Journey Through Acts

Lesson 5

Acts 1:20-26

Judas’ Replacement.

1. Will the 12th disciple stand up.
   1. Who will it be?
      1. Paul or Matthias?
      2. 12 are needed to fulfill the scripture.
      3. Acts 1:20 (ESV) — 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “ ‘Let another take his office.’
      4.  
   2. Prophecy from Psalms.
      1. Psalm 69:25 (NLT) — 25 Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted.
      2. Psalm 109:6–8 (NLT) — 6 They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial. 7 When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins. 8 Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.
   3. Prophecy from Jesus.
      1. Matthew 19:28 (NLT) — 28 Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
      2. The world made new.
         1. Revelation 21:1–2 (NLT) — 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
   4. Sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
      1. You should ask why isn’t this Paul.
      2. Romans 11:13 (NLT) — 13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,
      3. Paul had his own mission and is not numbered with the 12.
      4. There are not 13 disciples but only 12.
      5. Paul is still an apostle with all authority given to apostles.
      6. He will not rule over the 12 tribes.
      7. Here’s why.
2. Requirements of an apostle.
   1. Traveling with Jesus.
      1. Remember they walked everywhere.
      2. These men had given up their careers and followed Jesus.
      3. It would have not been an easy choice.
      4. Matthew 8:18–22 (NIV) — 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
   2. A follower from the beginning. (1)
      1. Acts 1:21–22 (NLT) — 21 “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus—22 from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”
      2. This was not Paul.
   3. A witness of the resurrection. (2)
      1. He must have seen the resurrected Christ.
      2. The resurrection was a central theme of apostolic preaching.
      3. Acts 2:24 (NLT) — 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
      4. Acts 5:30 (NLT) — 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.
      5. Acts 10:40–41 (NLT) — 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
      6. Acts 13:30 (NLT) — 30 But God raised him from the dead!
      7. All the apostles were to be personal eyewitnesses of the risen Lord.
   4. Two men met those requirements.
      1. Acts 1:23 (NLT) — 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
      2. Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus)
      3. Matthias
      4. Nothing is known of either individual.
   5. Chosen by the Lord. (3)
      1. Acts 1:24–25 (NLT) — 24 Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25 as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”
         1. This is a shocking and sobering statement.
         2. Judas, and all others who go to hell, belong there; it is the place of their ownchoosing.
         3. It belongs to them, and they to it!
      2. The fact that they prayed for the Lord to choose Judas’s replacement offers further proof that the choice of Matthias was no mistake.
      3. The Lord could have answered their prayers by telling them to wait, then added Paul to the ranks of the twelve, if that had been His plan.
   6. A roll of the dice. (4)
      1. After all of that are they leaving it to chance.
      2. If you believe that you have a poor understanding of how God operates.
      3. Proverbs 16:33 (NLT) — 33 We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.
      4. This is the last occurrence in Scripture of this practice.
      5. From here on out the Holy Spirit makes it unnecessary.
      6. The Lord had made his choice.
      7. Matthias means the “gift of God”.
3. Preparation are in place.
   1. Matthias’s selection to replace the traitor Judas.
      1. The final preparation for the church was completed.
      2. The final resource provided.
      3. All was now ready for the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost.
      4. Acts 2:1-13