Sermon Series on The Book of Acts

Part 2 True & False Disciples of Christ

I. INTRODUCTION:
a. In the following months, we would be having a Sermon Series on The Book of Acts.
b. What is the Book of Acts?
i. The book of Acts is a historical account of the early Church in the NT:
1. The first three decade of the Christian Church is recorded in this book, therefore
this is the very first written book on Church history.
2. This book shows us how the Church was established in different parts of the
world through the continuous proclamation of the Gospel by the followers of
Christ.
ii. The Book of Acts was written by the Apostle Luke:
1. Luke is a well-educated gentile physician, his writing displays careful research of
history, geography, diseases and Roman laws.
2. Luke himself was an eyewitness to the accounts found in this book because he
joined Paul on his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys and on the voyage to Rome as
his personal physician.
iii. The Book of Acts is still a highly relevant book for the Church today in our modern
times:
1. Sadly, many churches today are unbiblical in their doctrines and in their
practices as compared to the early Church presented in Acts.
2. We will have a sermon series on the book of Acts so that we would be able to
truly understand what is a biblical Church and imitate their example for the
glory of God.
c. Today we continue this series by reading Acts 1:12-26
d. Our Sermon Title for Today: True & False Disciples of Christ
II. BODY:
a. We can learn three truths from the disciples of the early Church according to the verses that we
have read, and these are: (1) v11-14 The Submission of The Disciples (2) v15-20 The Suicide of
a Disciple (3) v20-26 The Substitution of a Disciple
b. Now let us expound each of these truths:
i. v11-14 The Submission of The Disciples
1. After Jesus had ascended to heaven from the mount of Olivet, the disciples
returned to Jerusalem.
2. In Jerusalem, the disciples met at the upper room of a big house:
a. This upper room can fit 120 persons as mentioned in v12; these people
are the 11 Apostles, the women, Mary the mother of Christ & His
brothers.
b. it is possible that this is the same room they had their first communion.
c. It is also possible that this house was owned by John Marks mother.
3. Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy
Spirit to come into them:
a. The disciples could have gone their separate ways and hid because of the
danger of persecution as their Lord Christ was persecuted to death.
 b. But they remained and waited by devoting themselves into prayer in
the upper room.
4. At this point, we can learn here that the disciples of Christ submitted
themselves to the will of God as commanded by Christ:
a. If we say that we are disciples of Christ, do we submit our lives
according to the will of Christ through His words in the Scripture or do
we submit our lives according to our own will?
b. A person who continues to disobey Christ by living selfishly in the
pleasure of sin cannot be a disciple or follower of Christ into salvation
and eternal life.
c. A disciple of Christ will never find pleasure in sinful disobedience against
Christ, instead he will find true lasting joy by submitting himself to
Christ.
ii. v15-20 The Suicide of a Disciple
1. While at the upper room, Peter stood and preached.
a. Peter quoted from Psalm 69:25 & 109:8 regarding Judas, one of the
twelve apostles who betrayed Christ and committed suicide after.
i. According to the prophecy in v18, Judas would buy a field from
the money he received from betraying Christ, but in reality, he
returned the money to the Pharisees which they used to
purchase a land, nevertheless the prophecy was fulfilled because
the money used to buy the land still belongs to Judas.
ii. Also as prophesied, the betrayer would die by falling headlong,
would burst open in the middle and his bowel would gush out,
apparently Judas suffered this fate when he hanged himself on a
tree by a cliff, the rope snapped which plummeted him to his
violent death.
b. In Peters preaching, he taught about the sovereignty of God and the
responsibility of man in connection to the fulfilment of the prophecies
in the Scripture.
c. Although God predestined Judas to betray Christ to fulfill His will for the
salvation of man, God can’t be blamed because Judas freely chose to
betray Christ according to his sinful will.
2. We can see in these passages that it is possible that there are people within the
Church who are involved in the ministry but are not truly in the saving grace of
Christ:
a. Judas was among the twelve disciples not because he was following
Christ but because he was chasing after the benefits of belonging into
the Church of Christ.
i. Judas treated sin lightly, from his lying and coveting which led to
theft and murder, he did not understand that God does not
tolerate any type sin, all of these sins has equal punishment of
eternal suffering in hell according to James 2:10 and Romans 6:23
ii. Judas as a treasurer stole money from the ministry, betrayed
Christ and committed suicide.
 iii. Although Judas belonged to the twelve disciples, he was proven
to be unsaved because, he did not turn away from his sin, and
because his faith did not persevere until the end of his life.
b. The greatest waste of opportunity in history was the life of Judas:
i. He wasted the opportunity of salvation and eternal life from the
Savior which personally called him and walked with him for
three years.
ii. Not everyone was given this rare opportunity, but Judas wasted
it.
3. Even today, there are many professing Christians who are involved in the
ministry but are unconverted or unsaved.
a. If within the group of Christ, a false Christian was able to get in, how
much more would it be for our modern Churches today?
b. As Christ declared, you will know them by their fruits and their fruit
remains: we would be able to discern the true Christians by their life of
faith and ministry which is persevering until the end.
c. Unlike Judas who separated from the Church and committed suicide, the
true believer will persevere in his life of faith and ministry until the end.
4. At this point, we must all the more be vigilant by examining ourselves if we
truly have saving faith in Christ as Paul instructed us in 2 Corinthians 13:5, lest
we perish too like Judas.
iii. v20-26 The Substitution of a Disciple
1. While Peter was preaching, he proposed that the Church replace the office of
Judas with another disciple.
2. And the Church presented Joseph / Barsabbas / Justus and Matthias.
3. The Church prayed for them then casted lots to determine which of them would
replace the office of Judas.
a. Casting lots is similar to what we know as random picking or
palabuntan.
b. The OT & NT saints practiced casting lots because they believe in the
sovereignty of God which is not by chance and because they did not
have the complete Bible then to guide them.
c. Today we do not practice casting lot anymore because we have books
such as 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus that shows us clear qualifications for
choosing Elders that would govern the Church.
4. At this point, we can learn that with or without us, the ministry of the Lord will
continue because He can send someone on our place anytime.
a. The absence of Judas did not affect the ministry because God is
sovereignly in control of everything.
b. Sadly, many professing believers thinks that without them the ministry
will collapse forgetting that it is the Lord who places and takes away
people into position.
c. We must always we remember that we are serving God today all
because of His grace through Christ: it is only by the death of Christ and
 His perfect life of righteousness that we have been saved, included to
His church and is empowered to serve.
d. So as we serve God in the ministry today, we must remember this
humbling truth, the ministry of the Lord will continue with or without
us.
c. Are You Already A Disciple Of Christ Today?
i. If not; turn away from your sins and follow Christ today.
1. Pray, ask for God’s forgiveness and strength to daily battle sin until the end of
your life.
2. Also pray and ask God to give you the desire and ability to follow the
commandments of Christ in your life.
ii. Today is not accident, God is calling you to be a disciple of Christ so that you can find
peace from His gift salvation and joy from His gift of eternal life.
iii. If you have already acknowledged your sinfulness and your need for the saving work
of Christ by repenting from your sins and by following Christ then this is the challenge
for you today:
III. CONCLUSION:
a. Challenge: Let Us Be Submissive, Vigilant and Humble Disciples of Christ.
b. We must Submit Ourselves To The Commandments Of Christ, we must be Vigilant In Our Daily
Examination Our Faith and we must Humble Ourselves As We Serve God for our joy and for the
glory of God!
Let Us Pray:
Heavenly Father thank You for the words that we have received this morning. Thank You for teaching us,
reminding us, correcting us and encouraging us in our life of faith and ministry to You. May we continually
understand and imitate the early Church from this sermon series so that we as a Church would give You honor,
praise and glory. Help us through the power of the Holy Spirit give us the desire and ability to be submiossive,
Vigilant and Humble disciples of Christ. We ask for You to give us the opportunity, knowledge, courage and joy
as we witness for the Gospel unto the world. We also pray for the people who would listen to our witness,
please grant them a new heart through the power of the Holy Spirit so that they may have the ability to repent
from their sins and obey God in faith leading to salvation and eternal life. Once more we thank you Lord for the
grace that you pour upon grace in our lives. In Jesus name we pray,
AMEN