May 11, 2025 Sunday Worship Service

Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 143:10
Hymn JBC # 120 This is my Father’s world
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 320 Shine and Live
Offering
Scripture Acts 1:12~26
Prayer
Sermon “The selection of Matthias”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 255 Face to face with Christ, my Saviour
Doxology JBC # 676
Benediction
Postlude

Today’s Scripture passage is the latter half of [the book of Acts] chapter 1. It is the scene where the disciples (Jesus Christ’s direct disciples) encountered the resurrected Jesus, and after that Jesus was ascended to heaven before their eyes.
Jesus said [Wait till the Holy Spirit comes upon you and receive power. Do not depart from Jerusalem, stay there.] (v.4, v. 8)
In today’s passage, after Jesus was ascended to heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, and is written [they went upstairs to the room where they were staying]

Whose house were they staying at? The accurate matter on whose house it was, is not written in the Bible.
To my idea, we can consider that that house was probably where the room was when the disciples had their last meal with Jesus.
I have mentioned last time that the book of Acts has a position like a sequel of the gospel of Luke.
Luke, the author writes in the gospel of Luke how the place was prepared where Jesus and the disciples had their last meal.

In the gospel of Luke chap. 22: v.7～v.13, is written as follows. Let me summarize the passage below.
The day of the Passover which was a significant holiday to the Jews had come near. The Passover was a day to celebrate the fact that the Israelites who in the past were under slavery were liberated from Egypt.
God sent a total of ten calamities (misfortunes, sufferings) to Egypt because of the king of Egypt, Pharaoh’s stubborn attitude of not allowing the Israelites to depart from Egypt.
The last calamity was one where all of Egypt’s human as well as cattle’s firstborn were struck (life was taken away) by God.

However, only the house of Israel was passed by (passed over) by that calamity.
The way for that calamity to pass over was made known to the Israelites beforehand through Moses.
They were commanded to prepare a sacrificial lamb and apply its blood to each house’s lintel (the horizontal support of the door) and doorposts. (Exodus chap. 12)
The calamity that the firstborn will be struck passed over from the house of Israel where the house gate was applied with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, and their children were protected.
Jesus had the last meal with His disciples on the day of the Passover to commemorate that event. That matter also demonstrated “Jesus Himself to become the sacrificial Lamb to compensate for the sins of all people”.

In the scene of Luke chap.22, on the last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus told His disciples Peter and John [“Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”]
As they asked [Where do you want us to prepare for it?], Jesus said as this.
“As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house,
‘The Teacher asks: ‘Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

It is written in the gospel of Luke that, as the two (Peter and John) went to give it a try, it just happened as Jesus said.
I believe that the “upper room” of today’s passage is also the same as that place. Which means that a place to pray and to worship was provided for the disciples and other believers by someone.
It was not written in the Bible who that person even was, however, being driven forward by the utterance “For the Lord’s service”, someone has offered his own house.
And it was a blessing from God that has moved the heart of that person who offered that house.
Likewise, I would like us to be truly thankful once again that we are provided with our church, a place of prayer where we can gather as this.
To have a church, a place to gather, is never an ordinary matter.

Being provided with this church in this place was a spiritual gift through support and prayers of countless people in the past.
And let us never forget the feelings of the people of neighboring areas who accept us, for the fact that it is allowed to stand as a church in this place even now.
Let us never think that “we stand as a church in this place, merely due to our own strength and faith”, but let us rejoice and be sincerely thankful that a church that is a place of prayer is provided as God’s grace, acknowledged and supported by many people.

It is written in verse 15 of today’s passage as follows.
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)
Peter who was one of the apostles stood up and began to speak before about 120 people who gathered there.
It was the beginning of Peter to be in a leadership position among the flock of believers henceforth.
As one of Jesus’s direct disciples, Peter experienced great setback and sorrow before then.

When Jesus was arrested, he denied Him three times, saying [I don’t know him].
In today’s passage, such a Peter stood up at the center of the disciples.
Normally, he would have been embarrassed (since he denied knowing Jesus in public), and he couldn’t have stand up in the middle of the crowd.

However, such a Peter could stand up.
It was not because of his own strength, but there was someone praying for him.

That person was none other than Jesus. In the passage of Luke 22 :31～, is written when Jesus said beforehand that “Peter says three times, I don’t know Him”.
Peter, at that time, bravely said to the extent [Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death].
At that time, Jesus also told Peter as follows.
“Simon, Simon (*Peter’s original name), Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter was full of confidence; however, Jesus knew that he will certainly have setback.
And Jesus promised that no matter how he would setback, Jesus Himself would pray for him that his faith will not fail.
Since Jesus prayed as such, Peter could stand up once again and could speak words that would strengthen other people.
Even us, there are times when we probably seem to lose our faith or experience our self-confidence like being shattered.
However, it is such an experience of setback that it is very important to our faith.
It is such a time when we come to realize that “faith is not something that I myself can keep holding it by my own strength and feelings”.
We can have faith because the Lord God gives it to us.
And granting that we get setback or even stumble, we won’t lose our faith for there is Jesus who [prays for us that our faith will not fail].
And when we can stand once again, we can comfort and strengthen other believers and other people.
In today’s passage, Peter who stood up began to speak about Judas who was one of them. There were 12 disciples (apostles) including Judas that were primarily chosen by Jesus.
However, Judas sold Jesus to the Jewish authorities, hence, he ended up creating the direct trigger of Jesus being arrested and crucified.

Peter speaks in today’s passage about what Judas, who was formerly one of them, has done and the fact that he lost his life in a terribly tragic manner.
I believe that it was an extremely difficult situation even for Peter to talk about it. On how to interpret Judas’s betrayal and death is constantly a significant issue to the Christians.
In Peter’s statement of today’s passage, he states that “Judas’s betrayal and his death was prophesied in the Book of Psalms of the Old Testament”.
We human beings cannot ultimately judge Judas’s act. It’s because the only one who can do true judgement is not man but God alone.
Peter probably couldn’t fully understand about Judas’s betrayal and tragic death.

And yet, he encouraged the rest of the disciples and spoke of words for them to move forward.
We can learn through the words of Peter, that the apostles back then were given the feeling to “overcome the betrayal and death of Judas their companion, move forward to the next step, advance from there and live”.
Peter called out “Judas is not here with us now. However, the important work to be witnesses to the Lord’s resurrection is given to us.
　So, we must choose one to replace Judas”.

Peter said, “we must choose one in place of Judas to become witness to the Lord’s resurrection and continue the work to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.”
They proposed two men named Joseph and Matthias, and they prayed. They prayed to God saying, “show which of these two You have chosen”.
Regarding the two, Joseph and Matthias, it seems that the disciples chose those two themselves by prayer and discussion.
Ultimately, however, they have fully entrusted to God’s will by “casting their lots” concerning whom is to be chosen between the two.
We, at the present day, don’t select by casting lots when choosing the church’s representatives or deacons.
However, by continuous prayer and discussion, after choosing what they think is best, I think the way of “casting lots” was used in today’s passage as an expression of faith “it’s only the Lord God who knows the real answer”.
And it was Matthias that was chosen.

In this way, the Lord provides and adds companions of faith even to us now, partners to carry with us the work of Gospel evangelism when needed.
And even if we get disappointed, have difficulties or depressed, we can stand up once again.
It’s because the Lord Jesus is praying for us and he will make us stand once again.
And whatever weakness or ill-will we humans bear, the work to proclaim the Gospel of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ will not be hindered completely.
The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ lives even after death, always keeps us alive and makes us move onward.
As people that are made to live each day by the resurrected Lord, made to stand by Him even though amidst difficulties, let us walk as people that proclaim to the world the joy of having faith in the Lord.