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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts. We're in Acts chapter 1. Last 
week we saw the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ after He 
had spent Forty days with his apostles, he exhorted them to 
stay, to tarry in Jerusalem till they receive power from on high, 
specifically the Holy Spirit, so that they could indeed engage 
on the mission that he had given unto them. In Acts chapter 1 
at verse 8, he says, you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, 
Judea, Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. So I want 
to read beginning in Acts chapter 1 at verse 12. Then they returned 
to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, 
a Sabbath day's journey. 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. These all continued with one 
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary, the 
mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. And in those days, 
Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, altogether the 
number of names was about 120, and said, 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. For he was numbered with us and 
obtained a part in this ministry. 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. and it became known 
to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, so that the field is called in 
their own language, akel dama, that is, field of blood. 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. Therefore, of these men who have 
accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out 
among us, 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. And they proposed two, Joseph 
called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justice, and Matthias. And 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 
and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he 
might go to his own place. And they cast their lots and 
the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the 
11 apostles. Amen. Well, let us pray and ask 
God's help as we look to his word. Our Father, we thank you 
for the written word. We thank you for the fact that 
you have not left us in this dark world alone. You have given 
us another helper, namely the Holy Spirit, and you have given 
us the written record of your revelation and how we thank you 
for these things. And we pray now that the Spirit 
who gave it would indeed lead us and guide us and direct us 
as we consider this passage of Holy Scripture. We ask that you 
would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions. cleanse 
us afresh in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And may we 
see in this passage the greatness and the mercy and the kindness 
and the graciousness of God when it comes to the saving of sinners. 
And we pray through Christ our Lord, amen. Well, we'll take 
up this particular section. We'll look first at verses 12 
to 14 under the upper room, and then secondly, the replacement 
for Judas in verses 15 to 26. And I think both these sections 
show us something very important concerning both the apostles 
and our Lord Jesus. On the one hand, the apostles 
do what Jesus said. Jesus said to Terry to wait, 
to stand by in Jerusalem until they receive power from on high. 
That's precisely what they do. We ought to follow the apostles 
in this obedient spirit unto the head of the church. But then 
as well, with reference to this replacement for Judas, it demonstrates 
to us what we've already observed in Acts chapter 1. Go back for 
just a moment to verse 2. where Luke says, the former account, 
beginning in verse 1, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both 
to do and teach until the day in which he was taken up. So 
you see, Luke records all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Acts continues to show us what 
Jesus does and teaches. In other words, the ascension 
of Christ did not remove his presence from the life of the 
church. We simply see that He now rules, 
He now reigns, He's over all things from the right hand of 
the Father. Here, specifically answering 
prayer. Here, specifically guiding the church. Here, specifically 
guiding the apostles to secure this replacement. in Matthias. It was essential at this juncture 
that the apostolic ministry be of 12, and so this drives the 
apostles to seek Christ's involvement to provide for them a replacement 
for Judas. Well, let's look first at the 
upper room in verses 12 to 14. They return to Jerusalem. Probably 
in the vicinity of the Mount of Olives near Bethany is where 
our Lord had ascended. And so the disciples, the apostles 
specifically, they return to Jerusalem and they go into this 
upper room. The names of the apostles are 
given for us and given to us, and they're similar to the list 
that we find in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These are the ones 
that Christ had chosen to be his earthly representatives to 
go about, to make disciples, to baptize disciples, and to 
found local churches. And these men were crucial in 
this time of the early church. And so the men are mentioned, 
they're told us, the only ones that will be heard of again in 
the book of Acts are actually Peter, James, and John. But it 
does indicate the men that were assembled there, but it's not 
only the apostles. They're also with the women. 
Calvin says these are probably their wives. It's either their 
wives, which we know some had believing wives, or it's the 
women in general, those who accompanied our Lord on His ministry. But 
also notice the reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The 
last time in the historical record that we find a reference to Mary. F.F. Bruce makes the good observation, 
it is worth noting that the latest occasion on which Mary figures 
in New Testament history or in any other narrative which can 
be regarded in any sense historical, finds her joining in worship 
with Jesus' disciples after his ascension. In other words, she's 
not an object of worship. She doesn't lead the band of 
Roman Catholics on some sort of extra-spiritual plane. She is a believer in Jesus, a 
worshiper of the triune God, and one who associates here with 
the apostles. There's no unique status afforded 
to her. Now, certainly, she is blessed 
among women, which, incidentally, was said of Jael in the Old Testament, 
who drove a tent peg through the head of Sisera the commander 
of an army. But nevertheless, she was a sinner 
saved by grace. On the one hand, we don't denigrate 
her. She served a great purpose in 
the hand of our God. But on the other hand, we don't 
develop a cult following her. We don't have this idea that 
she's a mediatrix or somehow that she was involved in the 
sacrifice of her son for the redemption of sinners. Those 
who are not knowledgeable of Roman Catholic theology as it 
touches on Mary really would be shocked to hear the sorts 
of things that are said concerning her. But I think this is noteworthy, 
the last historical record that we have concerning her. She's 
with the disciples, she is worshiping God, she's attending a prayer 
meeting, and that is a good thing for us to follow. Notice what 
they do in the upper room. These all, verse 14, continued 
with one accord in prayer. This idea of being with one accord, 
with one mind, with one purpose, with one impulse. In other words, 
there was great unity among these men and women. There was a common 
goal. There was obedience to Christ. 
The reason why churches suffer with reference to a lack of peace 
and a lack of unity is because we all want to do our own thing. 
It's kind of like that time in the book of Judges. In the latter 
chapters, which actually describe the context of Israel prior to 
the Judges, it says that everyone did what was right in their own 
eyes. There was no king in Israel, 
so everybody does what's right in their own eyes. That's what's 
happening when churches suffer in terms of disunity or a lack 
of peace. The apostle Paul tells us in 
Ephesians 4 to endeavor to keep the bond of peace by the power 
of the Holy Spirit. We are to endeavor to keep that 
which God has given us. And this is what we find in this 
early church situation. These all continued with one 
accord. They had one mind. They had one purpose. They weren't 
all doing their own thing. They weren't all trying to find 
themselves. They knew what their marching 
orders were, and they were obedient to the risen Christ. That ought 
to mark the people of God. Very often we get frayed, very 
often we get disoriented, very often we get taken off the path 
of what God has called us to do. We exist for a very specific 
and a very limited focus. We are to bring glory to God, 
see the salvation of sinners, and the edification of God's 
people. The mission of the church isn't difficult to discern. The 
mission of the church is delimited by Jesus in Matthew 28. Go, therefore, 
make disciples, baptize those disciples, and teach those disciples. Whence the problem? Why do we 
need committees to try and figure out what the church is supposed 
to do? I think the church apes the federal government every 
step of the way. We have to form committees. I 
was talking to somebody about this recently, the group yesterday, 
on Saturday morning. Instead of evangelizing, we have 
to engage in a big, long study on how to evangelize. Instead 
of actually praying, we think we've got to read A.W. Pink's 
book on the Guide to Effective Prayer. Again, it's not wrong 
to read A.W. Pink on prayer, but brethren, 
might it be better to pray? It's not wrong to study the biblical 
doctrine of evangelism, but might it not be good to speak to your 
next-door neighbor about Jesus? We ape the federal government. 
We need committees, we need focus groups, we need all these sorts 
of things to tell us what? Make disciples, baptize disciples, 
and teach disciples. I rejoice that God's Word is 
written for simpletons. I rejoice that the law of Yahweh 
makes wise the simple. I rejoice that God isn't like 
the federal government or the churches that are aping them, 
forming committees, forming focus groups, forming everything, and 
yet neglecting the main thing, which is disciple-making, disciple-baptizing, 
and disciple-teaching. It's very simple, isn't it? This, 
I would submit, is what led to this. These all continued with 
one accord. It was no, what am I going to 
do? What are we supposed to do? They 
had one mind because Christ had informed their mind. And then 
notice, they continued in one accord in prayer and supplication. They were persistent. They were 
busy. They were busily engaged. They 
were devoted to this. You see, brethren, theirs was 
not a pause meeting, theirs was a prayer meeting. When we gather 
to pray, we're supposed to pray. When we gather to pray, we're 
supposed to come to our Lord through His Son, by the Spirit, 
acknowledging the glory of the triune God, and laying out before 
Him our supplications, our prayers, our intercessions, and our givings 
of thanks. Brethren, the church, if she 
is to be obedient to Christ, is a prayerful body. It is a 
prayerful body. I've always thought that when 
the prayer meeting is as well attended as every other meeting 
in the church, then we can praise God that we're on the right path. May I just say, that time is 
not now. That time is not now. We have 
a prayer meeting every other Sunday morning at 9.30. We pray 
every Wednesday night at 7.30. You're more than welcome to come 
and pray. The church should be about prayer. These all continued with one 
accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the 
mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. The brothers here, 
probably James, who goes on to be a leader in the church at 
Jerusalem, and Jude, who goes on to write the epistle of Jude. Now, James and Jude were not 
believers in Christ during his earthly ministry. It probably 
wasn't until the resurrection that these men came out of darkness 
by the power of God into marvelous light. These men, though, were 
used by God for his glory in the early church. They continued 
in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the mother 
of Jesus, and with his brothers. Now, before we leave this, I 
want to make one quick, simple observation. If we look at Luke's 
gospel in Luke chapter 3, remember that Luke wrote Luke and Luke 
wrote Acts. In Luke chapter 3, prior to the 
Spirit descending upon our Lord Jesus in a mighty way, guess 
what Jesus was found to be doing? praying. I wonder if Luke is 
telling us something with reference to a spirit-filled church. A 
spirit-filled church doesn't look like a bunch of people yammering 
on in unknown tongues. A spirit-filled church does not 
look like a bunch of people running in their own directions. A spirit-filled 
church looks like a group of people that come to the Father 
through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, fetching 
power from on high and receiving it. Prior to the Spirit's descent 
upon our Lord Jesus, He prayed. Prior to the descent of the Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles prayed. What lesson 
ought we to take from this? That when we read in Acts 2.40 
to 42, after they had been baptized or received the Word and been 
baptized, they continued steadfastly in what? In the Apostles' doctrine 
and fellowship and the breaking of bread and in Again, brethren, 
we can never underestimate or undervalue the place of prayer. In our studies, in the book of 
James, James chapter 5, verses 13 to 18, James emphasizes prayer 
in verses 13 to 16. And then James provides an example 
of prayer in verses 17 to 18. And in his emphasis to prayer, 
he deals with the individual. Is anyone among you suffering? 
Let him whine, let him grumble, let him murmur, let him wonder, 
why does God do such things to somebody as so wonderful as him? No, if you're suffering, you're 
supposed to pray. If anyone among you is cheerful, 
what's he supposed to do, forget God in his happy circumstance? 
No, he's supposed to sing psalms to God, pray to God. You see, 
James in verse 13 deals with the entirety of the compass of 
emotion in the Christian life. That's pretty much it. We're 
either suffering or we're cheerful. Now, I guess there's some gray 
area in there where it's just kind of okay. Some of us like 
that just kind of okay place, but for the most part, suffering 
or prayer, suffering or cheerfulness. And what's James's point? Be 
prayerful. If you happen to find that you're 
sick in the midst of the church, call the elders of the church 
so they can come and pray for you. Confess your trespasses 
to one another and pray for one another, James says. What's his 
point in that section? His point in that section is 
all the stuff he's dealt with in the epistle, some of it having 
to be hidden very hard because of the sinfulness of his readership, 
all of this needs to be overcome at the throne of grace. You see, 
the people of God are to be a praying people. And that's what this 
upper room demonstrates to us. Now note, secondly, the replacement 
for Judas in verses 15 to 26. I want to look at a few sub points 
here. First, the reason for the replacement. Secondly, the qualifications 
for the replacement. And then thirdly, the prayer 
concerning the replacement. But note first the reason in 
verses 15 to 20. Why do they need to replace Judas? 
Because Judas was a wretch. It's intriguing. It's not because 
he's dead that there's a vacancy in the apostolic ministry. It's 
because he was a betraying wretch that went to his own place. James, 
the apostle, will die in Acts 12. There is no replacement there. What we find here is that the 
wickedness of Judas, having transgressed, having gone to his own place, 
is now responded to by the apostles in terms of a replacement for 
him among the twelve. But as we look at this, we ought 
to appreciate the contrast here between Judas and Peter. I'm 
sure I brought this out in our studies in the Gospel of Matthew, 
but I think it's very conspicuous here also. Note those three blessed 
words in verse 15. Peter stood up. Now, some of you might say, that 
doesn't seem very blessed. He probably had two functional 
legs, and for a man to stand up, that's not too noteworthy. 
In those days, Peter stood up. What was Peter like in the gospel 
narratives? He had a bit of an impetuous 
nature to him. He swears his fidelity and allegiance 
to the Lord. He says, Lord, I will die. I will be arrested. I will do 
whatever it is to stay with you. Remember, Jesus says, you're 
gonna deny me. And he says, no, I'm not. I'm not gonna deny you. 
Peter did deny the Lord Jesus. Peter denied him three times. 
Peter did it in a way that was most painful. Peter did it in 
a way that was most shameful, and yet our Lord's dealings with 
Peter in John chapter 21 show the extent of the grace and the 
mercy and the forgiveness of God towards sinners. Believer, 
do you ever feel like you've sinned in such a way that it 
can't be forgiven? Have you ever thought, wow, I've 
done that again? Wow, I can't believe I'm such 
a miserable wretch. You're all looking puzzled. Maybe 
you've got different lives than I lead, but for the most part, 
brethren, that should be the response of our heart quite frequently. 
I can't believe that with the light that I have, with the gospel 
narrative that I've heard, with the belief in Christ that is 
mined by the grace of God, the open word of God, the amount 
of resources in books, the resources God has given, yet I continue 
to sin against God. And it might be the case where 
the devil gets in there and says, you know, he's not gonna forgive 
you on this occasion. This might've been that step 
over the threshold of apostasy. Brethren, Peter stood up. That 
means that what Christ did with him in John chapter 21 was real. Peter, do you love me? Oh Lord, 
yeah, you know that I love you. Then feed my sheep. Peter, do 
you love me? Lord, you know that I love you. 
Well, then tend to my lambs. Peter, do you love me? Notice 
three times. Lord, you know all things, and 
you know that I love you. You see, some make a big deal 
out of the different verbs. It's love, back and forth. There's 
no extra special, it's love. Jesus restored Peter, and Peter 
stood up. There's a contrast. Judas didn't 
stand up. Judas went to his own place. Notice in verse 25. that he might 
go to his own place. That's not referring to Akhil 
Dhamma. That's not referring to where 
his remains were interred. That's referring to everlasting 
punishment in hell. That's referring to his alienation 
from all that is good concerning God. Notice, I didn't say from 
God, because God makes hell hellish. That may rock your world, you 
may not like to hear it, but hell is punishment because God 
is sovereign over it. It's not the absence of God in 
hell, but rather it's the absence of the goodness of God in hell. You see, the worst sinner on 
the face of the earth today enjoys good things from God. You eat, 
you drink, you breathe, you see the sun, you feel the rain. That 
is the goodness of God. Hell is going to be the deprivation 
of all the goodness of God. But who is it in his sovereignty 
that keeps hell in place? It's God. Now, brethren, look 
at specifically Luke chapter 22 with me. Luke 22, just to 
see this contrast concerning Peter and Judas. I think these three words that 
Peter stood up underscore for us the grace, the mercy, the 
kindness, and the goodness of our God. Do you notice in verse 
3 of Luke 22, then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who 
was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred 
with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him to them, 
and they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he promised 
and sought opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of 
the multitude." Notice, specifically, our Lord highlights the fact 
that there is indeed a betrayer among them. He says specifically 
in verse 22, and truly the Son of Man goes at it as it has been 
determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. He knew 
what was going on with reference to Judas. He knew what was happening 
with reference to Judas. Satan enters into Judas and we 
see nothing concerning Jesus praying for Judas. But notice 
in verse 31. It says, and the Lord said, Simon, 
Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you 
as wheat, but I have prayed for you. You see the contrast. You see the difference. Judas 
was not prayed for. Judas was ultimately reprobate. 
Peter, however, is the elect of God, one predestined unto 
eternal life, and therefore he enjoys the safety of God Almighty. Indeed, Satan has asked for you 
that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that 
your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to 
me, strengthen your brethren." Now, some might be bothered here 
that I'm emphasizing God's sovereignty and predestination and election. Don't you know if you do that, 
then sinners will be hopeless? Sinners will feel like they're 
exasperated. They'll never think that they 
can come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinners shouldn't think that 
at all. Sinners should hear the free offer of the gospel, wherein 
God says, all those who believe will have everlasting life. They 
ought to hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, 
just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also must 
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever looks to Him will 
live. How do we reconcile God's sovereignty 
and man's responsibility? We don't have to. The Bible tells 
us they're friends. The Bible tells us that God is 
absolutely sovereign, that the one who preserved Peter, that 
judged Judas, is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who is calling you right now to come to Christ in faith. You don't have to figure it all 
out before you come. You know, it's intriguing. You 
teach a child how to tell time. They don't have to learn how 
to build the clock to tell time. That's what people want to do, 
though, before they'll come to Jesus. I've got to reconcile 
everything about sovereignty. I've got to know everything about 
predestination. I've got to know everything about election. No, 
you need to look unto Jesus and live. It's by faith we understand, 
Hebrews 11. By faith, you will, by grace, 
sort out predestination, election, but you need to come first to 
Christ in faith. Gotta figure everything out before 
I'll believe. No, believe and then you'll figure everything 
out. God is that good. God is that merciful and God 
is that kind. There's a contrast here. Peter 
stood up. Now, notice as well, the specific 
offense of Judas is highlighted back in Acts chapter one. He 
became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. And as I mentioned earlier, 
the vacancy with reference to the apostolic ministry was created 
because of his treachery and not because of his death. And 
why 12? Well, I think it's significant 
for this reason. Luke is gonna show us in Acts 
3 to 5, and then it's gonna be apparent all throughout the rest 
of Acts, something concerning the failure of Israel's leadership. You see, with reference to the 
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, all the promises of God are yea 
and amen in Christ. That means all the promises made 
to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob. When we come to the book of Acts, 
the problem children are not the apostles. The ones rejecting 
the Old Testament are not the apostles. The ones rejecting 
the Old Testament are the religious leaders in Israel. And so what 
we have in the 12 are the leaders of Israel, the Israel of God, 
the covenant people of God, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, F.F. Bruce makes that 
observation concerning the number 12. He says the total of 12 was 
significant. It corresponded to the number 
of the tribes of Israel and may have marked the apostles out 
as leaders of, he says, the new Israel. I'd just say Israel or 
true Israel or spiritual Israel. The point is the apostles are 
emerging as the leaders of the covenant people of God. They 
are in this formative stage necessary in order to promote the glory 
of God, the salvation of sinners, and the establishment of local 
churches. It was crucial. Judas had a lawful part in the 
ministry. Judas had been chosen specifically 
by our Lord Jesus. Judas was not serving as an unlawful 
agent, but he was recognized, he was appointed, and he had 
been placed there by Jesus. And so Peter says, we have a 
vacancy and we need to fill it. Now notice he appeals to Scripture 
here in verses 16, 17, and 20. He appeals to Scripture to show 
essentially what I just said. God's absolutely sovereign. Judas' 
treachery didn't take God unawares. God didn't say, oh my, what's 
happened now? I've got to get in order so I can fix this situation. This is where you have to appreciate 
what Scripture says concerning God's absolute sovereignty and 
the responsibility of man. Peter appeals to Scripture and 
note the way that he does it. Talk about a nod to the authority 
and inspiration of Scripture. Notice in verse 16, men and brethren, 
the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke before 
by the mouth of David concerning Judas. Oh, you just follow that 
book that you think is the Word of God. Well, it tells us it's 
the Word of God. The Holy Spirit spoke by the 
mouth of David concerning Judas. So David, back in the Psalms, 
is writing under the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit 
concerning this man Judas that will ultimately betray Jesus. 
Psalm 41, verse 9, the one who eats with me, betrays me. The 
Psalter as a whole holds forth the reality that Jesus will come, 
Jesus will suffer, Jesus will die, and Jesus will be raised. David writes all those things 
in the Psalter. The prophets are filled with 
it as well. But note the authority and the inspiration of Scripture. 
The Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David. When you're reading 
the Psalms, you're reading David, but you're reading the Holy Spirit. 
You're reading what David penned under the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit. You see, that's why we often 
say you ought to read the Bible. You ought to read Scripture. 
You ought to be in the Word because you come into contact with the 
living and the true God. You know and you hear His voice. 
How is it that we have such a rich resource and we neglect it? How 
is it that we have such a rich resource and we pick it up one 
day of the week and we bring it, we schlep it with us to church? How is it that that's a neglected 
item in our lives? Brethren, we value or we spend 
time in the midst of or with things that we value and prize, 
don't we? I like to think we all value 
our spouses and we want to be with them. If you don't, repent, 
forsake, deal with whatever issues are keeping you at bay and be 
with one another. You can see this with sports 
fans. You know what they value in prize, 
because they'll sit glued to a TV for three hours, never having 
to get up to go to the bathroom. But man, we come to church, and 
we've got to trot off to the bathroom every two minutes. What's 
with us? Kids can be given an activity 
and sit and do that activity for an hour, but man, an hour 
of preaching. Pastor, you don't want to know 
what that's like. Yeah, I do. We raised five kids and they 
were always in the services. I'm not suggesting they're the 
Apostle Paul, but they're decent human beings, so I trust it can 
be done. We spend time with that which 
we value. And if the mouth or the Holy 
Spirit speaks through the mouth of David, why are we ignorant 
concerning the Psalms? Why do we not have a clue concerning 
Paul's letters? Why is it that we scratch our 
heads and say, I think it's in the Bible somewhere? Shame on 
us if that's ever our response. Shame on us if a Jehovah's Witness 
bests us in an argument because we're too lazy to read our Bibles. 
The Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning 
Judas. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas 
was according to the plan of God. Mark 14, 17, one of you 
who eats with me will betray me. Psalm 41, 9, even my own 
familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted 
up his heel against me. I referenced that text in Luke 
22, 22, the Son of Man goes, as it has been determined. But never forget that Judas, 
by his transgression, fell. John Calvin says, neither was 
Judas therefore excusable, because that which befell him was foretold, 
seeing that he fell away, not being compelled by the prophecy, 
but only by the malice of his own heart. Now, the specific passages that 
Peter is referring to, you've got to understand something about 
this structure. If you look for a moment at verses 18 and 19, 
that is rightly marked off with parentheses in my translation. 
That's not Peter's words. Peter's hearers wouldn't need 
to be reminded about the treachery of Judas. They wouldn't need 
Akkel Damma translated for them. Verses 18 and 19 are a parenthetical 
statement by Luke to highlight for us the miserable end of this 
miserable sinner, Judas. And we'll look at that in just 
a moment. But the two texts that Peter highlights that the Holy 
Spirit spoke by the mouth of David concerning Judas are found 
in Psalm 69 and Psalm 109. If you look at verse 20, for 
it is written in the book of Psalms, let his dwelling place 
be desolate and let no one live in it. A commentator named Marshall 
said, Psalm 69 is an individual lament in which the psalmist 
describes his plight of deep suffering, prays to God for deliverance, 
and calls upon God to exercise his wrath against the sufferer's 
foes. It was interpreted by early Christians 
as typifying Jesus in his suffering and death, and also as applying 
to those who rejected him. In other words, Peter says that 
what happened with Judas It was written of long before. Psalm 
69 highlights that. And then at the end of verse 
20, let another take his office. Psalm 109, here he prays that 
a certain enemy may die and that someone else may take his office. 
We used to sing Psalm 109, didn't we, from the psalter in family 
worship, and we would devote it to abortionists because it's 
an imprecatory psalm. And God there tells her, the 
psalmist there prays to God to, you know, deal severely with 
his enemies. Now, mind you, I think we always 
prayed that God would save them, but if they're not saved, then 
God deal with them the way David prays here in Psalm 109. Say, 
oh, pastor, you can't pray that. Why not? It's intriguing to me 
that the Psalms that speak of Jesus Christ that are cited by 
the apostles in the New Testament, do we think it's just bits of 
those Psalms? Just the bits that speak about the ministry of Jesus? No, the whole psalm is for us 
and for our children. Now, as I've often reminded our 
congregation, we don't pray imprecatory psalms driving down Wellington. 
We don't pray them when we come to that intersection at Korbald 
and somebody runs the stop sign. We don't call down God's wrath 
and ask him to smash the teeth of our enemies who cut us in 
line at Superstore. That's not what the imprecatory 
psalms are to be utilized for. But to say that they are no use 
in the life of the Christian, I think is an evidence of the 
sort of anemic state that the church finds itself in today. 
Brethren, the imprecatory Psalms are sanctioned to pray by God. Now, this commentary by Luke 
in verses 18 to 19, again, it's a parenthetical statement. Some 
have seen here, in comparison with Matthew 27, a discrepancy 
or rather a contradiction in the account concerning Judas. 
If you're interested in a more detailed look at that, go back. 
to the sermon on Matthew 27 where I dealt with Judas, his end, 
and the religious leaders. Suffice it to say, Matthew tells 
us that he hanged himself. There's no contradiction between 
what we find here and what we find there. Most are agreed. Most sensible interpreters are 
agreed. He hanged himself and either 
the rope broke or the branch broke, and when he fell to the 
earth, his body opened up, and his entrails gushed out." Again, 
not happy reading prior to lunch, but it is the case with reference 
to this man Judas, who was a treacherous, wretched, miserable sinner, and 
Peter is telling us, or rather Luke is telling us, what his 
end was. Notice, the purpose is to highlight 
for us what Peter is doing. We need a replacement because 
of Judas' treachery, and Luke fills in for us what happens 
in terms of Judas' treachery. Now, notice, secondly, the qualifications 
concerning the replacement. It wasn't just any old person 
that could do this. And I think if you reflect on 
this passage, you will see that anybody claiming the title apostle 
today is nuts. Not in the best possible interpretation, 
anti-scriptural in the worst. There are no apostles today. 
Oh, but I happen to know this charismatic church that has an 
apostle. They might, but he was never appointed by God. There 
are specific qualifications, but notice in the first place, 
the apostles say to the 120 to find a man. I think that's intriguing. We 
often read that and we say, wow, there's only 120 disciples in 
Jerusalem. There were others in Galilee, 
to be sure. Probably it was Galilee where 
Jesus appeared to the 500. It's not the case that there 
were only 120. But notice as well, with reference to the requirements, 
he says, of these men who have accompanied us all the time. 
Before we actually look at the three qualifications, I want 
us to notice that he asks for a man. Ladies, I don't want to 
offend you, I don't want to hurt you, I don't want you to leave 
here today saying Butler's a male chauvinist pig. But the early 
church used men in leadership. 1 Timothy chapter 3, it's conspicuous. Let him be the husband of one 
wife, not the wife of one husband. Let her be able to teach, let 
her be above, no, it's men. God's not anti-woman. God is 
pro-order. God is pro-structure. And God 
has determined that men lead with reference to the home and 
the church. It's not to be tyranny. It's 
not to be dictatorial. It's not to be Pol Pot-ish or 
Hitlerian or Stalin-esque. But it is to be leadership. The 
husband is the head of the wife. There's no command there in Ephesians 
5. It's an indicative. This is true. The idea is you're either a good 
one at it or you're a terrible one at it because it's always 
the case that a man is the head of his wife. The same is true 
in the church. 1 Corinthians chapter 11, 1 Timothy 
chapter 2, the apostle Paul says, therefore, I do not permit a 
woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. You'd think that's 
a tough one to wriggle out of with reference to we've got to 
have women in the ministry, but they do it. Valiant attempts 
are launched to try and say, well, Paul's arguing based on 
a particular cultural milieu where women were uppity and this 
was the problem. No, Paul argues from creation. 
Adam was formed first and the woman transgressed. He goes back 
to Genesis chapters 1 to 3 for his ethics to drive leadership 
in the church. So I don't mean to hurt you, 
I don't mean to offend you, but I do hope to instruct you that 
God has purpose and we need to follow it. But she's so much 
better at it, it doesn't matter. And don't say, well, I'm unqualified 
because I'm a woman. You're qualified for a whole 
host of things as a woman. It's a beautiful thing. Why don't 
we just embrace how God made things? I think the church should 
take leadership in this, too. Probably not accidental. We've 
got the confusion in society because we've got confusion in 
the church. Somewhere along the line, churches thought, well, 
we can ordain women. Somewhere along the line, society 
said, well, there's no such thing as women. There's no such thing 
as men. There's no such thing as gender. It's all whatever 
it is we want. The society has become self-determining 
of what it is they want. The church has done the same. 
In light of 1 Timothy 2, where the apostle invested with the 
authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ascended king, who has absolute 
authority, that Paul says, I do not permit a woman to teach or 
exercise authority over a man. And we say, hmm, doesn't matter. Sister so-and-so, we want you 
to be our new pastor. Brethren, God is not mocked. Probably not incidental or accidental. We got confusion out there. We 
got confusion in here. And if this hurts your feelings, 
sisters, man, take it to the Lord and repent. We shouldn't 
ever get upset about the way God defines things for us. It's akin to the gender confines. 
I don't like being a woman. I don't like being a man. Who 
asked you? Why do you think it's up to you 
to be able to define what you are? The last time I checked, 
God's Creator, and He makes creatures according to His plan and purpose. 
Same thing with end of life. Well, it should be my right to 
destroy myself if I so choose and die with dignity. You're 
not your own. God made you. Same with abortion. We ought to be able to murder 
that lump of cells because it's inconvenient, because we don't 
think it's a person, because we don't have that right. What happened to the God of creation? 
The studies in Genesis on Wednesday night I think are uniquely important 
for the church at this time. You'll find more often than not 
when the apostles do redemptive ethics, they are not doing new 
things. They are reaching back into the 
creation account and saying what God intended at the beginning 
is what is normative for you as a blood-bought child of God. There's not this, wow, I can't 
believe Paul wants us to act this way. It's always been that 
way, but man came and distorted it and twisted it and plunged 
it into ruin and disintegration. God in Christ is reconciling 
the world to himself, and the redemptive ethic for the new 
covenant believer, more often than not, is what was true for 
Adam and Eve. We don't like that either, so 
Adam and Eve weren't real people. Man, it just never stops. You 
give away a little ground with reference to the Bible, you might 
as well hand it all over. You might as well just say, forget 
it. I guess it is a collection of 
fairy tales. It should just start off in a 
land far, far away, in a land filled with pixies and angels 
and dust, or fairies and angel dust, and whatever it is that 
there is. Brethren, we need to hold fast to the word of truth. 
And men were the ones that Peter said are to be the replacements. 
The first qualification is they needed to be taught by the Lord. 
They needed to have been present in the Lord's ministry, beginning 
with the baptism of John and the ascension of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. What does that mean? They needed to have been present 
under our Lord's tutelage so that they learned doctrine, so 
that they learned the truth, so that they knew something of 
His person and of His work. It had to be taught of God. What 
do we look for in pastors today? Just that they're good guys? 
Just that they know how to drink coffee with people? They're good 
on the golf course? They're winsome? No, we look 
that they've spent time with Jesus, they've been taught by 
Jesus, and they are committed to the truth of God's word. The 
same sort of thing, though we aren't physically present with 
Jesus. The second thing they need to have witnessed is the 
resurrection of Jesus. the resurrection of Jesus. I 
love what Alexander says here with reference to the resurrection. He says, a witness of his resurrection, 
the great keystone of the Christian system, presupposing his life 
and death as necessary antecedents and implying his ascension and 
exaltation as necessary consequence. In many respects, that reference 
to resurrection becomes a theological bit of shorthand to identify 
for us all that's true concerning Jesus. So these men had to have 
been present to hear the teaching of Jesus. They had to have witnessed 
the resurrection of Jesus. You see why I say there's not 
apostles today? They can't fulfill that. The apostle whoever and whatever 
church is not an apostle. And any man that would take that 
title to himself is a man you want to cover your wallet around 
and certainly cover your checkbook, because bad things are coming 
your way. They typically want what you've 
got. They're prophets of profit and should be avoided. And the 
third qualification is that Jesus select him. Again, you see, no apostles today. 
Now, they proposed two men. You might say, well, if they 
could have figured out two, they certainly could have figured 
out one, and why not just pick one? And wouldn't it be true 
of the 120 that they had been there? No, not necessarily. Not 
all these 120 would have been there from the baptism of John 
all the way to the ascension of Jesus Christ. Not all 120 
would have been witnesses of his resurrection. So they proposed 
these two men, Barsabbas and Matthias. Later, church history 
tells us that Barsabbas was well known for having swallowed snake 
venom and not dying. Interesting, that's what Mark's 
gospel tells us in Mark 16. Matthias was ultimately martyred. He had become a missionary. Again, 
this is church history to Ethiopia. So these men went on to do great 
and glorious things, but we only hear Peter, James, and John again 
in the narrative in the book of Acts. So now notice what they 
do in terms of their prayer. Verse 24, and they prayed and 
said, you, O Lord, who know the hearts of all. Literally, you, 
O Lord, heart knower. Now, some say that they are addressing 
the Father here, because in Acts 15.8, they call upon God the 
Father as the one who knows all the hearts. I submit they're 
praying to Jesus here. Acts 1-2 is conspicuous that 
Jesus chose the apostles. Who better to call upon for a 
replacement when there's a vacancy in the apostles' ship? They pray 
to Christ, the heart knower, that he would make it clear which 
of these two men, having been proposed, ought to fill Judas' 
spot. Now notice the prayer is accompanied 
by lots. Verse 25, to take part in this 
ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression 
fell that he might go to his own place and they cast their 
lots and the lot fell on Matthias. Now we read that and we go, that's 
not the way to do things. Well, they use the lot in the 
Old Testament in several places. I think behind this particular 
action is what we find in Proverbs 16, 33. We read there, from Solomon, 
the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from 
the Lord. So when they select Barsabbas 
and Matthias, it's not an election, but rather a nomination. Because 
there were two, they want to leave the ultimate decision to 
the one who initially chose the other apostles. So they pray 
to Christ as the heart knower to make His will known. They cast the lot, and the lot 
falls upon Matthias. Again, they interpret this properly. 
They cast the lot, but its decision was from the Lord. Specifically, 
Christ to whom they had prayed. And so, Matthias is chosen and 
he was numbered with the 11 apostles. Now, in conclusion, we ought 
to observe in the first place the uniqueness of the apostolic 
ministry. The apostles were chosen by Christ 
to be the leaders of the church. Again, not leaders like popes. Some have observed that Peter 
stood up, Peter stands up for the first half of the book of 
Acts, and therefore Peter was the first pope. No. Based on 
a bad reading of Matthew 16, a bad interpretation of what 
Jesus is talking about there, they see as confirmatory that 
Peter takes the lead, at least in the first half of the book 
of Acts, as proof of his papal authority. No, he didn't stand 
up as the first pope. He may have stood up as the first 
among equals, But nevertheless, we ought to appreciate the unique 
role of the apostles with reference to the founding of the early 
churches. As well, the apostles were qualified 
by having been with Christ in His ministry and by having witnessed 
His resurrection. Now, some get a little wonky 
with this passage and they say, well, wait a minute. What about 
Paul? What about Paul? Wasn't Paul 
the twelfth apostle? Wasn't Paul the one that completes 
that band? Some have said that these apostles 
were wrong to do what they did in the selection of Barsabbas 
and Matthias. They should have waited for Paul. 
You see, the text gives us no hint whatsoever that they did 
anything wrong. It doesn't indicate one bit that 
they did anything that violated the will and the mind of God. 
Secondly, it lays emphasis upon the fact that they were orderly. 
They were prayerful, they were scriptural, they were mindful 
of their position under Jesus. They call upon Jesus to select 
the replacement for Judas. They cast a lot, not because 
they're throwing dice for money, but they cast their lot trusting 
in the power and the presence and the provision of Jesus to 
make clear who it is that's going to replace Him. Paul himself 
would have been shocked at the thought that he himself was one 
of the 12. He was a unique addition. Galatians 
1, he says, I wasn't chosen by men. I was chosen by Christ. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, 
and we are certainly not minimizing that. But when we get to the 
book of Revelation and we see those 12 names on that foundation, 
it's Matthias. Don't diss Matthias. He did nothing 
wrong. He's not the bad guy here, and 
neither were the eleven, and certainly neither is Paul. They 
had a need. They call upon Christ. Christ 
causes the lot to fall in the favor of Matthias, and he takes 
the role and goes and preaches. F.F. Bruce says, Paul did not 
possess the qualifications set out in verses 21 and 22. He himself 
would certainly have dismissed as preposterous the idea that 
he was rightfully the twelfth apostle on the same footing as 
Peter and the rest of the eleven. There's nothing wrong with that. 
Again, before we leave this point, the apostles that are living 
today are typically connected to heretical cults. or zany expressions of Christianity. There's two abiding offices in 
the church today, elders and deacons. That's it. No apostles, no prophets. We're going to see that as we 
move through the book of Acts. If you've come to the book of 
Acts thinking that maybe the Charismatics are right, I hope 
to convince you they're not. Remember, there's a big difference 
between what is described and what is necessarily prescribed. 
Not everything described for us means it abides for us in 
the church today. And that's okay. God is good 
and He guides us still by word and spirit. We have seen as well 
this contrast between Judas and Peter, which we'll visit in just 
a moment, but the rule of Christ in the church. The rule of Christ 
in the church. This ought to encourage us that 
what Luke says in Luke 1, 1 and 2, or Acts 1, 1 and 2, is true. He continues to do and teach. 
From his position of authority at the right hand of his father, 
Christ is present with his church. Christ makes known his will with 
reference to Matthias. That's why when we have a vote 
for elders or deacons, we can trust Christ. He's not absentee, 
he's not defaulting, he's not saying, well, you know, I only 
did that initially, but you can't call on me today. Again, it's 
not in the same sort of way in terms of fulfilling, you know, 
the vacancy left by a treacherous man named Judas, and we want 
another apostle. But brethren, when we come to 
vote as the people of God, there's a sense where we have to trust 
the Spirit of God. It's a sense where we have to 
realize his active agency among us and that he is guiding us 
and directing us to accomplish the purpose that he has purposed. It's a beautiful thing. Thompson 
says, Luke shows then that Jesus not only has such authority that 
he may be prayed to, But Jesus is also continuing to direct 
affairs from heaven. The Lord Jesus is still ruling 
over his people, choosing which disciple will join the ranks 
of the other eleven apostles who he has chosen, and controlling 
the outcome of the law to bring about his appointment. It is 
the Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus, and that's the title of Thompson's 
book on Acts. I'm going to borrow it over and 
over again because the emphasis in the book of Acts isn't upon 
the apostles so much as it is upon the ascended Lord Jesus, 
ruling and reigning from the right hand, guiding his apostles 
by his spirit and by his word to accomplish the purpose of 
making disciples baptizing disciples, and teaching disciples, in the 
three regions specified in Acts 1a, Jerusalem first, Judea-Samaria, 
and then to the end of the earth. That's the trajectory of the 
book of Acts, and we ought to praise God, not only for the 
presence of Christ, though absent physically, present spiritually, 
and for the obedience of the apostles. Praise God that these 
men did what they did, and you know why they did it? because 
God wants sinners saved. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that 
great? I don't know if God wants to 
save me or not. The book of Acts tells us he does. Because he 
took 12 men and he sent them out to turn the world upside 
down. That is their purpose, that was their function, that 
was their role. You will find little to nothing 
in terms of their politics. Though arguably, we can construct 
political theory from scripture. You will see little in terms 
of them boycotting or them this or them that. What you will see 
is their constant emphasis on witnessing to Jesus and his life, 
death, and resurrection in the three regions specified, Jerusalem, 
Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. That's what moved 
these men. That's what moved their hearts. 
That's what made them tick. What is it that makes you go 
on? Because Jesus commanded that we go preach the gospel so that 
God could save sinners in each of these regions. See, if you're 
a sinner here this morning and you've not come to the Lord Jesus 
Christ, look at the book of Acts. God is about saving sinners. 
Look at Peter stood up. I addressed my brothers, my sisters, 
believers earlier and said, doesn't it ever perplex you that you 
sin and you feel like there's a sin that perhaps God can't 
forgive or he won't forgive? Be encouraged that Peter stood 
up. If you're an unbeliever, I'll give you the same encouragement. 
You can never say, well, my sin is too much, my sin is too big, 
my sin is too nasty for God to ever forgive me. You can't say 
that. You cannot ever say that. You 
will never, ever be able to say that in light of the Apostle 
Paul. You know what Paul says in 1 
Timothy 1? This is a trustworthy statement 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came, sorry, this 
is a faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into this world, sinners 
to save. You'll hear Pastor Porter and 
myself say it that way. It says to save sinners, but 
we throw the sinners at the front of the statement because that's 
where Paul throws the statement. The statement is sinners to save. Yeah, there's a certain sense 
where you get that in save sinners, but the emphasis in the passage 
on what Jesus does is sinners to save. And then Paul says of 
whom I am chief. Let that stir in your hearts 
this morning. You think your sins are too much? 
You think you're too black? You think you're too soaked in 
the scum and the wretchedness and the wickedness of this world? 
You've compromised yourself sexually? You've compromised yourself financially? You've compromised yourself ethically? You compromise yourself in terms 
of the way you speak, or the way you think, or the way you 
move, or the way you have your being? You think that you are 
undone in the sense that God can't put you back together again? 
You don't know the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible says 
that He takes our sins and He casts them into the depths of 
the sea. It's in the prophet Micah. Micah, the name, means, 
who is a God like you? Micah uses his name in the context 
of God's pardoning mercies. Who is a God like you, who takes 
our transgressions and casts them into the depths of the sea? 
I love what Spurgeon says on that text. God doesn't throw 
them into the shallow part of the sea, because they'll bob 
up and down and continue to stay in front of us. He throws them 
into the depths of the sea. You don't see stuff in the depths 
of the sea. Once it's in Davy's locker, it's gone. So I don't 
want to hear this morning, if I could hear the inner machinations 
of your heart, saying, but I'm so sinful, I'm so wretched. That's 
like a thirsty man saying, I'm so thirsty, I can't take a drink 
of water. I'm so hungry, I can't eat that 
sandwich. We would say, you're nuts, you're 
crazy. It's because you're hungry and 
it's because you're thirsty that you ought to take and eat. It's 
because you're so sinful, you ought to come. You ought to look, 
you ought to believe, and you ought to realize that this Christ 
is the one, as a result of, that Peter stood up. there's forgiveness 
to be had with our Lord. And I would encourage you today 
not to lay your head on your pillow tonight until you know 
you have that peace with God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for the order and the decency that we 
see in early church life here in the book of Acts. We thank 
you for the presence of Christ. though physically absent, locally 
present at the right hand of the Father, nevertheless always 
present with His Church by the Spirit and Word. How we are encouraged 
by this, how we are thankful for this, how we know that that 
hasn't changed, that You are still our Lord, still working 
in the midst of Your people here, and we would pray even now that 
You would open hearts of sinners, cause them to see that Christ 
alone is the way of salvation, and may they come to know Him 
as their Lord. And may you encourage your people. 
We do get downcast and sorrowful and overwhelmed by our remaining 
corruption. But may those three words, Peter 
stood up, be a great reminder to us of your mercy, your grace, 
and the extent of your forgiveness. Go with us now, we pray, through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation and then be dismissed.