Sermon Tone Analysis

*Follow someone I can’t see?*

*Acts 1:12-26*

 

Are you interested in following God with your life?

Why should I be? 2 reasons

1) *He is creator God, he owns you.*

Recently they had a big recall on batteries for Dell computers – they weren’t working the way they were intended to – the creators of the batteries recalled them all – what do you think they did to those defective batteries when they came back?

Destroyed them.

The same is true with humans – if you don’t work the way God intended you to work – you will be re-called and destroyed.

2) *It is also the only way to be truly happy* – when you are functioning the way God your creator intended you to function only then can you be truly happy..

But it is hard to follow sometimes.

Ciara follows me all over the house, “follow the leader” is a fun game, she is all smiles – but when she is trying to follow me and I hide on her, and she can’t find me – the smiles are long gone, and the siren comes out!

Following the leader isn’t always easy, especially when the leader disappears.

What had just happened to Jesus in *verse 10?*

Disciples were to follow their leader Jesus but he has disappeared!

As disciples stumbled back to the upper room in Jerusalem – their minds must have been reeling – what is going to happen now? – what is God going to do? – what is God’s will for me in all of this?

Jesus is gone, and we are supposed to follow him – but how? – He has disappeared up into the sky – how do we follow someone we can’t see?

 

2,000 years later we still can’t see Jesus  -- how do we follow him?

– do we take the approach of a baby like Ciara and scream and holler and get upset

Or is there a better way?

The apostles in our text tonight took 4 big steps in following Jesus even after they could no longer physically see him.

All of us need to be taking these 4 steps.

*Step #1*

*Obey – Vs 12*

What had Jesus told them in *verse 4*?

And that is exactly what they did – they obeyed the words of Christ.

Jesus left us, but he did not leave us without instructions – it is our job, our duty, and our joy, to follow the instructions.

If you are not into obedience you are not into following Christ.

To follow is to obey.

Are you obedient to the words of Christ.

*Step #2*

*Pray – Vs 14 -- *Pray when you don’t understand

*, 24 --*Pray when you have big decisions to make.

Pray, pray, pray.

As you look at the book of Acts it is easy to see that Prayer is the foundation stone of the early church.

Prayer was a daily part of their ministry *(Acts 2:42–47; 3:1; 6:4)*.

The Christians Prayed for courage to witness for Christ *(Acts 4:23–31).*

Stephen prayed as he was being stoned *(Acts 7:55–60).*

Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans *(Acts 8:14–17),* Paul prayed after his conversion *(Acts 9:11).*

Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead *(Acts 9:36–43)*.

Cornelius prayed that God would show him how to be saved *(Acts 10:1–4*),

Peter was on the housetop praying when God told him how to be the answer to Cornelius’ prayers *(Acts 10:9).

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The believers in John Mark’s house prayed for Peter when he was in prison, and the Lord delivered him both from prison and from death *(Acts 12:1–11).

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The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Barnabas and Paul *(Acts 13:1–3*;

It was at a prayer meeting in Philippi that God opened Lydia’s heart (*Acts 16:13),*

Another prayer meeting in Philippi opened the prison doors* (Acts 16:25ff).

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Paul prayed for his friends before leaving them *(Acts 20:36; 21:5).

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In the midst of a storm, he prayed for God’s blessing *(Acts 27:35),*

After the storm, Paul prayed that God would heal a sick man (*Acts 28:8*).

In almost every chapter in Acts you find a reference to prayer, and the book makes it very clear that something happens when God’s people pray.

[1]

God works his will through our prayers – so let us pray.

What can we do as a youth group to pray more?

What can you do as an individual to pray?

 

Step one – Obey

Step two – Pray

*Step three – Stay *

 

*15-16 *– he became a guide to the enemies of Jesus – he betrayed the Lord – he did not stay on God’s team.

But he was for a while..

*17 – *What has his “share” – *Luke 22:28-30 – *That’s quite a share!

But instead of this what happened?

*18-19 – *He died – a violent death.

Peter says that the H.S. used the Scripture to fulfill what was to happen concerning Judas

*Ps 69:25 *

*Ps 109:8*

The big idea of these Psalms is a prayer that wishes the enemies of David be judged in such a way that they would be

1)      Removed – cut off – finished.—obliterated

– ghost town

2)      Replaced

The H.S. took these general comments about David’s enemies and made them specific to Judas the enemy of David’s ultimate son – Messiah Jesus.

– The H.S. working through O.T. Scripture told Peter that Judas needed to be removed and replaced.

Had he already been removed?

(yes, guts splattered)

So all that was left to do was to replace him.

The point for tonight is Judas did not stay with Jesus.

Why?

Why did he betray him?

Why did he turn his back on Jesus.

No one knows for sure

Suggestions:

(i) *Odd man out -- *It has been suggested that /Iscariot/ means /man of Kerioth/.

If it does, Judas was the only non-Galilaean in the apostolic band.

It may be that he felt himself the odd man out and grew so embittered that he did this terrible thing.

(ii) *Save your own skin -- *It may be that Judas saw the trouble that was coming for Jesus and followers and in order to save his own skin he turned in Jesus after which he saw the enormity of what he had done.

(iii) *Money -- *It may be that he did it simply out of greed for money.

(iv) *Conviction -- *It may be that Judas came to hate Jesus.

From others he could disguise his black heart; but the eyes of Jesus could penetrate to the inmost recesses of his being.

It may be that in the end he was driven to destroy the one who knew him for what he was.

(v) *Bitter Disappointment -- *It may be that Iscariot is a form of a Greek word which means a dagger-bearer.

The “dagger-bearers” were a band of violent nationalists who were prepared to undertake assassination and murder in a campaign to set Palestine free.

Perhaps Judas saw in Jesus the very person who could lead the nationalists to triumph; and when he saw that Jesus refused that way he turned against him and in his bitter disappointment betrayed him.[2]

I suppose we will never know for sure the specific reason

But I think we can be sure of this.

Judas had lots of questions – many with out answers – instead of Praying, he got frustrated and upset – the frustration led to his betrayal of Christ.

The #1 reason why people don’t stay with God

Is when the “why’s of life don’t get answered” – if God is so good – why did he do that?

– why why why.

People junk God all the time, because the why’s don’t get answered.

This is what happened to Judas

He failed to obey, (thief) – his black heart kept him from praying – and when the “why” questions came he bailed – he didn’t stay.

We need to be committed to God – no matter what – \\ “I’m Staying, I am not letting go”

These three steps all fit together.