Tonight, we're looking at Acts chapter 1, Acts chapter 1, as we continue our study in the book of Acts, and we are going to look at verses 12 through 26, 12 through 26, and conclude this first chapter in the book of Acts. And the title, I'm not sure, I noticed I had a bulletin that said my first title was on the foundation of the apostles, but the title that should be in front of you, and I'm hoping is in front of you is setting straight ministry priorities, and I think that really captures the heart of what's going on here in chapter 1. So this is beginning at verse 12. This is the word of the Lord, Acts chapter 1. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went in up to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers, the company of persons was in all about 120 and said brothers the scripture had to be fulfilled which the holy spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of david concerning judas who became a guide to those who arrested jesus for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry now this man acquired a field with a reward of his wickedness and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out and it became known to all the inhabitants of jerusalem so that the field was called in their own language language that is field of blood for it is written in the book of the psalms may his camp become desolate and let there be no one to dwell in it and let another take his office so one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become with us a witness to his resurrection. And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justice, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, you, Lord, know the hearts of all. Show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. And there ends the reading of the word. Well, I think that we can all agree that one of the most frustrating aspects to church life is just how slow everything seems to happen you can say that in so many ways can't you ever been frustrated with how slow things seem to move in the life of the church i have i've been frustrated with that a lot i expect things to happen a lot quicker and a lot faster than they do everything at times even about what the lord seems to be doing for us is a struggle and it seems to be slow at times it seems to be ineffective At times you've questioned whether this is the best way it should be done. And because of that, we're always worried about time, aren't we? Think about how our lives are governed by time and that clock, and that our productivity is measured by how much we can accomplish in a given amount of time. We're always worried about this. We're always thinking about this. And it's hard because we expect the same kind of progress in the life of the church that we experience in our own lives in accordance with how hard we work and achieve things in accordance with time. But this is one of the reasons I thought Acts 1 is so very helpful for us because as I was thinking about this and preparing this, I thought I'd really love to just get to chapter 2. I mean, that's really where I want to go. I'm ready for Pentecost, aren't you? I mean, that's the fire event. That's the power of it. And in all honesty, when I sat down to write this, I thought, I don't, how could I just go there? And then I start to reflect on chapter one and think about chapter one. And I thought it dawned on me, this is a really important chapter. Not only was the mission of the church specifically defined and given and certain struggles of the apostles dealt with in the last section, But this section really helps us with getting ministry priorities right. It's a really helpful section for that. And that's immensely important for us. It'll challenge us because I think we'll see, and we have the privilege of hopefully being a blessing to many seminary students. If you can learn this, it's going to save you a lot of agony, by the way. You can learn what's set in front of you here. This is a wonderful chapter in preparation for ministry. As I sat down to write this, it hit me like a ton of bricks. All of my anxieties and all of my frustrations about the way things often go in every circumstance of life and everything, and particularly in the results that I want, are captured right here in the very wait time and struggle of the apostles. I see it. The Lord wanted them to wait. I want you to wait. I see the Lord, as I was looking at this, taking this period of waiting to train them and to convey to the church of all the ages here some very important lessons on how the kingdom would be built. Things they needed to learn. Things they needed to think about. It's amazing what you can learn about ministry in this one section in terms of priorities. I learned much from this and convicted me in many ways. I hope it does the same for you so that it brings forth good fruit in the life of this congregation to think about how we look like this. And as a church, we are fulfilling and setting priorities straight. The Lord is saying to us in Acts 1, think through what your priority should be. You could have said that right to the disciples. As you wait, you guys sit in that upper room, and I want you guys to think about who you are, and I want you to think about your priorities. And there's three ways we could do that, three ways this section could be broken down to help us. And I thought, in terms of three T's, timing, thinking, and trusting. Timing, thinking, and trusting. Let's spend a few moments here reflecting on this marvelous section at the end of Acts chapter 1. You'll remember last time that Jesus was dealing with the priorities because they were obsessed over the timing of things. Remember that? Is it now time that you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? And we dealt with that and we looked with that of what the things that were put into the Father's authority, what they were to be focused with in the building and taking the ministry to the ends of the earth. And the Lord said, I don't want you worried about those things, those things that are put in the Father's hand. The priority for you is to be about my ministry. You're gonna be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. Well, that's an exciting statement, isn't it? We're gonna do what? We are gonna go where? I mean, you really feel the punch of that and the effect of that. You are going to be, you are going to be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. And by the time we're done with Acts, that's exactly the whole program has been, has shown us this. Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of Samaria, and the ends of the earth. It went. Well, Jesus tells them, you go and you wait in that little upper room. Probably marks out. Imagine how much anxiety there must have been in that wait. 40-day period we know from this ascension to Pentecost, we know it's probably around 10 days. Jesus has been with them teaching in this period. They go into that room. What do you think's in their minds? Well, if they're anything like me, I'd be tensely restless. I'm restless anyway. But to be intensely restless, let's get this thing going. Let's get the show on the road. Before them was this specific command of the Lord. You wait. You wait. Now we're going to learn a lot why they needed to wait next time and see where the power of this ministry really would be. But verse 12 begins to help us and show how already the Spirit was working in preparing these men for His arrival. And verse 12 begins by saying that the eleven went into the upper room as jesus had commanded them now this may not seem like a great point to you but i think it's one of the most important points to begin with tonight and to think about for the church today remember in revelation chapter 3 when to the church in philadelphia the lord said see i have set before you an open door go through it ministries like that um the lord is opening and closing doors and here the lord just announced i'm opening the door to the gentiles for you to take the gospel and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth but isn't it interesting that before he opened that door that he tells them to wait wait why is that important well it's because your frustrations in the ministry and my frustrations in the ministry is that things aren't happening right now right now everything seems right everything seems how it should be we've done this we've built this we've accomplished this and i think this is one of the most important messages to the church today of a church that always expects and has always struggled with throughout history immediate results immediate results I've cautioned before, anything that produces immediate, widespread, in a short amount of time, attention and massive growth is always a red flag. As quickly as it came, quickly it goes. It's one of the reasons I'm always nervous about taking a new call, by the way. Whenever a new pastor comes, people have this expectation, everything's going to change. everything's going to go well. Everything, we have this expectation, now we're finally getting to where we want to be. This is for any pastor who gets a new call. And he gets a new call and you feel a pressure. Are we laying an expectation on God? Have we put an expectation on God? If God's not doing something now, there are periods of preparation. Scriptures show us this constantly, and i believe the apostles operated like this they understood this and it's important to say up front that nothing happens fast i believe uh to all the more a response from the lord today to a people who all want it right now will be a longer wait even with a new people who come into the church i have learned and i've seen it so quickly the person who comes in and says this is my church this is where I'm going to be that's the one to say let's take some time let's take some time we want to rush things and notice here they're waiting the apostles learned this I think of what Paul said to the church in Corinth I do not want to see you now just in passing I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits but I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door for effective work has opened to me and there are many adversaries you see how constantly they were waiting on the lord to open and close doors and they knew it was the lord building the ministry on his timing so important for us wait i don't like it i don't like it wait on the lord every bit of anxiety we have comes back to that statement in the scriptures wait on the lord be have good courage. Wait on the Lord. Most of the problems in the life of the church, most of them could be traced back to a frustration and impatience in all aspects of life as we move to push the program. It almost lands us always in some form of compromise. What do you say? Well, what do you mean? What do you want us to do? What do we do? Twiddle our thumbs? Here's one of the most beautiful reasons that the lord told them to wait two things are emphasized in verse 14 that they had to learn and think about before this went out two things they really needed to think about as a church notice this and they all came together and what did they do they all continued you'll notice there when they had entered they went in the upper room there all the names are mentioned and verse 14 and these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and mary the mother of jesus and his brothers they all came together there was a specific intention that the lord had for them in this this period what was it notice it in one accord in other words they united they united all of them the women and the men very important passage so easy to read right over that isn't it the phrase actually means they united in purpose of mind in their purpose of what they were doing in unity of purpose the period of waiting was a time for them to unite in their common purpose. The church is a body of believers that has a spiritual unity. It's one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. The church would accomplish nothing. The church would accomplish absolutely nothing until they were united that is so important that is so important this is why the new testament gives so much intention and so much instruction to the church to be one to be united it was the heart of jesus's prayer i pray that they would be one as we are one their witness was bound up in their unity their witness was bound up in their love for one another their witness was bound up in how the members would give themselves to that unity, so important. The distinct beauty of Christ's body is that there would be men and women together, male and female, every tribe, every tongue, every nation of people together as one, enjoying a fellowship with one another that has as its bond the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, as Paul would call it in Ephesians 4. The church would never be effective until they understood the importance of their unity. It's a spiritual unity of all the members in their differences that would give the mission its greatest witness. Remember what happened in Philippi. This is what the whole book of Philippians was about. They had begun strong in their gospel fellowship, and then the thing got ripped apart in divisions, which was the devil, and two women were called out by chapter 4, Iodia and Syntyche, who had created a faction, who had their positions, who had divided the church. People had rallied around it. And Paul writes this beautiful letter to them and says, you've forgotten what this is all about. Your gospel fellowship united you together to begin with, and this wrecks your purpose when you guys do this. To maintain that unity. It's a fight to maintain that unity. Why? Because everyone wants to do their own thing. Everyone complains and wants to pick at this and pick at that. It's what's in you. We're all challenged with this. I think one of the particular challenges that we have is that we run the danger of confusing family unity with the spiritual unity that Christ is after. Why don't you think about that? Sometimes we have an expectation of a family unity, that our family would all be in church with us. And I love that. That's what I want. I would love for all my children to remain in church with me one day. and follow me wherever I'm called to preach, right? Wouldn't that be great? For some people, the extent of their involvement in the church has nothing to do with anyone else other than the family. And if the kids leave, they're mad at the church. I think it's that kind of pressure that actually drives young people out today. I really do. In my years of doing this, I think it's that kind of pressure that they feel that drives them out. What we're called to here is a unity of the Spirit. did you notice who's mentioned here one specific woman is mentioned mary the mother of jesus now why would she be put in there well on the cross when jesus was dying he looks at john and he looks at his mother and he says to john john behold your mother you care for her and it's happening See it? That's his mom. Not his blood mom. That's his mom. Jesus was teaching this the whole time. Who are my mothers and who are my brothers? And looking about on those sitting around him, he said, behold, my mother and my brothers. How hard that is for us to get into our heads? Notice the importance of this period of waiting. They're learning to unite. They're learning to be one. You never get anywhere if it's just about blood. We are the family of Christ. All of us. Of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We are. I'm your son. You're my father. You're my mother. We need that today more than ever, don't we? It's beautiful. It's beautiful. They're learning to love each other. They're learning to look at each other different. They're learning to look out for the interests of others. to invite them in their homes, to make them their children. And how did they do that most effectively? They all continued together in prayer and supplication. You ever think that when it seems like nothing good is happening or nothing is moving or nothing is going on, that it's that very moment that you're being challenged to pray? That's what you should be doing. Because we're pushing everything else, aren't we? It's such an important moment of setting right ministry priorities. They were learning to pray together. You think we've mastered that yet? I don't. They didn't twiddle their thumbs, waiting. They were learning. Their ministry would never be effective apart from them praying together in unity and calling out to the Lord. This thing's building, isn't it? People always say to me, well, we as Reformed people don't believe that prayer changes anything. That sounds so pious. You know, I agree. You can't change the will of God. But why in the world would we deny that if God is sovereign, He didn't decree to accomplish His will through your prayers? Isn't that what He does? Isn't He that powerful? God hears and God answers. Scriptures tell us that all the time. Think about it. The entire Gospel program began with, and has reached to the ends of the earth, by the way, It began with a united people in prayer. Why do you think he's showing you that before Pentecost? See, we needed to slow down. The very problem I had in wanting to get to chapter 2 illustrates the very problem, doesn't it? You want the kingdom of God to flourish? You want to see results? Pray. Be one. Love. Jesus said, that's how all men are going to know you're my disciples anyway. Might it be that we have seen so little Christian influence in our day precisely because God's people aren't praying? Might it be? You could find a lot of things to pick apart in the Escondido URC. I could find a lot of things to pick apart in the Escondido URC. You know, you all could find something. You could start with me. You want to see the Escondido URC flourish, which I hope is what all of us want, in the intention God set up a church here in this place and gave us this platform for the gospel to go out. You want to see that? You know how that'll happen? It'll happen when we create a gospel fellowship of people who are united in purpose, who have their priorities right, and who are praying. Commit yourselves to pray for the work instead of complaining. Watch what might happen. Pretty important section to teach us about timing, isn't it? When we're frustrated with how things are going, here's what you can do. You can be an active part of the body. You can share in its joys and its sufferings. You can love the person next to you who's going through something, you could learn to use your gifts and worship to love one another, to be united in fellowship, to cultivate among us a spirit of prayer. That's how you're going to be a helpful member of the body of Christ. Timing. Seconds, thinking. Notice it. The whole Judas episode then is used to capture that, that second T, thinking. It's important and it makes a very important point to us as they were praying they realized something is not right there's only 11 of them they know that the church was to be built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets that's this this judas episode was really troubling for them i think their hearts were in great agony over judas i think they were they were intensely affected by judas i think they were scared because of Judas. Remember, he betrayed the Lord, and when it happened, the Lord foretold it in such an interesting way. He foretold it in such a way that all of them came to the realization that they could have done it themselves. Well, how do I know I'm not going to go do that? Everybody knew of those apostles that they were capable of such a thing. That's enough to break your heart. It's enough to terrify you it did didn't it jesus of course held on to his own through the supper you ever had such a sick feeling in your stomach that you can't go forward you ever been so bothered about something you don't know how to go forward i don't think we think about the pains these guys went through over judas it really troubled them and then to realize we're no better peter begins to rehearse the details of it, doesn't he, to get you a sense of it. This man purchased a field indirectly with the blood money when he betrayed Jesus. And you remember what they did, the chief priest, they went out and bought a field for the dead. He was so grieved, he returned the money. The chief priest bought a burial place for foreigners called Akaldama, place of blood. Judas's end was terrible. he committed suicide and his insides came out did you feel that absolutely awful the point here was for us to read and think how'd they get through it training this is a major hardship for them you notice you have a brand new man in peter it's really remarkable isn't it all of a sudden we've got a bold man here we've got a man who's learned something i haven't heard him talk like this the whole time this is why i say the spirit was clearly working this is no longer the bumbling fool from the gospels who fought jesus every time he quoted scripture is it it's not him men and brethren wow i'm ready for hear him now aren't you the scripture had to be fulfilled after prayer agonized group over the judas incident now we have the problem of dealing with this there's a lack of one we need 12 and notice how his thinking's changed jesus the entire time of his ministry handled every problem every trial every hardship every test by doing what quoting scripture quoting scripture the scriptures say thus it is written what's peter doing he's doing the same thing now on verse 20 it's written in the book of psalms let his dwelling be desolate and let no one live in it we're not supposed to be taken off guard by this are we the psalms foretold this foretold that this was a special kind of circumstance that he would be the one to betray the lord how'd they get through it he begins to connect in his mind psalm 109 with this which is a different psalm you'll notice here let another take his office now this may not seem like a very big moment to you but it's one of the biggest moments in acts why is it such a big moment in acts it's the moment they're setting straight ministry priorities how so the ministry that they're showing us was this everything we do everything we have to face every obstacle every hardship everything that makes us sick in the stomach the scripture and the word of god is our guide that directs us they understood as they learned to do what jesus did the ministry is a ministry of the word governed by what the word says they had to know the scripture and go in his will in the ministry now how important is that peter wasn't waving his finger in the air and saying well what's the popular opinion on what to do with this was he what do all the people want he searched the scripture you know that'll be a very big theme in acts by the way that even when paul was preaching he comes across this group called the Bereans as he was preaching. And he says, these were of noble sort than all the other people we had ever come across. You know why? Because they opened the scriptures after we preached to them and we found them searching in the scriptures to see if the things that we said are so. Wow. The people were so commended, these people, because they didn't just take it that it was Pastor Gordon's word or it was these guys' word. They wanted to know, so they went and learned the Scriptures themselves as the Word of God was preached to them. Now, you're going to see why that's important in a minute. You know, we can all confess, and I said this was challenging. It was challenging for me, even as a pastor. We can all confess of negligence in the duty of prayer. But how much more in the knowledge of the Scriptures, even as Reformed folk who have the Word. We have time for everything else under the sun than to read it and know it. You see, I see this all running together tonight. Here's what I'm saying. If the church was to be faithful in its witness, its members not only would have to make a constant sacrifice to unite and love one another, to be of one purpose and one mind, to learn how to pray with each other, to be able to go put their arms around a brother or sister hurting and pray with them, but the key ingredient would be that the members would have themselves to give themselves to know God's Word. You see all these priorities here? For when there's unity in the Word, unity of understanding in what it teaches, that's when the church is going to be most effective in its witness. Why are we having all the debates about worship wars and this and that? It's all your personal preferences. But if we all knew the Scriptures really well, we wouldn't be having this debate. I can assure you of that. If we all knew the attributes of God more and studied His holiness, we wouldn't be arguing about certain things our greatest problem today is that people don't even have the most basic bible knowledge they're not reading it no wonder we're ripped apart in divisions no wonder you're frustrated with how ministry is going you don't even have a consensus on what ministry could be most what it should be most of the time why a lack of knowledge it's what destroyed israel church unity is destroyed that way see it's challenging us to have a unity of consensus and what the word of god teaches on these issues and if you're reading it and studying it kind of come to a consensus that's the promise of the spirit that's how paul told the church in philippi to get through it be united in what you know stay focused there so if you have a church united in love. Priorities, right? If you have a people praying, if you have a people who know the word of God, well, you're going to have one church, powerful church fulfilling the Great Commission. And that's what I believe this whole section is showing us. They gave themselves to the doctrine of Scripture to know it and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So those are the two so far. Let's just close briefly with this last point. So you have the timing. You notice that there. So important, the thinking, and then the together trusting. There's a trusting aspect to the ministry, isn't there? They look to the Lord as the head of the church to build the church. So what did they do? They have this dilemma in front of them. They knew what the Scripture said. They knew what the Lord taught, that an apostle has to be somebody who's walked with them, who's seen Jesus and walked with Jesus and been a witness of this resurrection. So they have two candidates. Actually, they had 120 standing there. But they used wisdom and discretion, didn't they? Who were the two best men, the two most honorable men to fill this? Such a noble calling. Two come out. Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. Listen to the prayer. You, O Lord, know the heart. Show us which of these two you've chosen to take part in this ministry. and the apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, what did they do? They took very seriously, this is so important, they took very seriously who was qualified to fill these positions and to lead in so great a calling. And they prayed. It's your church, Lord. You know the heart. We don't want to put anyone in this who would destroy your church. Give us a man of your choosing who's honorable. In those days, they still were working with the old lot system borrowed from the Old Testament with the Urim and the Thunam, a practice of writing names on two pieces of stone and putting it in a container and shaking it and pulling out the candidates. But they were those whom they had already, by prayer, set apart as the most qualified. That doesn't mean it's normative for today. What it means is that before these men, they went forward understanding this. This is the point. That the church had to be built with servants that God sends to minister His Word. Another challenge for us today. Sometimes I feel like in doing elder and deacon, who will ever just do it for us? Who can we get just to do it? Who can we get just to do their time? And that's the joke when people go out of office. I'm free. Don't you dare talk to me for two more years, right? I get that people say that and I get the attitude. Well, I don't get the attitude, to be honest with you. This is a great noble calling to serve the Lord. Being in the ministry is not a willy-nilly thing. We're so quick to put up anybody and anyone who says, I want to go in the ministry today. Yay! Whoa, I've already been burned. Trust me. The average millennial who goes to seminary today thinks, I'm entitled if I get that Masters of Divinity. No, you're not. Point is, they knew that for the church to flourish, they had to call upon the Lord to raise up and show them and send them godly men to lead. That's the point. This is the Lord's church. So this time of wait was a wonderful time of wait, wasn't it? Allowed them to get priorities set right. They realized the whole thing is in the Lord's timing. They've got to wait upon Him. And they would look at ministry that way. If the Lord wills, they would say that constantly. They learned to be one purpose in their unity. Making sacrifices to love and be together. And love one another as their mother and brother and sister. They modeled the importance of prayer. That nothing would be accomplished apart from the Lord's power. So they're calling out to Him. They exhibited that this ministry would be built with the word of God on his will and not theirs. And they knew that they had to give themselves to the scriptures for that way, to build that way with the gospel, they would be most unified if they knew the scriptures. And finally, the ministry was to be built with men of God's choosing as they called out for him to send these men into the harvest. A lot can be accomplished when you don't feel like anything's happening. But if you want to see a church, Be largely ineffective. Complain. Don't love one another. Bolt out the door and make no effort to know your brothers and sisters. Don't care about anyone but family. Don't read the Scripture. Don't pray. Don't show up to congregational meetings because you don't care who serves you. That's the attitude that kills a church. This is an entirely different approach to looking at ministry. And we're all guilty of it. I understand. I'm the same. but I think it should motivate us. If we want the good of Christ's church, you want to see the Escondido United Reformed Church largely be effective in this community in these things. These are ways that you can, this week, go out and actively be involved as you pray, as you learn the Scriptures, as you call the loved one who needs to be called, as you care for the flock, and as you're involved in the life of the body to care about who leads you. I hope that helps you tonight. And now they're prepared for the Spirit to come, who by the power, His power, and a ministry of the demonstration of His power, the gospel would indeed go to the ends of the earth and fulfill the purpose that the Lord had for it. We'll see that all. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your encouraging word to us tonight, challenging in many ways, for we're all guilty of these things. Help us, Father, to be a people who have a sacrificial mindset in your body, knowing of how the Lord has loved us and forgiven us and given His life and demonstrated all of these things. May your church, your people, be effective in the earth with the ministry that you've given by the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for training us and instructing us in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.