Waiting on the Coming of the Holy Spirit
Acts 1:12-26
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
In Acts 1: Jesus tells His Apostles:
4 … this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
It turns out that the wait from Jesus’ Ascension to the coming of the Holy Spirit is only ten days. And here we have in this Scripture passage a description of this unusual time. Jesus has left, the Holy Spirit will come, the presence of both makes a big difference.
What do the Apostles do as they wait?
- Choosing a Replacement for Judas
Peter is leading the group in this project to replace Judas. Notice that Peter does not just add someone, but they work together through prayer to accomplish this task. They also rely on wisdom from Scripture.
Peter points to a Psalm that indicates betrayal of David’s leadership and applies it as a prophecy concerning Jesus.
“‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’
(Psalms 65:25) and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’ Psalms 109:8
So, because of their understanding of the Psalms applying to their particular situation, remember, the betrayal of Judas was a surprise to them, they choose a replacement.
- Qualifications of an Apostle
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
- With us the whole time from the beginning. We do not often think about the fact that there are more folks around the Apostles who are not “The Apostles” Why this qualification? Because of the need to explain who Jesus is, what He taught and what He did! This also explains the folks on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection that Jesus appears to. He gets them to return to Jerusalem.
- They are to be the witnesses of Jesus’ Resurrection! This highlights the importance of the Resurrection:
The people thought Jesus was Messiah on Palm Sunday.
On Good Friday, five days later Jesus is crucified.
How is it possible that Messiah can be crucified?
But then Jesus is Resurrected from the dead, death could not hold Him.
This proves that the Crucifixion of Jesus is not defeat, but victory.
And when they thought He was Messiah on Palm Sunday, they were correct! The Resurrection is proof that the Crucifixion is not a mistake, but is God’s plan for Messiah.
Acts 4:8 … “Rulers and elders of the people … know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
Again, Psalms 118 is the very passage shouted in praise on Palm Sunday!
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Romans 1: 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
- There are many who fit the qualifications
There are 120 people in the building waiting and praying. And of those folks there are some men who have been with them from the beginning, starting at the baptizing ministry of John the Baptist up to the time of Jesus’ Ascension.
There are always more than twelve! This does not even mention the women, but surely they are there as well because they were taking care of Jesus’ practical needs!
Perhaps Mary, Martha and Lazarus are there. They are mentioned as Jesus’ friends. Surely someone like Zacchaeus, or others that Jesus healed. Many people have their own story intertwined with Jesus’ story. And this is how God wants it to be. They have a testimony to share about the impact that Jesus had on their lives!
I think of folks who are mentioned early in the book of Acts:
Stephen and Phillip. Both are chosen as deacons in the church at Jerusalem. Stephen obviously has extensive understanding of the Old Testament an how it testifies to Who Jesus is. Phillip has a couple of really amazing stories in Acts 8.
- They can narrow it to two
The Eleven narrow it down to two men: Matthias and Barsabbas (also called Justus). And then they ask God to show them which one He chooses and they cast lots to determine that.
This is what they are praying about and doing as they wait for the ten days that God makes them wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that there are folks who were with Jesus from the beginning that we don’t know who they are should be encouraging. And the encouragement is that the ministry of Jesus which was begun by Jesus is carried on by many. And the key idea in this is that Jesus’ ministry is shared with us!
- More than Twelve are Waiting
- Waiting for another advocate
John 14: 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
- Many people will continue Jesus’ ministry
All that Jesus began to do
There are 120 people with them directly
There is the mention in I Corinthians 15 of Jesus appearing to 500 at one time.
The fact that there are this many points to the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit. It is not the work of the Apostles that is at issue, but the working of the Holy Spirit through people.
- Jesus’ mother and brothers now believe
Jesus’ family are mentioned in
Matthew 13: 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Their skepticism is mentioned in Mark 3: 20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
It is mentioned specifically that Jesus appeared to James in I Cor 15. I’m sure this helped to cement Jesus’ identity in their minds. James becomes the leader of the church in Jerusalem. And he will appear later in Acts in a prominent role.
James and Jude are authors of the books that share their names.
All that Jesus began to do. Combined with the mention and emphasis on the different people here who are not Apostles shows that Jesus intends for all people to be a witness of Who He is and What He came to do as a Savior and then how He has worked in our lives personally.
I am convinced that many of the stories in the NT surrounding Jesus are meant to indicate that God wants His people to share the good news about Jesus with others around them. Beginning with people like the Shepherds, the Magi and ending with a Roman Centurion. The faith of another Roman soldier, greater than any Jew in Israel. The good news of Jesus is for all the people.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
- What about You
- Your story matters
What has God done in your life? Every person who is following Jesus has a story. And that story contains experiences that highlight God’s love, grace etc.
A lot of times folks think that if we don’t have this huge event with a radical life change that our testimony isn’t important. The reality is that God would much rather you believe in Him all of your life and follow Jesus from an early age. Your life will be much less chaotic!
But even someone who has believed from an early age, like I did, will have stories of how they trusted God and He worked in their life in amazing ways. Because God is real and He works in our lives as we trust Him by obeying Him!
- Jesus wants to continue His ministry through you
The promise in the Old Testament book of Joel is that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all people!
Joel 2: 28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
What we will see in the Book of Acts is the Holy Spirit working in the lives of all who believe in Jesus. And the demonstration of the Holy Spirit is different at different times, but the most common manifestation of the Holy Spirit working through a person’s life is that they boldly testify to Who Jesus is and How He saves!
- The Call to be filled by the Holy Spirit
Since the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh, what is it that qualifies someone to be filled by the Holy Spirit?
Are you are human being?
Are you trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Are you turning from sin and following Jesus’ teachings?
Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit!
Eph 5:18 We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. So it must be God’s will.
I John 5: 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
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