WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.760 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.740 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.740 --> 00:00:24.879 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:31.079 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:36.939 yourself? The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, 00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:42.219 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:47.980 Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:52.519 We will do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:58.300 And if you're a non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing 00:00:58.300 --> 00:01:03.800 that. Don't hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, 00:01:03.940 --> 00:01:07.740 how to deal with the types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:20.060 Let's just bow our heads in prayer. Father, now, Father, this is just so appropriate. We come to 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:25.400 read your Word, and in the background there are sirens. I don't know if it's police or ambulance, 00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:30.500 and there's the singing of children singing Christmas carols. And Father, this is just 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:37.719 really so much. This is the real world as we come to think about your Word. And so, Father, 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:43.879 we ask that your Holy Spirit would lead us and guide us into all truth. Help us to know Jesus. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:50.359 Help us to know your Word. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:04.939 It's a nice distraction. I might be a bit distracted by the Christmas carols, which just sound so 00:02:04.939 --> 00:02:12.500 beautiful by the children. It sort of will seem maybe odd to some of us that on this Advent-y 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:17.979 Christmas time of the year. And most Canadians think of Christmas as sort of beginning at least 00:02:17.979 --> 00:02:22.520 a week or two ago, and it will culminate with Christmas Day. That's how most Canadians think 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.979 of it. And so it will seem odd to some that today we're going to look at a brutal murder. 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:32.000 It doesn't seem to be very Christmassy, because we're going to look at the martyrdom, the first 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:38.939 martyred, the first Christian martyr, Stephen. But just a bit of a, I mean, this is just because 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:42.560 we're going through the book of Acts and we want it to reach a certain point, then take 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:47.579 a bit of a break for Christmas and then deal with some other, then go back to Acts. But 00:02:47.579 --> 00:02:56.939 it's actually very appropriate. Older Christians, before sort of consumerism, Christmas began 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:03.960 on Christmas Eve, and you'd celebrate Christmas for 12 days. Now we begin to celebrate Christmas 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:10.480 after Halloween, and Christmas ends with Christmas Day. But for the older Christians, Christmas, 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:14.980 the celebration of Christmas began on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, as the case might 00:03:14.980 --> 00:03:20.719 be. And if you look at how the older Christians thought about how to pray during that time period, 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:28.819 what we now call Boxing Day, which of course is a prime high holiday of consumerism, and is 00:03:28.819 --> 00:03:33.439 in fact, in the older Christian understanding, the day after the birth of Jesus was the day they 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.879 thought of the death of the first Christian, the first Christian martyr, which seems sort 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:42.139 of very counterintuitive to us. But that's how they wanted us to understand things. In 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:48.280 fact, they went from the death of Stephen by martyrdom, they talked about St. John, and 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:54.159 then they talked about the death of the innocents slaughtered by Herod. So it is in fact, there 00:03:54.159 --> 00:04:00.500 is some appropriateness to look at a brutal murder in this Canadian season of Christmas. And 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:07.000 so it's, yeah, there's something actually pretty good about doing it. So let's do that. We're 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:12.520 going to look at Acts chapter 6, verses 8 to the end of chapter 7, which is a really big 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:15.960 passage of Scripture. We won't be able to look at all of it. I'll summarize some of it. 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:21.699 But it's really important that we begin with the beginning of the story. And if you're using 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:31.500 these little pocket Bibles or these journal Bibles, it begins on page 36. And here's how 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:37.659 it goes. This is taking place, by the way, approximately a year or so after the death 00:04:37.659 --> 00:04:44.620 and resurrection of Jesus. And last week we saw how to help to make sure that the preaching 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:51.480 of the Bible and the sharing of the gospel and prayer kept going forward. They set aside 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:59.600 seven people to make sure that their very important works of feeding the hungry kept going. And 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:03.399 one of the seven people that was set aside for that was this person by the name of Stephen. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:10.899 And here's how it goes. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:17.459 signs among the people. Wonders and signs means he was performing miracles. One of the ways that 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:24.659 the New Testament often talks about miracles is they call them signs. They're real, but they point to 00:05:24.659 --> 00:05:32.639 something. Amongst other things, to our atheist and agnostic friends, if miracles actually happen, 00:05:32.799 --> 00:05:38.859 it means they're wrong. It means that, in fact, the world is more than just cause and effect, 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:44.680 that there is a God that does exist. It points to something. It points to, in fact, that God exists 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:49.800 and a little bit about what God is like. So in the New Testament, miracles are often called signs. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:55.819 And they're wonders because they leave us gobsmacked when we see them. So I'll read that again. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:00.220 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:05.280 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freed men, as it was called, 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:12.199 and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:18.459 with Stephen. Now, we need to pause here and notice the details of this story. 00:06:20.899 --> 00:06:29.379 Like, why is it that... So at this point in time, if I was to go back, I could have done something with 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:34.139 each one of the bits of the Book of Acts up until now that you can begin to see little bits of separation 00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:41.719 between the early Christians and the larger Jewish culture. But all of the Christians in the world 00:06:41.719 --> 00:06:46.699 were all Jewish. And at this point in time, they still fundamentally see themselves as Jewish. 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:53.560 So these Jewish believers in Christ are still going to the synagogue. They're still going to the temple. 00:06:54.879 --> 00:07:00.419 And so Stephen is performing miracles. He would have been performing miracles in the name of the God 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:08.379 of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Israel. So you think about it for a second. Why exactly is it 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:13.660 that this Stephen performing miracles would cause an argument? 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:22.840 Like, why would that be? Like, what's going on that that would happen? Like, just think about it for a 00:07:22.840 --> 00:07:27.360 second. I know that there are many Christians who've had periods of doubting in their life, 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:33.460 and they say, if God could just do, like, a real obvious miracle, I'd be fixed for life. 00:07:33.840 --> 00:07:38.420 Like, I would never doubt again if I could just see a real undisputed miracle. I've talked to lots of 00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:43.420 people outside of the Christian faith who've said to me, listen, if God wanted me to know him, 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:49.080 if Jesus wanted me to know him, why doesn't he just do a miracle in front of me? Like, if he just did a 00:07:49.080 --> 00:07:54.220 miracle in front of me, that, you know, an indisputable miracle, and I would be set. I would be a 00:07:54.220 --> 00:07:59.920 follower of Jesus. Like, why doesn't he just do that? And even for those of us who don't need it 00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:04.440 to bolster up their faith, let's just be honest. How many of us would just love to see a miracle? 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:13.080 Like, many of us would. Like, you know, and that's separate from those who'd like to see a miracle 00:08:13.080 --> 00:08:17.820 so they could set up their 1-800 number, their web page, and make lots of money from it, you know, 00:08:18.260 --> 00:08:22.160 have people buy them beer for the rest of their lives. But lots of us would love to see a miracle. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:28.140 So why is it that these people seeing indisputed miracles, this causes them to argue 00:08:28.140 --> 00:08:36.680 against Stephen? So, like, what's going on? Well, the story gets even more curious. Look at what 00:08:36.680 --> 00:08:43.540 happens next, verse 10. So they've been having a discussion, an argument. Well, they've been 00:08:43.540 --> 00:08:49.120 arguing, and he's been answering. But look at verse 10. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:56.000 spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, 00:08:56.419 --> 00:09:03.779 we have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. Now, once again, like, 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:13.600 what's going on here? Like, why don't they say, gosh, that's like a really wise insight. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:18.420 Like, I should think about that. Like, that's just, like, that's, oh, that's like a good insight. I 00:09:18.420 --> 00:09:23.779 hadn't thought about that before. Like, I need to, I need to think about it. You know, I remember 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:32.379 the first time I heard Eugene Peterson speak live. He's now with the Lord. And I wished that every 10 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:39.100 minutes I could be like, you know, the doctor and the X-Men. I could just freeze it and walk away for, 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:43.680 like, half an hour, an hour, think about it, then go back and have it restart. Because it, like, there's 00:09:43.680 --> 00:09:48.519 just so much wisdom. I was just having to really think about it. And so why don't they respond that 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:53.100 way? Instead of responding that, like, gosh, I never thought about that. I never put those things 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:59.100 together. That's like a profound insight. Instead, what they do is they pay people to smear Stephen. 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:04.779 Like, why do they respond like that? Like, why don't they even just walk away and leave? But why instead 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:12.519 they just smear him? And it gets, like, what's going on? Well, it gets even more curious. Look 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:20.039 at what happens next. They double and triple down on the smearing. Look at what happens. It's in verse 12. 00:10:21.839 --> 00:10:27.600 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes. And they came upon him, that's Stephen, 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:32.339 and seized Stephen and brought him before the council. That's like the supreme, 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:40.000 the group that sort of rules the Jewish people underneath the Romans. And they set up false 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:45.800 witnesses who said, when they set up false witnesses, that means they've now decided they're 00:10:45.800 --> 00:10:54.379 going to bring charges against Stephen. Like, what's going on? Right? This starts with him being a man of 00:10:54.379 --> 00:11:00.019 good repute, who's doing miracles in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who's giving 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:04.799 them good, wise answers. And rather than them just thinking, wow, like, this is something remarkable. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:10.799 Like, I need to think things through. They're smear him. They set up false witnesses who said, 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:15.740 verse 13 continuing, this man never ceases to speak words against this holy place in the law. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:21.960 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:27.899 customs that Moses delivered to us. Well, like, just think about this, what they've just, the charges, 00:11:27.899 --> 00:11:33.699 like, just, like, what's going on here? Like, okay, like, this is actually really, 00:11:35.699 --> 00:11:40.000 I think nowadays you're not allowed to say stupid to kids or anything like that, but this is stupid, 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:47.039 okay? Like, if somebody came up, if after church we met somebody and said that Napoleon Bonaparte was 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:55.120 going to destroy the parliament buildings, we'd laugh at him, because he's dead. So they all think Jesus is 00:11:55.120 --> 00:12:01.580 dead. So how is Jesus going to destroy the temple? Like, this is ridiculous. It's no more likely for 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:05.700 a dead person to destroy the temple than would be for a dead person to destroy the house of commons, 00:12:05.799 --> 00:12:10.700 the parliament buildings, to level it. Like, that just makes no sense. Like, even the charge doesn't 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:19.299 make any sense. So what's going on? Like, what would push people to be so upset and to believe such, 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:25.339 like, just frankly, nonsense, and treat this nonsense as if it's somehow something very, very 00:12:25.339 --> 00:12:32.359 serious? What's going on? And it even gets more curious. Look at how the next verse goes. Verse 15, 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:40.359 and gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face, that Stephen's face, was like the face 00:12:40.359 --> 00:12:47.019 of an angel. So here's another gut check moment. So first of all, just to understand, when we think of 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:51.679 the word angel, we have to understand this probably the way people thought of it back 100, like in the 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:57.220 first century. Today, we think of it as hallmarky, as if all of a sudden he became young and had nice 00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:02.159 rosy cheeks and, you know, little wings sprout out of his back or something like that. Like, very 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:07.860 hallmark and Walt Disney-ish. We'd probably be closer to how they thought about it then if we've watched 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:13.279 Raiders of the Lost Ark, and you remember the very ending of it when the angels are unleashed, those of you 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:17.860 who remember that old movie. It's probably what an angel would look like was closer to that. 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:23.519 It would have been something bright. It would have been a, he, the angel would have been a creature, 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:28.319 would have been a very bright face. There would have been a type of beauty about the face, 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:32.860 a beauty that would take your breath away, and there also would have been something dreadful 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:39.159 about the face. And by dreadful, I mean dread-inspiring, dread-causing. Something, 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:46.079 well, that's something that the Steven Spielberg angels at the end of the Raiders of the Lost Ark 00:13:46.079 --> 00:13:52.719 captured. Something terrifying. So once again, there's that, like, this is a miracle. Like, 00:13:53.699 --> 00:14:01.039 if this was happening here in the room to somebody, like, we would all take note. We would, 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:06.179 I mean, surely we would have questions. It would make us pause about what's going on. 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:17.199 But it doesn't do that to them. What's going on? So what happens next? And chapter 7 is part of it. 00:14:17.199 --> 00:14:24.059 I'm going to skip 38 verses, because there's 60 verses in chapter 7. It's a lot of verses to read. 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:30.759 And we're all in trouble, because my stopwatch stopped working. So this could end up being a 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:38.419 three-hour-long sermon. No, I'm joking. I'll just have to keep watching the time as it passes. But 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:44.619 here's the thing. What happens next is the high priest says to Steven, how do you answer to these 00:14:44.619 --> 00:14:52.299 charges? And I have to confess this week that I really labored over this sermon. Like, I really 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:58.919 labored over it. And I found the commentaries that I read. I read three commentaries on it, 00:14:58.979 --> 00:15:05.199 and I found them all very unhelpful. And I think the reason I found it unhelpful is that they tried 00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:11.199 to show how Steven, in the next 50-some-odd verses of speaking, how he answered the charges. 00:15:12.579 --> 00:15:17.899 And I just keep reading it, and I just couldn't see it work. I just didn't see how that happened. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:22.199 And then I realized, and once again, thank you for whoever was praying for me this week, 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:27.040 and I got an insight about it. And it's because one of you was praying for me. That's the only 00:15:27.040 --> 00:15:33.080 reason. And I realized that what Steven was doing is he was doing what they teach you in counseling. 00:15:33.780 --> 00:15:41.640 He was doing what a good supervisor or boss does. You know, some of you who have to supervise lots of 00:15:41.640 --> 00:15:45.740 people, you'll have somebody, and they're maybe really upset about something. They're saying certain 00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:54.600 accusations. And a good boss will say, okay, time out. Like, what's going on? Like, what's going on to 00:15:54.600 --> 00:16:00.340 cause all those questions? Like, what's going on with you? Right? You realize there's something else 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:06.220 going on. And you deal with what's going on rather than the questions. Because if you don't deal with 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:10.519 what's going on, you can't actually answer the questions. And what Steven is doing, he's doing 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:17.740 something a little bit like that. He's going, okay, one moment. Like, this is the same group that put 00:16:17.740 --> 00:16:24.539 Jesus to death. This is the same group that's been hostile to the apostles. I'm in trouble 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:32.019 because God did miracles through me when I prayed, and I gave really wise answers. Like, what's going on 00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:37.980 here? And until you deal with what's going on, you can't answer the questions. So some of you have 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:42.340 heard this illustration before, but I'll still use it again. This is quite a few years ago. 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:48.600 I had a special sort of evening service, and we did morning prayer. And just like this, I had the 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:52.139 text I was going to preach on, and I just used the other text from the lectionary. And the other text 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:58.519 touched on a little bit about women's roles in the church. And I didn't touch it. I actually preached 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:03.279 at the early service about that a couple of months earlier, so I didn't talk about it. I preached on what 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:08.200 I was going to preach on. But afterwards, I had a couple, a very, very, very, very, very bright 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:13.920 couple, really concerned about the Bible text and wondering why I didn't address it. And so I asked 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:19.440 them a little bit about what was going on and what they meant by addressing it. And then I started to 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:23.740 realize that they... So I started to give them a little bit of an answer about this and about that 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:30.079 and about that. And I wasn't getting anywhere with either of them, the fellow and the woman. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.939 And so all of a sudden, I had one of these words of knowledge. If I was a charismatic, 00:17:34.179 --> 00:17:39.319 I said I had a word of knowledge. And I said to them, listen, you're both exceptionally bright. 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:44.339 They probably had IQs vastly higher than me. They were better educated than me. Very, very bright, 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:49.699 career-minded individuals. And I said to them, listen, let's say that you're going to take 10 years 00:17:49.699 --> 00:17:55.579 to sort this out. And over the next 10 years, you're going to learn Hebrew. You're going to learn 00:17:55.579 --> 00:18:04.720 Aramaic. You're going to learn Greek. You're going to also do a lot of work in anthropology 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:09.500 to understand anthropologically what was going on at that time period. You're going to study 00:18:09.500 --> 00:18:15.199 sociolinguistics. You're going to study any type of thing. You're going to study rhetoric. 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:20.720 You're going to study translation. You're going to look at all of the different variants in the text 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.960 to get at this text. You're going to study all of those things. You're going to spend 10 years. 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:29.620 You're going to become an expert. And at the end of it, if it comes out that what it says in English 00:18:29.620 --> 00:18:36.180 is an accurate translation of the Greek, would you believe it and accept it? And they instantly said, 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:41.559 absolutely not. To which I said to them, then we have a very different issue. 00:18:44.340 --> 00:18:50.160 And that's what's going on here in the text. Sure, Stephen could give them an answer about those 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:56.100 two charges, but they've already shown themselves to be impervious to miracle and argument. 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:02.920 So this is a, this, you see, one of the things which is so, so one of the things which is going 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:08.620 on in this story, I didn't talk about the Gamaliel incident earlier on that just didn't work out with 00:19:08.620 --> 00:19:13.640 our time. But if you go back and you read, I think it's the end of Acts chapter five and Gamaliel, 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:21.759 who's a Jewish teacher, even remembered and revered today, actually. Basically, what Luke does is he 00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:28.900 hears about Gamaliel's speech, and he puts it in the book of Acts because Gamaliel explains why the 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:37.880 church grows. Gamaliel explains why 2,000 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, there are still 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:45.780 Christians meeting today in Ottawa and all around the world. Out of all of the religions that began 00:19:45.780 --> 00:19:51.680 during the entire Roman Empire, there's only one religion which is still being practiced, and that's 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:57.320 Christianity. And Gamaliel explains it. God is at work. It's not just human ability, it's God is at work. 00:19:58.080 --> 00:20:01.960 And in a sense, what Stephen's going to be doing now, he's going to explain why it is that everybody 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:09.480 isn't a Christian. The other aspect of it. And in so doing, he does something to really profoundly 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:15.940 challenge each of our hearts. So what he does, if you go back and you read it, what he does is he 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:24.340 takes a bit of a survey of key incidents in the Bible. He looks at Abraham's story, then he looks at 00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:29.940 the story of Joseph, you know, the guy of the coat with many colors. Then he looks at four sort of 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:37.400 stories in Moses' life. And in each one of those cases, what he does, he points out several things. 00:20:37.620 --> 00:20:48.059 First of all, he points out how when God says to do things, some people agree to do it and trust him, 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:53.840 and some don't. All the way through the whole biblical story. Some say, yes, we'll do that. Even 00:20:53.840 --> 00:20:59.880 people like Abraham, where the promise isn't an obvious, quick, like you quickly get an answer. 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:08.160 Like he really had to trust. And so some people say yes, and some people say no. And he shows it in 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.799 these key incidents in what we now call the Old Testament and our Jewish friends called the Tanakh. 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:22.220 And then he also shows how God works good out of people's rejection. Not necessarily good for them, 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:28.740 but he works some other good out of people saying no, because God is sovereign. And this leads us to 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:34.160 verse 39, which is where we're going to catch up with the story as Stephen's bringing his argument to 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:41.140 the end. And so remember now, Stephen is addressing the underlying issue of what's going on and why it 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:47.900 is that people would want to argue with him after a miracle. Why after he gives them wise insights, 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:53.200 they want to smear him and then ultimately have him put to death. And so he continues, and we'll continue 00:21:53.200 --> 00:22:00.460 on skipping verses 1 to 38, go to verse 39. And here's where it says, our fathers, this is still a 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:08.259 Moses story, and they're in the wilderness. And Stephen's recapitulating it. Our fathers refused to 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:17.380 obey Moses, and ultimately that means God, but thrust him aside. In their hearts, they turned to Egypt. 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:24.740 Now, this is an accurate summary of one of the things that happened in what we now call the Old Testament. 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:35.600 In fact, actually, it's really astounding because these are people who, they would have seen the plagues 00:22:35.600 --> 00:22:45.580 that came close to ruining Egypt. They would have seen how God made a clear distinction between the Jewish 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:53.299 people that he was going to deliver and the Egyptians. And they would have all witnessed firsthand how God parted 00:22:53.299 --> 00:23:00.399 the Red Sea, and they were able to cross on dry land, and then God closed the Red Sea and killed the bulk of 00:23:00.399 --> 00:23:06.519 Pharaoh's army. They would have seen that. And they would have seen other miracles, and they would have seen that. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:12.319 And now we have this instance where Moses has gone up the mountain to receive what we now refer to as the Ten 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:17.700 Commandments. And he's gone for 40 days. And they don't even last 40 days before now they want to go 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:23.619 back to Egypt. That's what this just said. And it's what happened in the story. They, in a sense, reject 00:23:23.619 --> 00:23:30.019 Moses, who God has been using. God's the one who delivers them, not Moses, but God's been using Moses to 00:23:30.019 --> 00:23:37.200 deliver these to the Jewish people, to take them out of slavery into the Promised Land. And now Moses is gone 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:42.000 just a couple of weeks. And in their hearts, they want to go back to slavery in Egypt. 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:45.660 Like, that's what they want to do. 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:51.600 And then it gets even more crazy. Look at verse 40. 00:23:53.860 --> 00:23:56.160 Verse 40. It goes like this. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.220 And they say to Aaron, 00:23:57.220 --> 00:24:09.000 Make for us gods. Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:17.039 the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. And they made a calf. It's an image of a calf 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:24.839 out of metal in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the work of their 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:32.799 hands. Now, once again, this is quite astounding. And we, of course, think that we're far too 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:37.059 sophisticated to do something like that. But, you know, if you go back, one of the things which is 00:24:37.059 --> 00:24:42.000 so brilliant, sometimes people find the Old Testament prophets hard to read. I find them hard 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:46.339 to read at times as well. Place names and all that stuff that I don't follow. But one of the things that 00:24:46.339 --> 00:24:51.579 they do very regularly to mock people who worship idols is they say, don't you realize how ridiculous 00:24:51.579 --> 00:24:56.619 it is? You go out into the forest, you kill something to eat, and then you say, well, I guess I need to 00:24:56.619 --> 00:25:01.599 cook it. So you go and you cut down some wood, and you take half of the wood, and you make a fire 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:06.639 with it to cook the meat. And you take the other half of the wood, right? You killed the animal, 00:25:06.919 --> 00:25:12.199 you made the fire, you cut down the wood, you made the fire, and half of it you use for the fire so you 00:25:12.199 --> 00:25:17.899 can eat the animal cooked. The other half you turn into an idol, and then you bow down and worship it. 00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:24.019 And the Old Testament prophets, they mock people. And we think we're way too sophisticated at that, 00:25:24.080 --> 00:25:31.080 but you know what? We made money, and people worship money. We made bureaucracies, and people 00:25:31.080 --> 00:25:36.220 worship having particular positions of power in bureaucracies. We created power structures, 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:44.780 and people worship that. You know, people worship, they don't, you know, they worship, 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:50.480 you know, they don't even worship, I mean, some people, they worship marriage. They worship just, 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:54.799 you know, sex. They worship, like, these, mainly, these are things which, in a sense, people just 00:25:54.799 --> 00:26:01.119 make, and they organize their life and get meaning of their life all around that. They make sacrifices 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:08.819 for that. People will ruin marriages over making money. They'll ruin marriages over, you know, seeking 00:26:08.819 --> 00:26:15.519 out pornography, things which are just made by human beings. They worship what their hands have made. 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:24.319 It's still an issue. Idolatry is still a fundamental human problem and issue. And this analysis is still 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:31.079 completely and utterly bang on. And they, and these are people who've seen all these miracles, and even 00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:36.659 then they still want to try to say, like, how could they possibly believe that this calf, which they just 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:42.420 made is the one that, that got them where they are? But they do. Just as we somehow think that our own 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:47.279 idols, making idols of all sorts of things like that are, like, how do we think that? 00:26:49.620 --> 00:26:59.460 But we do. But we do. And then verse 42 is, is very chilling. The first half of 42 is very chilling. 00:26:59.460 --> 00:27:05.299 And it, and it, those of you who know the Bible, if you go back and you read Romans chapter 1 verse 18 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:13.220 to chapter 3 verse 20, this verse in some ways summarizes the main argument there. And it, it's, 00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:19.319 if you go back and you read the book of Romans, there's a bit of a preface, and then there's like a 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:27.380 thesis or summary of the whole book in chapter 1 verses 16 to 17. And then 18 to 320 is the problem. 00:27:27.380 --> 00:27:36.880 What is the bad news? And then after he set forth what the bad news is, he shows from chapter 3 verse 21 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:44.020 on what the good news is in response to the bad news. And so verse 42 in some way summarizes that 00:27:44.020 --> 00:27:51.100 in the book of Romans. It says this, but God turned away, excuse me, and gave them over to worship 00:27:51.100 --> 00:27:56.900 the host of heaven, like the stars and, and everything like that, as it is written in the book of the 00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:02.860 prophets. Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices during the 40 years in the wilderness, 00:28:03.040 --> 00:28:07.740 O house of Israel? You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your God, Raphon, 00:28:08.320 --> 00:28:12.620 the images that you made to worship, and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:18.840 So what you see here is that they have turned away from the true and living God. 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:26.659 God provides them the manna every day. He's speaking to them directly. He's provided them 00:28:26.659 --> 00:28:33.759 deliverance from, from slavery in Egypt. And they turn away from that to idols and they're, 00:28:33.919 --> 00:28:39.199 they turn away and they turn away and they turn away. And at some point in time, God says to you, 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:49.940 you will get what you will. Even when you're in church, even when you're doing your spiritual acts, 00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:55.960 underneath all of that, you are singing the song, I did it my way. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:01.960 And at some point in time, God says, your will be done. 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:12.160 And he gives them rope. In a sense, he gives them rope. He gives you rope to hang yourself. 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:19.220 See, there's this double action. On one hand, this is something we long to do. And at some point in time, 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:24.840 God says, well, it's not that he just completely relinquishes sovereignty. He sends you away as well. 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:35.740 But he, you, you, you, you choose this. You choose your own things in the face of the true and living God. 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:46.399 Now, just, I need to read the next bit. It's going to sound a little bit, you know, if, if, if we had a Muslim 00:29:46.399 --> 00:29:51.779 friend here, they'd probably think that this is actually a good proof against Jesus. 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:59.799 But it's the next thing that, that, that, that, that Pete, that Stephen says. And it actually helps us to see a little bit 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:05.220 about more really about who Jesus is and what the gospel is. Look at what happens next in verse 44. 00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:12.519 Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it 00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:16.579 according to the pattern that he had seen. Notice it's called the tent of witness. 00:30:16.579 --> 00:30:25.359 Our fathers, uh, verse 45, in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:31.279 God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David who found favor in the sight of God 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:36.740 and asked for a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built the house for him. 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:43.639 Now, David asked for a dwelling place, but, but what the Bible points out is that the asking, 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:51.120 while well-intentioned, is impossible. Look at what he says next in verse 48. And he's going to quote, 00:30:51.280 --> 00:30:57.540 by the way, uh, from the book of, I think it's Isaiah. Yet the most high does not dwell in houses made by hands. 00:30:58.820 --> 00:31:06.880 As the prophet says, heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:13.240 Says the Lord. Or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things? By that he means 00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:19.440 the entire universe. And if in fact God created that entire universe, how on earth can he dwell in the house? 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:22.240 How can the house capture him? 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:31.319 Now, as you can see, our Muslim friends would say, ah, it's pointing to Allah. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:41.880 How a temple is far bigger than a person. And if God cannot fit in a temple, how can he fit in a person? 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:45.100 We'll get to that in a moment. 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:53.220 Or what am I supposed to do right now in my notes? Um, actually, no, I'll answer it right now. 00:31:54.040 --> 00:31:59.320 Um, the, the, the, the broader answer is, and this, this, this, this church's point is to Jesus 00:31:59.320 --> 00:32:07.900 is, um, first of all, the temple, uh, is made as a witness and his God's presence isn't required. 00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:14.320 But, and this is going to be especially hard for us. Uh, we are in a cultural time moment right now 00:32:14.320 --> 00:32:20.400 where human beings are viewed increasingly as having less worth and dignity. 00:32:22.540 --> 00:32:33.320 Uh, increasingly, that's the case. Um, and we, because we're very, um, materialistic in our culture, 00:32:33.320 --> 00:32:37.519 we see in many cases buildings almost as being more important than people. 00:32:37.900 --> 00:32:41.360 Or certain things that we've made as being more important than people. 00:32:41.360 --> 00:32:49.380 Uh, but the biblical viewpoint is that, um, one human being, even the most handicapped, 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:58.080 even the most, uh, addicted, uh, even the most, um, person with the worst dementia 00:32:58.080 --> 00:33:01.220 is worth vastly more than any building. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:05.040 Because every human being is made in the image of God. 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:13.399 And so, in a sense, what Stephen is saying is, you know, when Isaiah says that, you should 00:33:13.399 --> 00:33:18.079 just realize that the temple can't contain God. 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:21.720 He can't dwell there if he's created the entire universe. 00:33:22.259 --> 00:33:24.339 And then if the response is, well, what about Jesus? 00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:25.579 But then he says, well, just think about it. 00:33:25.579 --> 00:33:27.879 First of all, a person is greater than a building. 00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:32.440 And secondly, a person is made in the image of God. 00:33:34.540 --> 00:33:39.440 And so if a person is made in the image of God, why can't the image itself, a human being 00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:45.400 just bears God's image, why can't the image itself come among us? 00:33:45.400 --> 00:33:52.160 I don't know how many of you, uh, like the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child, or how many 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:56.140 of you have watched the, the different film adaptations of them. 00:33:56.259 --> 00:34:02.840 But Lee Child wrote these novels, and he had a role in these being turned into film productions. 00:34:02.839 --> 00:34:09.840 And in every one of his film productions, Lee Child shows up in the movie. 00:34:11.199 --> 00:34:12.539 Just might be very brief. 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.900 You might have to, if you, if you, you know, sneeze, you might miss it. 00:34:16.380 --> 00:34:21.759 But obviously, the author of a story can appear in the story. 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:25.420 But here's the most important thing. 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:32.639 It isn't that God had to squeeze his divine nature into a tiny human being named Jesus, 00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:37.940 but that God took our human nature into God, the Son of God. 00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:40.579 And in God, there's lots of room. 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:45.860 That's what the Athanasian Creed teaches, what the Bible teaches. 00:34:47.260 --> 00:34:51.760 And we're going to see in a moment that we need a very, very, very deep solution to our 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:53.139 problem of our heart. 00:34:53.139 --> 00:34:59.259 And the only deep solution that we can get for the deep problem of our heart will have 00:34:59.259 --> 00:35:04.319 to involve somebody like God himself coming into the, into the world that he's created. 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:08.339 That he comes in the form of his image bearers. 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:14.579 The image itself comes and takes into himself the image, the nature of the image bearers. 00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:20.920 And so only God can stand for all people who bear the image of God. 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:27.159 Only Jesus can deal with the problem for every image bearer. 00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:34.159 But Stephen takes a very un-Canadian turn. 00:35:35.839 --> 00:35:39.379 And it troubles some people when they see how Stephen speaks. 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:43.539 And in our hearts, some of us might think that Stephen's responsible for the problems 00:35:43.539 --> 00:35:44.819 that he gets in after this. 00:35:45.980 --> 00:35:48.399 But this is a very shocking thing to say to you. 00:35:48.420 --> 00:35:51.819 And I know that there are people in our room who weren't born in Canada. 00:35:51.940 --> 00:35:53.219 You're from other parts of the world. 00:35:53.219 --> 00:35:59.079 So for those of you who are not from another part of the world, Canada is not the pinnacle 00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:01.059 of human communication. 00:36:02.179 --> 00:36:08.139 The entire world does not have to live up to and match how we talk. 00:36:08.859 --> 00:36:10.779 We're very passive-aggressive. 00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:17.540 The first time I was ever in Israel, the two fellows at the front of the bus, they were 00:36:17.540 --> 00:36:21.600 talking at each other like this and waving their hands. 00:36:22.019 --> 00:36:24.420 And they were yelling at each other and pointing fingers. 00:36:25.160 --> 00:36:30.360 And then a moment later, they stopped and they patted each other on the back with big smiles. 00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:36.260 Like if they had talked to a Canadian like that, we would have needed therapy for years. 00:36:36.260 --> 00:36:42.440 And I had a friend who was Australian who became a pastor of a Canadian church. 00:36:42.520 --> 00:36:46.440 And he was warned by somebody who had been from Australia, come to Canada quite a few 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:50.340 years earlier, that he had to watch because Australians can be very blunt. 00:36:51.220 --> 00:36:53.820 And Canadians don't want a blunt pastor. 00:36:55.100 --> 00:36:59.420 And so he was warned that he had to learn to be less Australian and more Canadian. 00:37:00.820 --> 00:37:04.700 And so Steve, and even some of you, you might see me at different times. 00:37:04.699 --> 00:37:09.239 And we all know this, sometimes to snap somebody out, you have to be very direct to them. 00:37:09.839 --> 00:37:14.699 You try subtle, you try passive-aggressive, and you finally just have to be very, very direct. 00:37:15.299 --> 00:37:17.079 Some of you have had to supervise people. 00:37:17.159 --> 00:37:20.239 You probably know at some point in time, you just got to speak really directly to them. 00:37:20.939 --> 00:37:22.719 And that's what Stephen does. 00:37:23.159 --> 00:37:24.019 Listen to what he says. 00:37:24.019 --> 00:37:29.139 You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised, verse 51. 00:37:29.379 --> 00:37:32.539 You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised and hardened ears. 00:37:32.539 --> 00:37:35.199 You always resist the Holy Spirit. 00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:37.980 As your fathers did, so did you. 00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:41.259 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? 00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:45.539 And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one, whom you have 00:37:45.539 --> 00:37:46.739 now betrayed and murdered. 00:37:47.179 --> 00:37:51.119 And you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. 00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:55.539 What's going on with them? 00:37:55.539 --> 00:38:04.719 Why is it that they see miracles and it makes them want to argue and prove the other person wrong? 00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:08.960 What is it that when they get good wisdom, they want to smear them? 00:38:09.500 --> 00:38:12.279 Like, what is it about them? 00:38:12.380 --> 00:38:13.699 And it's not about them. 00:38:13.800 --> 00:38:16.599 What is it about human beings that this happens to? 00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:23.039 Because, see, one of the things you have to understand is what Stephen is not saying. 00:38:23.179 --> 00:38:27.699 Stephen is not saying, by the way, compared to you, I'm not stiff-necked. 00:38:27.839 --> 00:38:32.139 By the way, compared to you, I did not have an uncircumcised heart and ears. 00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:35.639 By the way, compared to you, I did not resist the Holy Spirit. 00:38:35.900 --> 00:38:38.339 Like, sucks to be you, but I'm way better than you. 00:38:38.619 --> 00:38:38.940 No. 00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:41.539 That's not what Stephen's saying. 00:38:41.539 --> 00:38:47.840 All human beings are stiff-necked. 00:38:48.659 --> 00:38:50.940 Stiff-necked means you just refuse to change. 00:38:51.159 --> 00:38:52.279 That's what stiff-necked means. 00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:53.599 You refuse to change. 00:38:54.340 --> 00:38:58.219 And not just change for the sake of change or keeping up with the time or getting the latest thing, 00:38:58.279 --> 00:39:02.559 but change when truth or beauty or goodness or justice is revealed to you, 00:39:02.579 --> 00:39:03.880 and you just refuse to change. 00:39:04.900 --> 00:39:11.099 Uncircumcised of heart and ear mean circumcision is the sign that you've entered into a covenant, 00:39:11.099 --> 00:39:13.880 but it's just an external thing. 00:39:14.339 --> 00:39:16.539 Has the covenant, in a sense, entered into you? 00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:22.199 It's like when I have done confirmation services for 12 and 14 and 18-year-olds and all, 00:39:22.259 --> 00:39:24.539 and I say to them, listen, you're going to go through a ceremony up front, 00:39:24.920 --> 00:39:28.219 basically saying that you want to give your life to Jesus for the rest of your life. 00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:33.559 We're going to take you at your word, but only God and you know whether you actually mean it and believe it. 00:39:34.539 --> 00:39:37.759 It's the same thing I'll say sometimes to couples in marriage preparation. 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:40.340 You're going to get up and you're going to make these vows in front of people, 00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:45.180 these vows, but only you know whether, in fact, you believe it, whether you mean it, 00:39:45.540 --> 00:39:46.980 whether, in fact, you're going to discard it. 00:39:47.020 --> 00:39:48.400 You don't intend to keep them at all. 00:39:49.060 --> 00:39:51.680 And you can fool human beings, but you can't fool God. 00:39:54.220 --> 00:39:55.680 And that's what's going on. 00:39:55.940 --> 00:40:00.920 Their hearts aren't covenant hearts loyal to God. 00:40:01.080 --> 00:40:02.040 They're understanding. 00:40:02.160 --> 00:40:03.120 That's what ears mean. 00:40:03.119 --> 00:40:08.920 They're not ears that are now ruled by the covenant that are loyal to God 00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:11.659 and resisting the Holy Spirit. 00:40:11.759 --> 00:40:16.259 But you see, what Peter is, what Stephen is describing here is the human condition. 00:40:19.339 --> 00:40:24.380 In a sense, he is, if he was saying, the Bible is saying, 00:40:24.460 --> 00:40:27.880 if you point a finger like this, you have three fingers pointing back at you. 00:40:27.880 --> 00:40:34.559 How on earth, then, can anybody be made right with God? 00:40:36.740 --> 00:40:40.740 If you could put up the next text, Romans 1, 16 to 17, 00:40:40.980 --> 00:40:44.559 which is the sort of the, when I said earlier that in the book of Romans, 00:40:44.700 --> 00:40:46.660 there's a sort of a summary of the whole book. 00:40:47.740 --> 00:40:51.780 And Romans 1, 16 to 17 is a summary of the whole book. 00:40:52.079 --> 00:40:54.740 And this is what we need to, listen to what it says. 00:40:54.739 --> 00:40:57.279 For I am not ashamed of the gospel. 00:40:58.379 --> 00:40:59.919 The gospel, remember, is good news. 00:41:00.059 --> 00:41:06.679 It's the good news that God, the Son of God, came to do for us, to rescue us, 00:41:07.059 --> 00:41:12.739 to have us be forgiven, to do something for us that we could not possibly ever do for ourselves. 00:41:13.439 --> 00:41:18.379 And that out of love for us, that God, the Son of God, died on a cross 00:41:18.379 --> 00:41:21.979 so that we could be made right with God, that we could be forgiven. 00:41:21.980 --> 00:41:28.019 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, the good news, for it is, notice this, 00:41:28.119 --> 00:41:34.159 the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. 00:41:35.059 --> 00:41:36.980 For the Jew first and also to the Greek. 00:41:37.119 --> 00:41:40.179 For in it the righteousness of God, that's his justice, etc., 00:41:40.179 --> 00:41:43.980 is revealed from faith for faith as it is written, 00:41:44.079 --> 00:41:45.280 the righteous shall live by faith. 00:41:46.460 --> 00:41:48.460 I'm not going to get into an exposition of that. 00:41:48.460 --> 00:41:49.539 It's a wonderful verse. 00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:53.599 But the point of the matter is that the gospel is this story, 00:41:54.260 --> 00:41:57.760 that God doesn't just write a story or think a story. 00:41:57.940 --> 00:42:00.519 He has a story actually happen in the real world. 00:42:01.139 --> 00:42:05.679 And in the real world, God, the Son of God, does take into himself our human nature. 00:42:06.679 --> 00:42:11.800 He is completely and utterly God, but takes into himself our human nature. 00:42:11.940 --> 00:42:15.480 He lives the human life that we should have lived, but could never live for ourselves. 00:42:15.480 --> 00:42:18.840 He dies the death that we deserve and he does not. 00:42:19.219 --> 00:42:24.099 And he does all of that for us, out of love for us, out of love for you. 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:26.659 Seeing your need, he does that. 00:42:26.719 --> 00:42:28.380 And it's not just a story. 00:42:29.019 --> 00:42:32.320 It's a story that we hear that comes with God's power. 00:42:32.320 --> 00:42:38.140 Because unless God's power comes to change my stiff-necked neck 00:42:38.140 --> 00:42:41.500 and my uncircumcised heart and ears 00:42:41.500 --> 00:42:46.940 and my inherent propensity to resist the Holy Spirit, 00:42:47.059 --> 00:42:51.220 unless this news about Jesus comes to me with power from God, 00:42:51.860 --> 00:42:54.780 I can't say yes. 00:42:54.780 --> 00:43:02.740 I mean, that's why quite literally, quite literally, 00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:06.920 when the gospel grasps you and you grasp the gospel, 00:43:07.480 --> 00:43:09.620 pride is always ridiculous. 00:43:11.400 --> 00:43:15.780 It is why Spurgeon said that the gospel, Christian life, 00:43:15.860 --> 00:43:20.300 is one beggar telling another beggar where to get free bread. 00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:21.720 That's all it is. 00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:32.919 If we can go back to Acts, we need to, 00:43:32.980 --> 00:43:35.019 I need to finish up the sermon now. 00:43:39.799 --> 00:43:44.859 The result of Peter's, of Stephen saying this 00:43:44.859 --> 00:43:47.459 is that the crowd gets enraged 00:43:47.459 --> 00:43:50.859 and ultimately he dies a brutal death. 00:43:51.719 --> 00:43:56.239 But if you just look at verses 55 and 56, 00:43:56.399 --> 00:43:58.000 we won't look at all of that last bit. 00:43:58.139 --> 00:44:01.399 If you could put up just verses 55 and 56, that would be great. 00:44:03.139 --> 00:44:04.119 They're enraged. 00:44:04.259 --> 00:44:05.219 They grind their teeth. 00:44:05.299 --> 00:44:06.559 They're about to stone him to death. 00:44:06.679 --> 00:44:08.319 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, 00:44:08.500 --> 00:44:11.619 gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God 00:44:11.619 --> 00:44:17.619 and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 00:44:17.619 --> 00:44:20.759 So just verse 55, that's the verse. 00:44:21.380 --> 00:44:26.299 He sees the heavens open, the glory of God 00:44:26.299 --> 00:44:29.659 and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 00:44:29.799 --> 00:44:31.960 And Stephen says, behold, I see the heavens open 00:44:31.960 --> 00:44:34.259 and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. 00:44:36.739 --> 00:44:39.440 And shortly after this, he's going to be stoned to death. 00:44:40.559 --> 00:44:42.839 Brothers and sisters, this is the Christian hope. 00:44:42.840 --> 00:44:45.800 It's very significant that Jesus stands. 00:44:47.019 --> 00:44:49.480 Normally, it's always pictured of Jesus sitting. 00:44:49.940 --> 00:44:51.320 You sit at the right hand of God. 00:44:51.400 --> 00:44:52.440 That's what the creed says. 00:44:52.960 --> 00:44:54.260 So why is Jesus standing? 00:44:56.539 --> 00:44:59.500 Stephen is about to endure a horrible death. 00:44:59.500 --> 00:45:03.840 But he sees not only his end, 00:45:03.940 --> 00:45:05.199 but the end of every Christian 00:45:05.199 --> 00:45:08.019 who's put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:45:10.420 --> 00:45:13.480 That whether it's dying a martyr's death, 00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:15.340 whether it's hooked up to machines, 00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:18.360 whether it's after a long season of dementia, 00:45:19.380 --> 00:45:20.940 whether it's in a car crash, 00:45:21.739 --> 00:45:22.639 whatever it is, 00:45:23.440 --> 00:45:25.019 your final breath 00:45:25.019 --> 00:45:27.880 and the final thing that your eyes see 00:45:27.880 --> 00:45:29.840 will close on this side of the grave 00:45:29.840 --> 00:45:32.659 and your eyes will open 00:45:32.659 --> 00:45:36.179 and you will see Jesus standing 00:45:36.179 --> 00:45:37.860 who has been sitting beside the Father, 00:45:37.980 --> 00:45:38.940 that he will stand 00:45:38.940 --> 00:45:41.579 and he stands to welcome you. 00:45:44.940 --> 00:45:46.719 He stands to welcome you. 00:45:50.019 --> 00:45:51.059 I'll say it again. 00:45:51.259 --> 00:45:52.820 He stands to welcome you. 00:45:52.820 --> 00:45:56.620 That is your end in Christ. 00:45:58.360 --> 00:46:00.900 The worst thing that the world could do to Stephen 00:46:00.900 --> 00:46:05.320 only meant that he fell asleep 00:46:05.320 --> 00:46:07.920 and was welcomed by Christ. 00:46:10.480 --> 00:46:11.720 And brothers and sisters, 00:46:12.460 --> 00:46:13.559 when we know this, 00:46:13.900 --> 00:46:15.300 we know that our hope is secure 00:46:15.300 --> 00:46:17.100 when we put our hope and faith in Jesus. 00:46:17.740 --> 00:46:19.120 But it helps us to understand 00:46:19.120 --> 00:46:20.480 another very important thing 00:46:20.480 --> 00:46:21.680 in terms of discipleship. 00:46:21.679 --> 00:46:22.679 The first thing, of course, 00:46:22.679 --> 00:46:25.299 is you cannot have this hope 00:46:25.299 --> 00:46:26.239 too deeply 00:46:26.239 --> 00:46:29.559 when you face the troubles of this world. 00:46:31.059 --> 00:46:33.239 You cannot have this hope too deeply 00:46:33.239 --> 00:46:34.919 when you face the troubles of this world. 00:46:35.940 --> 00:46:37.299 That the moment of your death 00:46:37.299 --> 00:46:38.980 is the moment that Jesus stands 00:46:38.980 --> 00:46:39.879 to welcome you. 00:46:41.719 --> 00:46:42.839 But we also already know 00:46:42.839 --> 00:46:44.819 that that's not yet. 00:46:44.820 --> 00:46:46.820 We live... 00:46:46.820 --> 00:46:47.820 We live... 00:46:48.539 --> 00:46:49.920 It's already happened. 00:46:50.019 --> 00:46:51.019 It's guaranteed for us. 00:46:51.080 --> 00:46:51.980 But that's not yet. 00:46:53.640 --> 00:46:55.080 And so on this side of the grave, 00:46:57.519 --> 00:47:00.360 with the person of Jesus beside us 00:47:00.360 --> 00:47:01.320 and his word 00:47:01.320 --> 00:47:03.360 and the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:47:04.080 --> 00:47:04.800 day by day, 00:47:04.880 --> 00:47:06.820 we need to see our stiff-neckedness, 00:47:08.500 --> 00:47:09.820 our uncircumcised heartedness, 00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:13.059 uncircumcised iridness. 00:47:13.059 --> 00:47:14.380 I know those aren't words. 00:47:15.059 --> 00:47:17.480 And our tendency is to resist the Holy Spirit. 00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:20.360 And we need to take times like this 00:47:20.360 --> 00:47:20.840 on a Sunday 00:47:20.840 --> 00:47:22.099 when we confess our sins 00:47:22.099 --> 00:47:23.239 and we can, in a sense, say, 00:47:23.360 --> 00:47:24.619 Father, I know that in Jesus 00:47:24.619 --> 00:47:25.659 that's my destiny 00:47:25.659 --> 00:47:27.559 and that can't be taken away from me. 00:47:28.219 --> 00:47:29.340 But Lord, this week, 00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:31.739 I had a very stiff-necked week. 00:47:31.739 --> 00:47:37.739 I had a very uncircumcised heart week 00:47:37.739 --> 00:47:39.199 this week, Father. 00:47:40.199 --> 00:47:41.439 And I say sorry 00:47:41.439 --> 00:47:43.279 and I ask for your help 00:47:43.279 --> 00:47:46.439 that my life will reveal your glory. 00:47:48.039 --> 00:47:49.459 That is the Christian hope 00:47:49.459 --> 00:47:51.359 and that is the Christian path. 00:47:52.179 --> 00:47:53.359 I invite you to stand. 00:47:53.360 --> 00:47:58.039 I just want to say one other thing, 00:47:58.160 --> 00:47:59.440 especially for maybe some of those 00:47:59.440 --> 00:48:00.059 who are listening. 00:48:01.140 --> 00:48:02.400 If you're thinking, 00:48:02.660 --> 00:48:04.820 that's just so wonderful to hear, 00:48:05.120 --> 00:48:06.760 and George, it's so nice that God, 00:48:07.420 --> 00:48:08.840 that that gospel story 00:48:08.840 --> 00:48:10.160 came to you with power, 00:48:10.740 --> 00:48:12.900 a power to deal with your stiff-neckedness, 00:48:13.140 --> 00:48:14.980 but that would never happen to me. 00:48:15.320 --> 00:48:17.300 I want to tell you, friend, 00:48:17.780 --> 00:48:19.760 if you ask that question, 00:48:19.760 --> 00:48:22.040 it means it's happening to you. 00:48:23.260 --> 00:48:24.660 That's what it means. 00:48:25.460 --> 00:48:27.460 Not that you're going to be passed over, 00:48:27.880 --> 00:48:29.380 but that Christ is knocking 00:48:29.380 --> 00:48:30.500 at the door of your heart 00:48:30.500 --> 00:48:32.000 and saying, now is the time. 00:48:32.780 --> 00:48:35.640 Open the door of your life to me 00:48:35.640 --> 00:48:37.320 and I will come in 00:48:37.320 --> 00:48:39.440 and I will be your savior. 00:48:42.880 --> 00:48:44.440 That's what you're experiencing. 00:48:45.680 --> 00:48:46.400 Let's pray. 00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:50.000 Father, we give you thanks and praise 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:51.840 that the good news of Jesus 00:48:51.840 --> 00:48:53.300 didn't just come with words, 00:48:53.420 --> 00:48:54.039 true words, 00:48:54.099 --> 00:48:55.260 and we thank you that it did, 00:48:55.820 --> 00:48:56.980 but that it came, Father, 00:48:57.039 --> 00:48:58.880 with a power of grace from you 00:48:58.880 --> 00:49:01.720 to deal with our stiff-neckedness 00:49:01.720 --> 00:49:03.460 and uncircumcisedness 00:49:03.460 --> 00:49:05.000 and all those other types of things 00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:05.480 and resistance, 00:49:05.660 --> 00:49:06.440 and enough, Father, 00:49:06.500 --> 00:49:09.440 that we could truly say to you yes. 00:49:11.059 --> 00:49:12.800 And Father, we are not worthy 00:49:12.800 --> 00:49:13.660 of such grace. 00:49:13.800 --> 00:49:15.420 We are not worthy of such mercy. 00:49:15.420 --> 00:49:17.220 We are not worthy of the forgiveness 00:49:17.220 --> 00:49:18.579 that comes in Jesus, Father. 00:49:19.059 --> 00:49:20.440 We are not worthy of it. 00:49:20.700 --> 00:49:22.619 And Father, we are just gobsmacked 00:49:22.619 --> 00:49:24.119 at your kindness to us 00:49:24.119 --> 00:49:25.400 and your goodness to us. 00:49:25.800 --> 00:49:26.680 And we ask, Father, 00:49:26.720 --> 00:49:28.579 that you bring this story 00:49:28.579 --> 00:49:30.139 and this is the wonderful news 00:49:30.139 --> 00:49:31.220 that it came to us 00:49:31.220 --> 00:49:32.539 with your power of grace 00:49:32.539 --> 00:49:33.380 to change us 00:49:33.380 --> 00:49:36.039 as undeserved and unworthy as we are. 00:49:36.159 --> 00:49:37.220 Father, help us to become 00:49:37.220 --> 00:49:38.559 more real to our hearts. 00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:40.840 And Father, as it becomes 00:49:40.840 --> 00:49:42.059 more real to our hearts 00:49:42.059 --> 00:49:43.159 and as we're more gripped 00:49:43.159 --> 00:49:44.139 by what will happen 00:49:44.139 --> 00:49:45.339 at the moment of our death, 00:49:46.839 --> 00:49:47.460 well, Father, 00:49:47.699 --> 00:49:49.420 we thank you for your word 00:49:49.420 --> 00:49:50.639 and we thank you for Jesus 00:49:50.639 --> 00:49:51.379 and we thank you 00:49:51.379 --> 00:49:52.279 for the Holy Spirit 00:49:52.279 --> 00:49:54.039 and we ask, Father, 00:49:54.119 --> 00:49:55.359 that you reveal to us 00:49:55.359 --> 00:49:56.500 our stiff-neckedness 00:49:56.500 --> 00:49:57.440 and those other things 00:49:57.440 --> 00:49:59.139 that we, with you, 00:49:59.799 --> 00:50:00.619 in your power, 00:50:00.799 --> 00:50:01.579 must put to death 00:50:01.579 --> 00:50:02.219 day by day. 00:50:02.219 --> 00:50:04.639 And, Father, 00:50:04.819 --> 00:50:05.919 we ask that if there are any 00:50:05.919 --> 00:50:06.980 who are listening to this 00:50:06.980 --> 00:50:08.179 who have not yet given 00:50:08.179 --> 00:50:09.139 their lives to Jesus 00:50:09.139 --> 00:50:10.659 and they hear this, 00:50:10.799 --> 00:50:10.980 Father, 00:50:11.059 --> 00:50:12.119 that this would be the moment 00:50:12.119 --> 00:50:13.019 that your Holy Spirit 00:50:13.019 --> 00:50:14.199 helps them to say yes 00:50:14.199 --> 00:50:15.819 to give their life to Christ. 00:50:16.679 --> 00:50:17.679 And we ask these things 00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:18.559 in the name of Jesus, 00:50:18.719 --> 00:50:20.019 your Son and our Savior. 00:50:20.659 --> 00:50:20.980 Amen. 00:50:32.219 --> 00:50:33.219 Amen.