Study the Word

Guest (Male): Cautioning us about the way we can misuse the Bible, here's Pastor Thom Keller.

Thom Keller: You and I can line everything up with scripture and still be in the flesh. When I want something really bad, I can really be good at that. We can use scripture to validate what we want to do and miss the heart of God, and in all that scripture, be completely in the flesh.

Guest (Male): Maybe you've heard the old saying that figures don't lie, but liars sure can figure. Not only is this done with numbers, even more tragically, it's also being done with God's word. So we must learn how to rightly handle the word of truth. Join us today for Study the Word as Pastor Thom Keller opens chapter one of the Book of Acts. As we'll see, Peter doesn't wait for the Lord, but takes matters into his own hands. Before we get into that, let's be reminded that God can use the weak. From Acts chapter one, picking up in verse 11, here's Thom.

Thom Keller: Why would he say men of Galilee? He could have said men of God, men of great faith, men of Israel. Why are you staring in the sky? But he says, "Men of Galilee." I think that's pretty cool. What if you heard God say to you, "O man of God, O woman of God?" What would you do? You look around and say, "Who are you talking to? That's not me."

If he said, "O man of great faith," you would say, "That's not me." But he called them what they were, what they knew themselves to be at that point. What if you heard, "O man who really messed up today, I can use you"? Like he doesn't know. "O man from a dysfunctional family, I can use you. O woman who was divorced five times, I can use you. O little girl who was used and abused, I can use you. Your life isn't over."

He knows who you are, where you are, what you've done, what you've been through, and he has a plan to use you. In spite of all that, he has a wonderful plan to use you, to bless you, to give you a hope and a future. It says in one day, just as he left, he will return. This is very significant.

Zechariah talks about Jesus's return. It's the clearest picture we have of what his return to earth is going to look like. He returns in the clouds to rapture the church, and he takes them back. In that scene, his feet do not touch the earth. He just appears in the clouds, and all those that are believers, we disappear. Those that are believers and dead, they will be raised to life, and we will all go to heaven.

At the end of the seven years of tribulation, he will come back, and he will come back to the earth just as he descended. This is what Zechariah says: "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." The Mount of Olives is where he left from. That's where this whole scene is taking place. Zechariah says on that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. He's going to come back in the sky, and his feet are going to touch the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.

The Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west, for half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. When Jesus comes back, he's coming back in power. When his feet touch down on the Mount of Olives, a river's going to flow from the east, right through what is now mountain where there will now be a valley, and right into the Eastern Gate and right into the temple.

The Muslims, to try to stop this, they believe that Jesus was just a man. They built a cemetery outside the Eastern Gate because for a Jew to walk over a cemetery is to defile you. Jesus, being a holy man, they think he can't walk across a cemetery, so they figure by putting a cemetery outside the Eastern Gate, he can never go in that gate because he'll be defiled to do it.

Jesus doesn't have to walk. When he comes through there, it's going to be one big show, kaboom, and that gate's going to fly open, and he's going in. He's going in through the Eastern Gate. He's coming back. He's coming back for us. Verse 12 says the apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile back to Jerusalem.

This half mile, some of your translations say a Sabbath day's journey. The reason for that is that some people say, "You mean it took a whole day to walk there?" No, for a Jew, you weren't allowed to walk more than 2,000 cubits on a Sabbath. A cubit is a form of measurement from the tip of your middle finger to the bottom of your elbow. That's how they would measure things.

You weren't allowed to walk more than 2,000 cubits, which was about 3,000 feet, on a Sabbath. If you walked more than 3,000 feet, they would beat you. You were punishable by beatings. That's why it says a Sabbath day journey. That's how far they walked. In verse 13, it says then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.

Here is the list of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. This is not Judas Iscariot who betrayed him; this is the other Judas. They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

The land area where the upper room was was not the upper room, but there is now a chapel there, a church there, but supposedly on this parcel of ground is where the original upper room was. It's supposedly the upper room where they met for the love feast meal and also where they continued to meet after. That's not known for sure, but it's guessed that that is, in fact, the case. This also was turned into a mosque in the 16th century.

It lists all the apostles were present except Judas. Mary is mentioned. This is the last mention Mary is given in the Book of Acts. She never shows up again. We don't know what happens to Mary. We do know that she went to live with the Apostle John, and tradition has it that she died in a home in Turkey living with the Apostle John many years later.

There's nothing in the Bible that venerates Mary. There's nothing in the Bible that makes Mary anything other than a wonderful woman, a wonderful mother, but not what some traditions would have you believe, that she is a co-redemptress along with Christ. There's nothing in the Bible that reflects that. Also, it says that the brothers of Jesus were present. That is very significant.

The reason it's significant is, did his brothers believe in his ministry while he was on the face of the earth? No. Remember, they didn't believe. They mocked him. They were skeptical of him. He was the older goody-goody brother who could do some pretty phenomenal things, but they didn't believe. But now they believe.

To me, that's a pretty convincing argument that he really did convince them that it was him because his brothers believe who didn't believe before. The apostles believed before, they believed after, but his own brothers didn't believe before, but now they do. That's very convincing. Let's look at the rest of this chapter now. We're going to read it to the end.

During this time on a day when about 120 believers were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows. Here's Peter. Here he goes. Impetuous Peter stands up. Has the Holy Spirit come yet? No. He stands up. "Brothers, it was necessary for the scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit speaking through King David."

"Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us." Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means field of blood.

Peter continued: "This was predicted in the Book of Psalms where it says, 'Let his home become desolate with no one living in it,' and again, 'Let his position be given to someone else.' So now we must choose someone to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus, from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven."

"Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus's resurrection." There are 11 apostles left. Peter is going to replace the one. He has a plan. So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs," or King James says, "to his own place."

They cast lots, and in this way, Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other 11. Something stood out to me in this that I never saw before, and it's very interesting. What just happened here? I always assumed that they just replaced the disciple Judas and moved on. Well, that's not really what happened, I don't think.

Let me give a couple proofs. First of all, Jesus says wait. He says stay in Jerusalem. Don't begin telling others until the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Again, we know now that apart from God's Spirit, we can do nothing. He said do not leave until the Holy Spirit has come upon you. When he comes, you will receive power. Peter's jumping in in advance of that.

This is at the end of the 40 days. Remember what I said about the test? It's at the end of the 40 days. So what was the test? Well, maybe this wasn't it, but if it was, I don't think they fared too well. Thirdly, Peter looks to human government to validate the decision to move ahead. Do you remember what I said the number 12 represents? Twelve represents government.

It says on a day when about 120 were present. Why did they want you to know that 120 were present? Because in Jewish law, there was a requirement that in order to establish your own Jewish community with your own synagogue, you had to have a minimum of 120 people. If you did, you could elect a council, and that council could govern that group of 120 people.

By them putting in that number 120, we know that Peter was looking to a human form of government to validate what he was doing and why he was doing it, to set up a council even to vote on this. Fourthly, we know that Peter's in the flesh. How do we know that Peter's in the flesh? There's no Spirit yet. You're either in the Spirit or you're in the flesh. There is no Holy Spirit, so he's operating in the flesh.

As a little side note, it says that Judas bought a field. Remember that? He was paid 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus, and then he took the silver back into the temple and said, "I betrayed an innocent man." He tried to give the money back, and they said, "That's your problem." He took the money and threw it on the floor and he stormed out and he went and he hanged himself.

The religious leaders said, "We can't accept this money. It was money paid for blood. It was blood money. What do we do?" So they decided to buy what they call a Potter's Field, and they bought that Potter's Field with that money. Now, here's the significant part. Judas didn't buy the field. He paid for it, he threw the money and left. The religious leaders bought Potter's Field.

That means Judas didn't know where the field was. But it said that he went out and he hung himself coincidentally in the same field that the religious leaders bought with the money he betrayed Jesus with. This is the area that was known as the Potter's Field. If you saw the *Passion*, if you remember where he hung himself, it was a scene that looked somewhat like that. That was fairly true to form.

In Matthew 27, it says that Jesus hung himself. Here we find out that his stomach ripped open and his intestines, his bowels, spilled out. There are a number of possibilities. It could have been a strong wind blew him down, it could have been wild animals tore his body, ripped him open. It could have been the devil himself cast him down and ripped him open.

It could have been the men when they cut him down, he fell and he burst open. The Vulgate Latin says being hung, he burst in the middle, so it could have been even from the hanging process that somehow his stomach ripped open. What is significant though is that it says that he went to his own place. There's some conversation: did Judas go to heaven or to hell? There's a lot of controversy about that.

Not much; most opinions are that he went to hell. This would be maybe a proof text that he did. When it says he went to his own place, the Jews used this phrase when they were talking about somebody who would go to hell. In other words, when Laban died, it said that he returned to his own place. The understanding was his place in hell. So when it says and Judas went to his own place, it's a reference that Jews would have understood to mean clearly that his place was in hell and he went there.

Moving back on, a requirement for an apostle, as Peter says here, is that someone had seen Jesus alive, had been witness to his resurrection, and had been with him during the whole time of his earthly ministry. This is why they go ahead and they nominate two men that fit that criteria: a man named Justus and a man named Matthias. Matthias is chosen by lot.

Lot worked in either one of two ways. They either cast lots into a lap and they pulled names out, or they had "apostle" on one lot and nothing on another, and they would give one to Matthias and one to Justus and they would choose, and the one that pulled out the one that said "apostle," he became the apostle. The lot falls to Matthias.

We may say maybe this was God's plan. But here's again a proof maybe not: we never hear from Matthias again, ever. He doesn't show up in legend, he doesn't show up in tradition, he doesn't show up in Acts. Nothing ever happens with this man. The other apostles, there's much written about them, not this man. Could this not have been God's pick? Could he have been operating in the flesh?

Probably the greatest proof that this was not God's plan is the Apostle Paul's own words. Paul said that he was the 12th apostle. He claimed that title. In 1 Corinthians 15, he said, "I am the least of the apostles." In the book of 2 Corinthians 1, listen to how he begins his letters. 2 Corinthians 1:1: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:1: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ."

Colossians 1:1: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus 1:1, all of those: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." He was an apostle. I believe he was the intended 12th apostle. But because Peter was in the flesh, they chose the wrong man. It had really sad consequences for Paul. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul says this about this apostleship title: "Do I not have as much freedom as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn't it because of my hard work that you are in the Lord?"

"Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you, for you are living proof that I am the Lord's apostle. This is my answer to those who question my authority as an apostle." If you read between the lines when Paul talks about this issue, he's always trying to defend himself. He's always trying to live up to that reputation that some were trying to take away from him saying that you're not an apostle. I believe he was. He claims himself to be. He was an apostle. But Peter, in the flesh, they got the wrong man, I think.

What's the application for you and me? You and I can line everything up with scripture and still be in the flesh. When I want something really bad, I can really be good at that. Some of the most abusive relationships I've seen have been husbands that knew their Bible really well, and they used it to put their wife down and condemn them for not being the kind of wife they should be when the man was living like a hellion. But he had the scripture.

We can use scripture to validate what we want to do and miss the heart of God, and in all that scripture, be completely in the flesh and miss the heart of God all the way through it. The only way we can ever come to God safely is in the Spirit, not in the flesh, is to come asking him with a surrendered heart. "God, whatever you want, that's what I want. I give up my rights to anything. I have no agenda. Whatever you want."

Prayer is not about changing God's mind so as to get him to agree with my plan. Listen to that again. Prayer is not about changing God's mind so as to get him to agree with my plan. Prayer is about asking God to align my mind and my will to his mind and his will so as to save me from my plan. The most dangerous plan out there is a very good plan that you have but is against the best plan that God has.

The late Reverend Richard Wurmbrand, who founded The Voice of the Martyrs, spent 14 years in communist prisons because he would not renounce the faith. In his diary, written 30 feet underground in a prison cell in solitary confinement, he wrote this prayer to God. Listen. This is his prayer: "My God, I know how to say our Father, but I do not know what to add. Should I ask you for freedom? If so, why?"

"It is not necessary to go to holy places in order to be pleasing to you, but neither is it necessary to be at liberty. Which commandment could I keep better in freedom than in a prison cell? Why should I move around? The lily stays in the same place and exhales its perfume. What does it matter that I am alone? In my solitary cell, I am undisturbed. I can work on my character and develop the virtue of thousands. I will not pray to be free. I have you as Father in heaven. I lovingly call you Father. This is all. No other prayer is needed, no other request. I will not ask to be free. Amen."

See, that's a surrendered prayer. That's a surrendered life. What did God use with that man? He founded The Voice of the Martyrs, that today is providing support to thousands of people that are being martyred and being imprisoned and being tortured for their faith. That's what God did with that man who didn't ask to be free, but he freed him and used him powerfully. It comes out of a surrendered heart, giving up my will to his will. That is God's heart for you and for me.

There is no limit to what God can do. In Ephesians 3, he says this: he is able to do super-abundantly far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. That is God's heart for you. To surrender the issue you are struggling with can only do nothing but improve the situation. It may be a different plan than yours, but if it is different, it can only be because it's better. God cannot do less than what is best. It isn't even a possibility his character allows for. It is the only battle you will ever be in that victory comes through surrender.

Guest (Male): Pastor Thom Keller is leading us through Acts on Study the Word. We thank you for taking part in today's study. If you'd like to give this a second lesson, go online to CCLEB.com. At CCLEB.com, you'll find Thom's teachings in the Book of Acts and more. Or call and request a CD copy at 717-507-7862. That's 717-507-7862.

More and more people these days are really struggling in their marriages. Some are on the verge of throwing in the towel, and others are just hanging in there for the kids. But God has just what you need to succeed in marriage, and Pastor Thom has a new series that brings this to light. We've put the series onto a flash drive for you. We'll send this to you with our thanks for a gift of any amount to Study the Word. So call today and ask for Thom's series on marriage at 717-507-7862.

Or you can write to Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 17046. We'd like to take this time to invite you to join us for a worship service here at Calvary Chapel Lebanon, where Thom serves as pastor. Visit CCLEB.com for our service times and more information. And download our free Android app; search Calvary Chapel Lebanon in the Google Play Store. Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Lebanon. Another look into Acts, that's what's ahead of us next time on Study the Word.