pursue? Should we buy the house? Home school, public school, or Christian School for the kids? We can make an argument of each one, but which is your will Father?

          Notice this: they are not trying to manipulate God into doing what they want. They are asking Him to show them what He wants. Recognizing God’s choice or His decision is what we should seek. It is not that we ask God His will and then decide if we’ll do it. Obedience is our desire, show us your will, Father. In other words, “Your will be done, on earth [and in my life!] as it is in heaven!”

           Well there is one detail here that seems a little strange. What’s the deal with drawing lots? This is an example of how we need to be discerning in how we read and apply the Bible. When we look at an event or a teaching we need to ask what is different in terms of the unfolding history of redemption between that situation and ours. Then we ask how it applies to us. As we study Acts we’ll need to pay attention to the unfolding drama of redemption and the transitional period in history that it is describing.  Remember here, the disciples are still on the other side of Pentecost. The Spirit has not been poured out, and technically, the New Testament church is not yet born. In this situation, as in the Old Testament, the casting of lots to discern the will of God was still valid. We never see this being practiced after Pentecost in the New Testament. Something changed when the believers were “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” When we turn to Paul’s letters we have his inspired explanation.

Today, we are led by the Spirit. In Romans Paul described “normative Christianity” when he said, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His…” (Rom 8:9,14). So we are led, but how? I’ve told a couple of you that in my experience when I’ve been faced with a big decision I wished God would give me an experience like Moses had at the burning bush. Just tell me Lord, and I’ll do it!  But so far, God has used much more subtle means to lead and direct in my decisions. He has given us some basic guidelines.

1) First of all, God leads through the Word – and so, like these disciples we need to be in the Word, searching the Scriptures to discern what God would have us to do. God will never contradict himself and will never ask us to do something that is contrary to His revealed word. Scripture trumps any “feeling” or “leading” you might think you are hearing. Your situation is not an exception, God’s Word is always true.  God wants us to love our spouses unselfishly, and to train up our children in the way of the Lord. He wants us to faithfully participate in a local church and to discover and use our gifts for the edification of the body. Stealing is never right, adultery is always sin, and hatred without cause is murder and cannot be justified. You get the idea. If God said it, that settles it.  

Right next to our discerning search of the Scripture I will include the godly counsel of other believers.  We see the church facing a big decision in Acts 15, an issue that could have divided the church: what do we do with these gentile believers? The church comes together, considers Scripture, evaluates circumstance and hears testimonies about what God is doing. Paul and Barnabas, Peter and James, they all share. And together they decide. We need each other. Iron sharpens iron. God may use others to help us see our circumstances in the light of God’s word and God’s work in us.

God also leads providentially through the circumstances of life (e.g. Acts 8:1,4). He is the Lord of history, and that includes our story.  We’ll see a dramatic example of this later in Acts as a persecution arises against the church in Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen. That was a bad thing perpetrated by unbelievers. Yet God works through those circumstances to accomplish His purpose: those who are scattered preach the word, and the program of bringing the Gospel to the Samaritans and the Gentiles which Jesus had announced in Acts 1:8 (cf. Matthew 28:18-20) begins to unfold on schedule. God opens doors, and He closes doors, and will make our paths straight as we trust Him. 

The final aspect of the leading of God in our decision making is by the inward prompting of the Holy Spirit.  I put this last since it is most subjective, and because we can so easily deceive ourselves, it should be subordinated to the first two. Certainly to the first, God’s Word takes priority. 

What is God saying to me in this passage? As we prayerfully act in submission to the Word and in fellowship with the faithful, God will guide our decisions.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Do you desire to know God more intimately, and to live at the center of His will for your life?  One lesson from this passage is that we cannot forsake the body. There is no New Testament model for “lone ranger” Christianity. We need to gather together, to benefit from each other’s gifts, to provoke one another to love and good works. And to pray together. Most of our small groups include a time for sharing prayer requests and praying together. Are you a part of a group?  We have at least twice a week when the church is invited to come together for prayer: Sunday morning at 8:30 AM, Stan Lewis leads us in a time of prayer, and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM we have a short devotional, and Sam Michael leads us in our prayer time. Prayer is also intended to be a significant part of our Wednesday morning men’s meeting at 6:30 AM.  Most of these prayer meetings are not packed. Have we forgotten the value of prayer? I don’t think so. I think we value our personal prayer time, but here we see the church praying together.  Consider the model of the New Testament church that we see in the Book of Acts. God has given us this record not only to tell what happened there and then, but to encourage us and teach us how He would have us to live here and now. May we determine this year to pray together, and all the more as the Day draws near.                                 AMEN.