WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.060 In his larger catechism, Martin Luther famously wrote, 00:00:07.060 --> 00:00:13.540 Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional Savior. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:18.059 I put this question to you this morning and to me. 00:00:19.179 --> 00:00:20.960 What does your heart cling to? 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:25.320 What does your heart confide? Who does your heart confide in? 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.199 In what do you find deep rest? 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.380 We come to our last Sunday in Acts until the new year. 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:36.399 We're going to take a break for a few weeks. 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:42.519 And if you've been following along, you'll remember that Acts is this remarkable turnaround. 00:00:43.019 --> 00:00:45.219 It's a continuation of the Jesus story. 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:54.539 And in it, we see these apostles who are bold and brave 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:59.120 and who are bearing witness to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:05.379 who previously, a few months prior, they were overconfident, but they were cowards. 00:01:05.459 --> 00:01:10.679 And they fled, all of them, when Christ experienced his passion. 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:15.900 There's this incredible turnaround with these apostles. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.140 It really is a remarkable thing. 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:22.019 You'd think they're two separate groups of people. 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:27.319 But no, they're the same apostles that walked with Jesus that are now testifying to his resurrection. 00:01:28.619 --> 00:01:32.759 In today's section of Scripture, Stephen, who, if you were here last week, 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:40.079 he was one of the seven that were entrusted with the distribution of alms and charity to the poor. 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:45.280 But Stephen wasn't just somebody who was about mercy ministry, 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:50.640 because here we see that Stephen is an incredible preacher. 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:55.920 He is proclaiming with grace and power, doing wonders and signs among the people, 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.060 similar to what the apostles are doing. 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:08.300 And Stephen faces the same type of opposition that the apostles faced and Jesus did as well. 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:13.939 So, there's five groups of different Jewish people described here, 00:02:14.260 --> 00:02:15.960 a part of two separate synagogues. 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:21.020 And they are pushing back against what Stephen is saying. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:26.780 And it says that they couldn't match his arguments. 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:28.420 So what do they do? 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:32.240 The same thing that they did with the apostles and what they did with Jesus. 00:02:32.760 --> 00:02:35.760 They drum up a bunch of false accusations. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.560 And in this case, in two different ways. 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:44.379 They accuse him of advocating for the destruction of the temple, just like Jesus did. 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:51.659 And the second thing is that they are accusing Stephen of messing with the law, 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:56.620 the words of Moses, that they are taking the law and teaching something different. 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:06.900 That Stephen is reinterpreting the law to suit his own agenda that is contrary to what the scriptures say. 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:16.159 On one hand, it seems like it's just a status quo accusation against Stephen. 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:23.120 But to really understand these accusations and the gravity of them, 00:03:23.200 --> 00:03:28.379 we need to understand the significance of the temple and the significance of the law. 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:36.819 And how both of them were unbelievably central to Jewish religion in the first century. 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:39.419 The accusation goes like this. 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:40.120 I'll read it again. 00:03:40.799 --> 00:03:43.819 Acts chapter 6 verses 13 and 14. 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:47.599 And they set up false witnesses who said, 00:03:48.379 --> 00:03:53.739 This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place, that is the temple, and the law. 00:03:54.299 --> 00:04:00.539 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, that's the temple, 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:04.419 and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:06.299 So what will Stephen do? 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:11.860 It's always a question that, I mean, we know we continue reading. 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:13.939 We don't pause necessarily as we're reading the text. 00:04:13.980 --> 00:04:15.719 So we know that Stephen's just going to go at it. 00:04:16.280 --> 00:04:17.879 But what is Stephen going to do? 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:21.960 How is he going to respond? 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:26.439 It appears that Stephen, if he wants to get out of this unscathed and alive, 00:04:27.580 --> 00:04:29.819 he has to denounce Christ. 00:04:30.259 --> 00:04:34.040 He has to, in some way, lessen the blow. 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:38.200 Well, Jesus didn't really say that and start, you know, leaning into nuance. 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:43.500 Or maybe just straight up denying him. 00:04:44.340 --> 00:04:46.600 This group is angry and they're vengeful. 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:55.700 Jerusalem is seeing thousands of people converted to this false Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, 00:04:55.700 --> 00:05:02.700 who is somebody that did not rise from the grave, but stayed dead because he hung on a Roman cross. 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:06.180 This is what Stephen and the apostles are doing. 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:08.300 We need to squash it. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:09.379 It can't happen. 00:05:09.539 --> 00:05:11.519 And they are angry and they are vengeful. 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:16.779 And they do not seem like they are ready to hear a reasoned argument. 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:18.240 So what does Stephen do? 00:05:19.919 --> 00:05:22.219 Well, Stephen doesn't attempt to defend himself. 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:26.000 He doesn't cower. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:33.079 He doesn't get, in a sense, backed into a corner and lash out at them. 00:05:33.579 --> 00:05:39.639 But instead, he sees this ever-growing mob in them, a captive audience. 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:47.680 And so, beginning with Abraham, he lays out the case that those who are truly guilty of misunderstanding the temple and the law, 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:49.660 it's not him, it's them. 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:55.260 He is accused of acting in a way that contravenes the scripture. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:56.540 And what does he do? 00:05:56.640 --> 00:06:01.580 He uses the scripture to prove that actually his detractors are the ones in the wrong. 00:06:03.320 --> 00:06:11.740 This text will shed light on why Stephen and the early church had such power and courage in the face of such real and deadly opposition. 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:14.640 Again, keeping in mind the question I asked you earlier. 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:17.180 What does your heart cling to? 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:21.319 Who does your heart confide in? 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:31.680 This text, it will shed light on those two questions for Stephen and help us to answer those questions for ourselves. 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:37.340 It will also shed light on the difference between a real and a functional Savior. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:39.800 And I'll explain that in a bit. 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:45.439 So, this text is a really hard one, in a sense, to preach on a Sunday. 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:49.519 Matthew read verses 8 to 15. 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:59.120 This whole section goes from chapter 6, verse 8, all the way to the end of chapter 7, which is, I mean, it's 60 verses. 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:01.439 So, it's a huge, huge chunk. 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:06.560 And it is one unbroken speech of Stephen. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:11.740 That is the biggest unbroken speech in all of Acts, and quite possibly the entire Bible. 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:16.139 I don't know if that's 100% true, but I'm almost certain. 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.759 I'm like 90% sure that that's the case. 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.819 So, what we're going to do is not read through every verse. 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:24.840 I'm going to sum up a lot of it. 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:30.119 But we're going to seek to address how Stephen responds to those two accusations. 00:07:30.919 --> 00:07:32.619 One, against the temple. 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:34.679 Two, against the law. 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:42.299 And how our only hope, Stephen teaches us, in life and death is in Christ Jesus. 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:43.620 So, let's just jump into it. 00:07:43.659 --> 00:07:47.319 That's quite the bit of an intro, but this is quite the bit of a text. 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:48.799 So, let's take a look at the temple. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:55.100 To fully understand the significance of this first accusation against the temple, 00:07:56.020 --> 00:08:02.139 we have to understand that by the first century, the temple was the epicenter of Jewish religious and social life. 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:09.519 It wasn't just a Friday evening, Saturday morning place where people went to worship. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.699 All of life surrounded and was tied to the temple. 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:19.039 And the temple in the first century wasn't the temple that Solomon built. 00:08:19.259 --> 00:08:25.240 If you remember King Solomon, not King David, was the one who would build the temple. 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:29.420 That temple was destroyed in 587 by the Babylonians. 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:30.519 This is Herod's temple. 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:34.460 And it is about double the size of Solomon's temple. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:41.600 And it was unbelievably ornate and beautiful and gorgeous and absolutely huge. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:52.740 It was a symbol, in a sense, of Jewish longevity and the staying power of a persecuted people. 00:08:53.180 --> 00:08:55.220 Especially amid Roman occupation. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.800 Remember, Israel right now is occupied by Rome. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:03.120 Rome does not like sharing their throne with anybody. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:12.759 And so, this temple, this grand, huge, magnificent temple, is in a sense a big thumbing of the nose to Rome. 00:09:14.200 --> 00:09:20.080 Not only that, but the temple was understood as the place where God resided. 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:24.759 It was the place where God's presence was amongst His people. 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.379 And it was the place where heaven and earth met. 00:09:29.319 --> 00:09:36.740 So that in the temple, it was the symbol of God coming down and dwelling amongst His people. 00:09:37.539 --> 00:09:38.879 So the temple is a big deal. 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:40.519 It's a huge deal. 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:47.460 However, by the time the first century rolls around, this temple became something that God never intended. 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:49.120 And this is where the rub is. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:52.139 The temple was to be a symbol of God's presence. 00:09:52.519 --> 00:10:01.519 And the temple, built by Solomon, it replaced the tabernacle that was supposed to be the place, again, 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:04.860 where God's presence resided among His people when they were going through the desert. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:10.500 And we see that there's always a place or always a symbol of God's presence amongst His people. 00:10:10.500 --> 00:10:16.500 But the temple in Jerusalem began to function not like the temple according to the Scriptures, 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:18.620 but like a temple of Artemis. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:20.080 Or Athena. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:22.840 The place where God could be contained. 00:10:23.879 --> 00:10:26.240 The place where God was safe and controlled. 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:28.480 Neat and tidy God. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:31.060 It's never God's intention. 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:34.720 For the entire earth is the Lord's, for He made it. 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:41.639 How can God, who created the entire world, be confined by His own creation in a box? 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:43.039 Gorgeous box. 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:44.200 Beautiful box. 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:46.120 Gold everywhere box. 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:47.000 But a box. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:51.279 How can He be confined to that one locale? 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:51.319 Wow. 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:59.759 So, this is where Stephen, he's flexing his Bible muscles here, because he begins with Abraham 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:00.519 and says, hey, listen. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:06.079 If God is confined to a temple, why did God meet Abraham in Mesopotamia? 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.779 When he was a pagan, worshipping many different idols. 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:20.360 If God is confined to a box, why does God minister and why is He with Joseph in Egypt? 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:30.319 If God is confined to just the temple, why did God meet Moses in Midian and at Mount Sinai? 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:39.080 And even when Solomon finally built a temple, God made it clear that he does not dwell in temples made by human hands. 00:11:39.520 --> 00:11:43.300 And then Stephen quotes Isaiah 66 and he says this. 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:45.360 This is in verse 49 and 50. 00:11:46.140 --> 00:11:46.940 This is God speaking. 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:50.040 Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. 00:11:50.780 --> 00:11:54.100 What kind of house will you build me, says the Lord? 00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:56.680 Or what is the place of my rest? 00:11:57.120 --> 00:11:59.060 Did not my hand make all these things? 00:12:00.420 --> 00:12:05.400 The temple had become a place that no longer represented the presence of God. 00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:13.520 Represented the presence of God amongst His people, but became the economic and political center for those in power. 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.199 The temple gets perverted. 00:12:17.199 --> 00:12:20.460 It became the commodification of religion. 00:12:21.319 --> 00:12:22.439 We keep God here. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:23.319 He is safe. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:24.799 He is neat and tidy. 00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:26.539 And what does Jesus do? 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:27.960 He blows that out of the water. 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:38.379 Which, in a sense, makes the accusations against Stephen half-correct. 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:48.279 Jesus, going back, if the temple was a symbolic representation of God's presence amongst His people, 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:53.059 and the place where the gap between heaven and earth was bridged, 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.220 then Jesus makes the temple obsolete. 00:12:57.379 --> 00:13:00.320 Or better put, Jesus is the temple Himself. 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:05.360 Both temples and the tabernacle and the desert all pointed to Christ. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:05.440 Christ. 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.779 It should have acted as a preparation for Christ. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.779 So when the true and the greater temple came, everybody would say, 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:12.060 Aha! 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:13.700 That's what it was all about. 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:17.100 For in Christ, God meets man. 00:13:18.180 --> 00:13:20.580 In flesh. 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.039 This is what we are celebrating, or preparing for in Advent, 00:13:24.180 --> 00:13:26.060 and what we'll celebrate at Christmas. 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:28.300 That God doesn't say, 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:29.180 Come to me. 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:29.659 He says, 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:30.700 I'll come to you. 00:13:30.700 --> 00:13:36.220 And God, the Son of God, takes on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:37.440 fully man and fully God. 00:13:37.900 --> 00:13:40.379 And in Christ, man meets God. 00:13:41.560 --> 00:13:42.259 He's the temple. 00:13:44.020 --> 00:13:46.379 It is also the place, the temple is, 00:13:46.780 --> 00:13:50.080 where man atones for their sins, 00:13:50.420 --> 00:13:53.580 so that we would be, in a sense, made clean, 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.620 to be in God's presence, 00:13:56.160 --> 00:13:57.500 through sacrifice. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:00.139 But Jesus, a once and for all sacrifice, 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:01.480 dies on the cross, 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.299 so that no other sacrifice is needed, 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:08.379 and that we clothe ourselves with Christ's righteousness, 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:11.039 and we enter into the presence of God. 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:15.419 So in a really huge, wonderful, beautiful, cosmic way, 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:16.720 Jesus is the temple. 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:22.460 And all the other temples that Israel had, 00:14:22.659 --> 00:14:24.639 I mean, the two temples and the tabernacle, 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.399 it all pointed to that. 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:27.299 It was a symbol. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:29.080 It was a road sign. 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:34.779 It was a miniature that you could look at and see, 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:36.819 oh, this is what the big one will look like. 00:14:37.939 --> 00:14:40.480 And that is what the temple represented. 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:43.100 But they didn't notice that, 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.500 because their heart did not cling to God, 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:49.519 but instead to power and prestige. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.319 So God, 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:56.919 He will not share His throne with another. 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:00.259 He wants our entire being, 00:15:00.319 --> 00:15:04.379 He wants to lay claim on all the real estate that is Daniel, 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:06.559 all the real estate that is you. 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:10.980 No inch He wants to cede to any other kingdom, 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:12.720 not even to your own. 00:15:14.079 --> 00:15:15.980 Either God is calling the shots, 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:16.659 or we are. 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:19.439 We cannot try to manipulate God. 00:15:19.579 --> 00:15:21.299 And this is what Stephen is getting at. 00:15:21.839 --> 00:15:24.319 That God can't be confined at all, 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:25.699 because He is all-powerful, 00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:31.259 and He is Himself, in Christ Jesus, the temple. 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.319 There's this interesting bit in the opening chapters 00:15:35.319 --> 00:15:37.579 of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:39.740 where Lucy asks Mr. Beaver 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:42.639 if Aslan is a safe lion. 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:45.379 And I'll read just a bit here, 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:48.120 because I'll botch a beautiful little bit. 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:50.620 This is Lucy speaking. 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:52.519 Aslan is a lion. 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:54.600 Oh, sorry, it's Susan. 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.620 Aslan is a lion, the lion, the great lion. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:15:59.080 Oh, said Susan, 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:00.919 I thought he was a man. 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:02.139 Is he quite safe? 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:05.139 I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion. 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:07.360 Safe, said Mr. Beaver. 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:09.919 Who said anything about safe? 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:11.579 Of course he isn't safe, 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:12.639 but he's good. 00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:14.399 He's the king, I tell you. 00:16:14.719 --> 00:16:17.019 Aslan is the lion in the story 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:18.599 that represents Christ. 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.659 When we try to confine God 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:24.759 to a Sunday meeting, 00:16:25.479 --> 00:16:28.379 or confine Him to an evening Bible study, 00:16:28.459 --> 00:16:30.159 or simply just maybe a devotion, 00:16:30.459 --> 00:16:32.579 because you're an advanced Christian, 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:36.899 I don't mean that in a put-down way, 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:39.779 but you're hitting your devotions every day, 00:16:40.319 --> 00:16:40.759 and you think, 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.079 that's it, I've done my peace, 00:16:42.199 --> 00:16:43.799 God has gotten my mornings, 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:45.399 or God has gotten my Sundays, 00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:47.139 or God has gotten this, 00:16:47.219 --> 00:16:48.079 or God has gotten that. 00:16:48.419 --> 00:16:49.699 We are confining God. 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:50.659 We are treating Him 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:52.959 in a neat and tidy way. 00:16:53.099 --> 00:16:54.179 We are confining Him, 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:55.740 but He can't be confined. 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:57.279 He is not a safe God, 00:16:57.860 --> 00:16:58.819 but He's a good God, 00:16:58.860 --> 00:16:59.659 and He's a good king. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:03.479 Like the religious Jews, 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:05.460 we have a propensity 00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:07.220 to keep God in a box, 00:17:07.940 --> 00:17:09.799 affirming His existence, 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:11.319 but denying His power. 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:13.779 It is a huge warning to us as well. 00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:13.839 So, 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:17.339 we conform to Him. 00:17:18.379 --> 00:17:20.639 We trust that His desires for us are good, 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:22.220 and His commands are just, 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:24.960 but we cannot make the mistake 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:26.180 in trying to tame God. 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:27.059 We can't do it. 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:28.519 He will not be tamed. 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:31.139 He has shown us His ways, 00:17:31.379 --> 00:17:32.160 and we must, 00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:32.900 by His strength, 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:34.180 teach our hearts 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:36.900 to love the things that He loves, 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.160 and do the things that He calls us to do. 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.279 That we would cling to Him, 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:44.619 and confide in Him, 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:45.859 and find our hope in Him. 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:48.099 And how do we do that? 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:49.960 Well, that's through God's Word, 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:51.940 and fellowshipping with one another, 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.500 and this leads us to the second accusation 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:57.240 that Stephen is doing away with the law. 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:59.579 So, what does he have to say about that? 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:01.440 So, Stephen continues 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:04.620 by refuting this second accusation 00:18:04.620 --> 00:18:06.779 that Jesus and His teaching, 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:08.680 because He is teaching what Jesus is teaching, 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:10.700 are changing the customs 00:18:10.700 --> 00:18:12.519 that Moses apparently gave 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:13.900 to the people of Israel. 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:16.900 This is, 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:19.440 I mean, this is a big accusation. 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:22.460 I would hate anybody to accuse me of that, 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.839 or to accuse you of that, 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.120 but we need to pause for a second. 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:29.120 Because they are claiming that 00:18:29.120 --> 00:18:32.240 their interpretation of the Bible 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.579 is the interpretation of the Bible. 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:37.559 And by the time we get to the first century, 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:41.940 we have this whole apparatus, 00:18:42.220 --> 00:18:42.859 so to speak, 00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:44.359 of interpreting the Scriptures 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:49.279 in a way that subverts 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:52.180 the very nature of God's commands. 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:52.620 So, 00:18:53.580 --> 00:18:54.940 the tradition goes, 00:18:55.360 --> 00:18:56.700 and this is not in the Bible, 00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:57.820 but the tradition goes, 00:18:58.220 --> 00:18:59.980 that when God gave Moses 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:00.900 the Torah, 00:19:01.100 --> 00:19:02.220 or the books of the law, 00:19:03.060 --> 00:19:04.680 He whispered 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:06.519 the interpretation in his ear. 00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:08.180 It's called the oral Torah. 00:19:08.840 --> 00:19:10.000 So, He gives the law, 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:12.000 and then whispers the interpretation 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:13.519 in His ear. 00:19:14.820 --> 00:19:15.940 So, on one hand, 00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:17.700 I mean, we have to interpret the Bible. 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:19.700 The Bible takes interpretation. 00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:21.840 I mean, it doesn't take interpretation 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:23.340 when we say don't steal. 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:24.880 It seems very obvious, 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:25.660 but there's a lot of things 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:26.700 that aren't necessarily obvious 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:28.460 at first glance. 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:29.700 An example, 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:32.080 what does it mean to refrain 00:19:32.080 --> 00:19:33.640 from work on the Sabbath? 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:36.200 What constitutes work? 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:37.720 How about rest? 00:19:37.860 --> 00:19:38.019 How, 00:19:39.019 --> 00:19:41.440 what if rest for one person 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:42.480 is work for another? 00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:44.599 Somebody hates gardening, 00:19:44.740 --> 00:19:45.620 they have to do it, 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:45.940 it's, 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:46.220 it's, 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:47.339 it's a headache. 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:48.259 Another person 00:19:48.259 --> 00:19:49.400 can't wait 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:50.680 to get their hands dirty, 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:52.160 and to get on their knees, 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:52.839 and plant, 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:53.599 and harvest. 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:56.779 Are we to leave these things 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:58.360 for people to personally apply 00:19:58.360 --> 00:19:59.160 the text of, 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:00.599 of Scripture to their lives, 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:01.740 or are we to have a blanket, 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:03.980 one-size-fit-all approach? 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:05.860 Both approaches 00:20:05.860 --> 00:20:07.759 have wisdom, 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:08.860 and both have shortfalls. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.620 Interpretation is, 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:11.120 it's, 00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:12.019 it's very important, 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:12.920 and not necessarily 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:14.200 an easy thing. 00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:15.819 So, 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:16.500 I gave the example 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:16.920 of the Sabbath. 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:18.240 This is just one command 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.099 of some 613 commands 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:22.519 recorded in the books 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:23.500 of Moses. 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:24.819 So, 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:25.639 what happens 00:20:25.639 --> 00:20:27.379 by rabbis 00:20:27.379 --> 00:20:28.299 and scribes 00:20:28.299 --> 00:20:29.019 is that they 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:30.279 come up 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:31.279 with a whole system 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.079 of how to 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.619 interpret the laws. 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:35.200 What does it mean 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:37.059 to keep the Sabbath, 00:20:37.259 --> 00:20:38.139 or what does it mean 00:20:38.139 --> 00:20:40.259 to not mix fabrics, 00:20:40.420 --> 00:20:41.639 or what does it mean 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:46.480 to keep the death 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.820 outside of the city? 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:51.259 It's an elaborate apparatus, 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:51.940 like I mentioned, 00:20:52.100 --> 00:20:53.740 of interpreting God's words. 00:20:54.540 --> 00:20:56.020 But the problem is, 00:20:56.620 --> 00:20:57.720 the heart of the law 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:59.680 expresses two things 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:01.360 according to Scripture itself. 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:04.160 That one, 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:06.200 God is a holy God, 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:06.240 God, 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:08.920 and that He is set apart, 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:09.980 He is without equal, 00:21:10.100 --> 00:21:10.840 He is perfect 00:21:10.840 --> 00:21:12.580 and good 00:21:12.580 --> 00:21:13.860 in every way, 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:16.019 and that His laws 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:17.420 reflect that reality 00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:18.160 of who He is. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:19.580 And the second 00:21:19.580 --> 00:21:21.600 thing that the law 00:21:21.600 --> 00:21:22.440 points us to 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:24.160 is that we are not God, 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:25.960 and that we are sinful, 00:21:26.100 --> 00:21:26.680 and we are broken, 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:27.559 and we have an inability 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:28.819 to keep the law 00:21:28.819 --> 00:21:31.080 in its entirety, 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:31.819 and therefore, 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:34.059 we are lawbreakers. 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:35.619 So the law, 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:36.399 although good, 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:38.419 was not given 00:21:38.419 --> 00:21:40.039 so that we could keep it, 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:40.960 and therefore achieve 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:42.039 some kind of righteousness 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:43.679 on par with God's, 00:21:44.379 --> 00:21:45.299 but it's to let us know 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:47.599 that we are broken people 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:49.259 that have an inability 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:51.539 to live a perfect life, 00:21:51.679 --> 00:21:52.179 and therefore, 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.220 how on earth 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:54.740 are we to get to God's level? 00:21:54.740 --> 00:21:57.839 The Apostle Paul says it 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.700 here in Romans 3, 00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:00.299 verse 20, 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:02.240 For by works of the law, 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:03.559 no human being 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:04.440 will be justified 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:05.539 in God's sight, 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.240 since through the law 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:08.620 comes knowledge of sin. 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:10.240 That's it. 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:11.519 The law is good. 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:12.700 It's a fantastic thing. 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:14.440 Fantastic principles 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:15.460 to live by, 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:17.319 to obey God, 00:22:17.420 --> 00:22:18.779 but it is not the source 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:19.660 of your justification. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:20.960 It is not the source 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:21.960 of your salvation. 00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:23.000 Already now, 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:23.700 we begin to see 00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:24.539 the difference between 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:25.660 a real Savior 00:22:25.660 --> 00:22:26.920 and a functional Savior. 00:22:27.360 --> 00:22:28.920 A Savior that promises 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:29.819 salvation 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:31.720 eight days a week, 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:33.600 and a Savior 00:22:33.600 --> 00:22:35.700 that is weak 00:22:35.700 --> 00:22:36.640 and false, 00:22:37.120 --> 00:22:37.960 that at best 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:38.660 gives you 00:22:38.660 --> 00:22:39.960 the idea 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:40.740 that you're saved, 00:22:40.840 --> 00:22:41.600 but is completely 00:22:41.600 --> 00:22:42.660 devoid of power 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:44.539 to justify. 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:47.340 Real Savior, 00:22:47.620 --> 00:22:48.440 functional Savior. 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:51.180 But what happens 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:52.340 when you adapt the law 00:22:52.340 --> 00:22:53.380 and interpret the law 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:54.160 in a way that 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:55.580 changes that purpose 00:22:55.580 --> 00:22:57.920 so that we do not think 00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:58.980 we need God's grace, 00:22:59.140 --> 00:23:00.100 but in a sense, 00:23:00.260 --> 00:23:00.960 seek a way 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:02.240 to justify ourselves 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:03.800 through our keeping 00:23:03.800 --> 00:23:04.820 of the law. 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:07.280 What does that do? 00:23:07.340 --> 00:23:08.420 It means we start to 00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:10.140 fiddle with God's words. 00:23:11.100 --> 00:23:11.900 We start to say, 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:13.180 well, it can't mean this. 00:23:14.260 --> 00:23:15.440 And we do that as Christians. 00:23:15.540 --> 00:23:16.060 This isn't just 00:23:16.060 --> 00:23:17.080 a rabbinical problem. 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:19.519 There's hard parts 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:20.059 of the scriptures 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:21.740 that we are fine 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:23.079 to either ignore 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:26.460 or say, 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:27.799 you know, 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:28.539 those rough edges 00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:29.199 aren't that rough. 00:23:29.460 --> 00:23:30.000 Why don't we sand 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:30.839 those down a little bit? 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:32.859 Listen, 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:35.279 we are in this boat together. 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:36.039 I am, 00:23:36.159 --> 00:23:36.980 like I say this often, 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:38.000 I am elevated here, 00:23:38.059 --> 00:23:39.079 but I am not over you. 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:40.179 I am amongst you. 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:41.619 I do this every day. 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:44.119 We have this propensity 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:45.519 to self-justify. 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:48.319 Does this not expose us 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:48.619 as lawbreakers? 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:49.459 You know, 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:50.519 the great irony here 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:52.339 is that we try to keep the law 00:23:52.339 --> 00:23:55.000 because we are not lawbreakers, 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:56.639 because we will achieve righteousness 00:23:56.639 --> 00:23:57.659 in God's sight, 00:23:57.739 --> 00:23:58.479 and by doing so, 00:23:58.539 --> 00:24:00.879 we prove the very purpose 00:24:00.879 --> 00:24:02.139 that the law was given 00:24:02.139 --> 00:24:04.459 to expose us as lawbreakers. 00:24:06.979 --> 00:24:08.299 We have a propensity 00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:09.619 to self-justify 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:12.299 and therefore turn God's law 00:24:12.299 --> 00:24:13.039 into something 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:14.459 it was never meant for. 00:24:15.179 --> 00:24:16.019 And what do we do? 00:24:16.379 --> 00:24:17.559 We miss the one 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:19.059 whom the law points towards. 00:24:19.239 --> 00:24:20.000 And this is what Stephen 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:20.899 is getting at here. 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:26.139 Verses 51 to 53. 00:24:26.939 --> 00:24:28.419 And this is where you think 00:24:28.419 --> 00:24:30.119 Stephen's going real spicy, 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:31.119 but we're going to read 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:32.819 the rest of chapter 7. 00:24:33.179 --> 00:24:34.159 But this is what he says 00:24:34.159 --> 00:24:36.099 in verse 51 and 53. 00:24:36.099 --> 00:24:40.980 You stiff-necked people, 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:44.599 uncircumcised in heart and ears, 00:24:45.159 --> 00:24:47.679 you always resist the Holy Spirit 00:24:47.679 --> 00:24:48.799 as your fathers did. 00:24:49.879 --> 00:24:50.659 So do you. 00:24:51.419 --> 00:24:52.419 Which of the prophets 00:24:52.419 --> 00:24:54.259 did your fathers not persecute? 00:24:54.740 --> 00:24:55.939 And they killed those 00:24:55.939 --> 00:24:57.219 who announced beforehand 00:24:57.219 --> 00:24:59.279 the coming of the righteous one, 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:01.259 whom you have now betrayed 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:02.059 and murdered. 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:04.559 You who received the law 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:06.460 as delivered by angels 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:08.139 and did not keep it. 00:25:09.899 --> 00:25:11.159 Jesus here is called 00:25:11.159 --> 00:25:12.000 the righteous one. 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:14.079 The one who is blameless 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:14.879 before the law. 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.859 The perfect law keeper. 00:25:17.639 --> 00:25:21.279 The one who gave the law himself. 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:23.980 Jesus who is in perfect communion 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:25.019 with God the Father. 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:26.519 The one who does 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:29.039 what no one else could do. 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:31.519 The righteous one 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:32.420 who is compassionate 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:33.139 and merciful. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:34.819 Who is slow to anger. 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:35.720 Who is abounding 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:36.879 in steadfast love. 00:25:37.220 --> 00:25:38.460 Who is without blemish. 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:41.039 When the righteous one 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:42.839 exposes the self-righteous, 00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:44.180 there are two options. 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:46.879 Either you remain stiff-necked 00:25:46.879 --> 00:25:49.940 or you look upon him 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:51.000 and you humble yourself 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:52.799 and put your faith in him. 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:54.960 But there's no in-between. 00:25:55.659 --> 00:25:56.519 And this is what Stephen's 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:57.200 getting at here. 00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:59.080 Stephen isn't acting 00:25:59.080 --> 00:25:59.900 out of a blind 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:01.140 and uncontrolled anger. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:03.500 He has this big speech 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:04.880 and it's just bubbling up 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:05.480 and bubbling up 00:26:05.480 --> 00:26:06.059 and bubbling up 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:07.319 and then he just bursts out. 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:08.819 You stiff-necked people. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:10.319 Not at all. 00:26:10.860 --> 00:26:11.740 It is controlled. 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:14.680 He is speaking the truth to them. 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:17.299 And what does the truth 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:17.920 lead us to? 00:26:18.080 --> 00:26:18.400 Freedom. 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:21.100 So in a sense, 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:23.240 Stephen is inviting 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.980 these people 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:27.539 who are seeking to crush him 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:29.599 and crush the Jesus movement. 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.019 He is inviting them to repent. 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.380 To not have stiff necks. 00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:36.220 To not have unbelieving hearts 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:36.839 and ears. 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:38.460 But instead to say, 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:39.559 you're right. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:41.860 God can't be confined 00:26:41.860 --> 00:26:42.500 to the temple. 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:43.960 We've been 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:45.360 screwing around 00:26:45.360 --> 00:26:46.079 with God's law 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:47.000 for far too long. 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:47.700 We repent. 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:49.299 We are done with it. 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:51.079 We are tired 00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:52.599 of the self-righteousness 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:53.819 that we have tried 00:26:53.819 --> 00:26:54.559 to live 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:56.359 and we have exported 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.220 out of the temple. 00:26:57.419 --> 00:26:58.720 We are tired of it. 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:01.240 Let us cry out to Christ. 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.139 That's what he is 00:27:02.139 --> 00:27:03.480 inviting them to do. 00:27:04.619 --> 00:27:05.319 But instead, 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:07.500 they do not. 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:08.720 I mean, 00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:09.659 they should, 00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:10.799 in a sense, 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:12.299 have the same response 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:15.519 as the Jewish people 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.539 at Pentecost 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:17.539 when Peter preaches 00:27:17.539 --> 00:27:19.659 his fantastic sermon 00:27:19.659 --> 00:27:21.180 after the Holy Spirit descends. 00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:22.980 And this is how they respond 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:24.139 in Acts chapter 2, 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:25.559 verse 37 to 38. 00:27:26.119 --> 00:27:26.839 Now when they, 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:27.639 that is the crowd 00:27:27.639 --> 00:27:28.779 of Jewish people, 00:27:29.399 --> 00:27:30.240 heard this, 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:31.480 Peter's speech, 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:33.460 they were cut to the heart 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:34.299 and said to Peter 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:35.259 and the rest of the apostles, 00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:36.319 Brothers, 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:37.359 what should we do? 00:27:38.059 --> 00:27:39.019 And Peter said to them, 00:27:39.099 --> 00:27:40.200 Repent and be baptized 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:41.180 every one of you 00:27:41.180 --> 00:27:43.019 in the name of Jesus Christ 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:44.079 for the forgiveness 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:44.899 of your sins 00:27:44.899 --> 00:27:46.379 and you will receive 00:27:46.380 --> 00:27:48.260 the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:27:48.820 --> 00:27:49.660 Their response, 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:50.800 chapter 7, 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:51.820 verse 54. 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:53.420 Now when they heard 00:27:53.420 --> 00:27:54.120 these things, 00:27:54.780 --> 00:27:55.780 they were enraged 00:27:55.780 --> 00:27:56.520 and they ground 00:27:56.520 --> 00:27:57.460 their teeth at him. 00:27:57.700 --> 00:27:58.360 Later on it says 00:27:58.360 --> 00:27:59.360 they stopped their ears 00:27:59.360 --> 00:28:00.080 and they were yelling. 00:28:01.560 --> 00:28:02.180 They were going, 00:28:02.280 --> 00:28:03.580 they were going berserk. 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:04.740 They were going crazy. 00:28:06.300 --> 00:28:06.540 There was, 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.020 there was, 00:28:07.100 --> 00:28:08.300 there was a disconnect. 00:28:08.520 --> 00:28:09.180 They weren't thinking 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:10.160 like human beings. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:11.500 They were angry. 00:28:11.620 --> 00:28:12.540 And this is the reality 00:28:12.540 --> 00:28:13.520 of being stiff-necked. 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:15.660 And it's far too easy 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:16.000 to say, 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:16.440 ah, 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:17.559 those unbelievers. 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:18.740 Friends, 00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:20.119 the law points a mirror 00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:21.160 right back at us. 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:23.500 God's laws 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:24.539 and God's ways 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.460 and God's mercy 00:28:25.460 --> 00:28:26.900 that is extended to us 00:28:26.900 --> 00:28:28.759 for our benefit, 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:30.400 for our enjoyment, 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:31.619 for our life 00:28:31.619 --> 00:28:33.339 and life eternal 00:28:33.339 --> 00:28:34.700 when we look at it 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:36.799 and it doesn't fit with us, 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:37.980 with the things 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:38.819 that we are trying to do 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:39.899 or our ambitions. 00:28:40.899 --> 00:28:41.819 Do we not 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:44.460 put our fingers 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:45.159 in our ears 00:28:45.159 --> 00:28:46.519 and go la la la la la la la 00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:48.139 pretending as if 00:28:48.139 --> 00:28:49.700 God is not speaking 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:51.919 and speaking over him, 00:28:52.419 --> 00:28:53.619 gnashing our teeth at him. 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:56.939 But instead, 00:28:57.079 --> 00:28:57.939 he wants us 00:28:57.939 --> 00:28:58.599 to repent 00:28:58.599 --> 00:29:00.139 with a trust in him. 00:29:02.200 --> 00:29:02.659 Friends, 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:05.019 we are the religious leaders 00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:05.779 in this story. 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:09.160 Whether through secular means 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:10.559 or religious means, 00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:12.019 we try to self-justify 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:13.599 treating our sins 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:14.940 as no big deal 00:29:14.940 --> 00:29:16.460 or denying God's power 00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:17.799 and claim upon our lives, 00:29:18.619 --> 00:29:22.559 our stiff necks 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:23.639 are revealed. 00:29:24.700 --> 00:29:26.180 We have a self-righteousness 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:27.819 that's not based on God's truth 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:29.639 but a curated vision 00:29:29.639 --> 00:29:31.019 of truth. 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:33.160 However, 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:34.519 this exposes 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:35.279 what our hearts 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:36.400 truly cling to, 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.619 what our hearts 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:39.139 truly confide in. 00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:40.279 It exposes 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:41.759 our functional saviors 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:43.779 and not the true savior. 00:29:43.940 --> 00:29:44.359 And friends, 00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:45.240 this is mercy. 00:29:45.819 --> 00:29:46.660 This is kindness. 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:49.379 It is goodness. 00:29:49.660 --> 00:29:50.279 It is the goodness 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:50.900 of God 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:51.579 that leads us 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:52.160 to repentance. 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:55.180 Our section ends 00:29:55.180 --> 00:29:56.319 with Stephen being martyred. 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:57.299 He's the first martyr 00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:58.339 in the history 00:29:58.339 --> 00:29:58.900 of the church 00:29:58.900 --> 00:29:59.460 and this is 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:00.440 how it reads, 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:02.340 verses 55 to 60. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.319 We'll start in verse 54. 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:06.440 Now when they heard 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:07.100 these things, 00:30:07.340 --> 00:30:08.500 they were enraged 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:09.240 and they ground 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.140 their teeth at him. 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:12.240 But Stephen, 00:30:12.460 --> 00:30:13.860 full of the Holy Spirit, 00:30:14.100 --> 00:30:14.940 gazed into heaven 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:16.460 and saw the glory of God 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:17.539 and Jesus standing 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:18.720 at the right hand of God. 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:20.039 And he said, 00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:20.579 Behold, 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.980 I see the heavens opened 00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:23.059 and the Son of Man 00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:24.819 standing at the right hand of God. 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:26.340 But they cried out 00:30:26.340 --> 00:30:27.240 with a loud voice 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:28.279 and stopped their ears 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:29.460 and rushed together at him. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:31.539 Then they cast him 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:32.539 out of the city 00:30:32.539 --> 00:30:33.519 and stoned him. 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:34.680 And the witnesses 00:30:34.680 --> 00:30:36.059 laid down their garments 00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:36.980 at the feet 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:37.899 of a young man 00:30:37.899 --> 00:30:38.899 named Saul. 00:30:39.799 --> 00:30:41.420 And as they were stoning Stephen, 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:42.539 he called out, 00:30:42.700 --> 00:30:43.399 Lord Jesus, 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:44.460 receive my spirit. 00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:46.660 And falling to his knees, 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:47.440 he cried out 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:48.279 with a loud voice, 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:49.220 Lord, 00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:50.460 do not hold the sin 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:51.160 against them. 00:30:51.639 --> 00:30:52.920 And when he said this, 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:54.180 he fell asleep. 00:30:54.180 --> 00:31:00.460 Why is it that Stephen 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:01.600 went to his death 00:31:01.600 --> 00:31:04.060 saying the same thing 00:31:04.060 --> 00:31:04.940 that Christ said 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:06.160 when he hung upon the cross? 00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:09.060 Receive my spirit, 00:31:09.259 --> 00:31:09.779 forgive them, 00:31:09.860 --> 00:31:10.620 they know not what 00:31:10.620 --> 00:31:11.299 they are doing. 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:12.299 Friends, 00:31:12.360 --> 00:31:13.019 because his heart 00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:14.160 clung to 00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:15.420 and confided in 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:17.220 the true 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:18.440 and unchangeable Savior. 00:31:19.860 --> 00:31:20.240 See, 00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:20.680 when our hearts 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:21.620 are turned to Christ, 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:22.879 there is nothing 00:31:22.879 --> 00:31:24.299 that can be taken from us. 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:26.939 Our money 00:31:26.939 --> 00:31:27.819 can disappear, 00:31:28.399 --> 00:31:29.019 our homes 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:29.819 can disappear, 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:31.219 our very lives 00:31:31.219 --> 00:31:32.039 can be in peril, 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:33.739 and we still 00:31:33.739 --> 00:31:34.659 have Christ. 00:31:36.099 --> 00:31:36.659 Nothing, 00:31:36.919 --> 00:31:37.399 nothing 00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:38.299 can rob us 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:38.899 of him. 00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:41.500 So let us not 00:31:41.500 --> 00:31:42.319 trust in 00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:44.359 the charity 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:45.079 that we do 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:46.219 or the building 00:31:46.219 --> 00:31:47.639 that we meet in 00:31:47.639 --> 00:31:49.439 or our excellent 00:31:49.439 --> 00:31:50.219 track record 00:31:50.219 --> 00:31:51.079 of not sinning 00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:52.000 or doing 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:52.720 our devotions, 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:53.879 all really important. 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:54.779 So let's 00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:55.939 keep that up. 00:31:56.879 --> 00:31:57.699 But let us 00:31:57.699 --> 00:31:58.439 not find our 00:31:58.439 --> 00:31:59.179 ultimate hope 00:31:59.179 --> 00:31:59.919 and worth in that, 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:00.720 but find our 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:01.379 ultimate hope 00:32:01.379 --> 00:32:02.199 and worth in Christ. 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:04.460 We are not 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:05.039 justified, 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:06.319 we cannot be 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:06.819 justified 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:07.960 by anyone 00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:08.799 or anything 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:09.799 but Christ. 00:32:11.519 --> 00:32:12.740 So let us say 00:32:12.740 --> 00:32:14.439 like the Apostle Paul 00:32:14.439 --> 00:32:15.919 who could have 00:32:15.919 --> 00:32:16.759 been drawing 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:18.220 on this very 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:18.919 experience 00:32:18.919 --> 00:32:20.099 when he wrote 00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:20.839 Philippians 3, 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:21.419 it could have 00:32:21.419 --> 00:32:21.779 been in his 00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:22.240 very mind, 00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:22.659 we don't know, 00:32:22.699 --> 00:32:23.299 he doesn't say, 00:32:23.659 --> 00:32:24.259 but he was there 00:32:24.259 --> 00:32:24.939 witnessing it, 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:26.539 but he wrote this 00:32:26.539 --> 00:32:27.740 in Philippians 00:32:27.740 --> 00:32:28.480 chapter 3, 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:29.459 and let us 00:32:29.459 --> 00:32:30.419 make this 00:32:30.419 --> 00:32:31.139 our prayer 00:32:31.139 --> 00:32:31.919 and our life 00:32:31.919 --> 00:32:33.459 as well. 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:34.099 This is what he 00:32:34.099 --> 00:32:34.399 says, 00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:48.040 verse 9, 00:32:48.040 --> 00:32:48.720 verse 9, 00:32:48.720 --> 00:33:02.039 verse 9, 00:33:02.039 --> 00:33:02.660 verse 9, 00:33:02.660 --> 00:33:03.140 verse 9, 00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:16.620 It doesn't sound 00:33:16.619 --> 00:33:18.099 and may share his 00:33:18.099 --> 00:33:18.759 sufferings, 00:33:18.819 --> 00:33:19.659 becoming like him 00:33:19.659 --> 00:33:20.259 in his death, 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:22.039 that by any means 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:22.639 possible, 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:23.939 I may attain 00:33:23.939 --> 00:33:24.639 the resurrection 00:33:24.639 --> 00:33:25.719 from the dead. 00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:26.659 It doesn't sound 00:33:26.659 --> 00:33:27.339 like a man 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:28.139 who is sad 00:33:28.139 --> 00:33:29.659 or broken 00:33:29.659 --> 00:33:31.539 or lacking 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:32.259 in anything. 00:33:33.399 --> 00:33:34.079 And this is 00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:35.299 easy to say 00:33:35.299 --> 00:33:37.379 on a Sunday 00:33:37.379 --> 00:33:38.879 and hard to live out 00:33:38.879 --> 00:33:40.239 on Monday 00:33:40.239 --> 00:33:41.379 and Tuesday 00:33:41.379 --> 00:33:42.039 and Wednesday 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:42.739 and Thursday, 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:44.120 but by God's 00:33:44.120 --> 00:33:44.740 grace 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:45.500 and by God's 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:45.920 kindness 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:46.740 through prayer, 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:48.299 he has promised 00:33:48.299 --> 00:33:49.259 to lead us 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:50.579 and to transform 00:33:50.579 --> 00:33:51.380 our hearts 00:33:51.380 --> 00:33:52.839 so that we will 00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:53.640 cling to him, 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:54.440 that we will 00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:55.460 confide in him, 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:56.819 that he will become 00:33:56.819 --> 00:33:58.000 our true 00:33:58.000 --> 00:33:59.440 and only Savior. 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:00.680 So friends, 00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:01.319 let us trust 00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:02.620 in the righteous one. 00:34:03.579 --> 00:34:04.039 Let's pray. 00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:07.140 Lord, 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:08.139 we thank you 00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:09.639 that we don't 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:10.239 have to make 00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:11.739 yearly pilgrimages 00:34:11.739 --> 00:34:12.419 pilgrimages 00:34:12.419 --> 00:34:13.259 to Jerusalem 00:34:13.259 --> 00:34:14.319 to worship 00:34:14.319 --> 00:34:14.979 in a temple 00:34:14.979 --> 00:34:17.839 because you are 00:34:17.839 --> 00:34:18.679 here in our midst. 00:34:19.919 --> 00:34:20.619 You created 00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:21.500 the entire world. 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:22.299 You're not confined 00:34:22.299 --> 00:34:23.099 to anywhere 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:25.299 and in your goodness 00:34:25.299 --> 00:34:25.959 and kindness, 00:34:26.719 --> 00:34:27.500 you didn't beckon 00:34:27.500 --> 00:34:28.079 us up 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:30.579 in a giant 00:34:30.579 --> 00:34:31.159 staircase 00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:32.659 or a ladder 00:34:32.659 --> 00:34:33.219 that we could 00:34:33.219 --> 00:34:34.419 never ever use 00:34:34.419 --> 00:34:34.959 to climb 00:34:34.959 --> 00:34:35.719 into your presence, 00:34:35.839 --> 00:34:36.179 but instead 00:34:36.179 --> 00:34:37.039 you descend 00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:38.879 and take on 00:34:38.879 --> 00:34:39.359 flesh 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:40.640 and live 00:34:40.640 --> 00:34:42.200 a very, 00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:42.700 very, 00:34:42.820 --> 00:34:44.940 very human life, 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:46.420 a fully human life 00:34:46.420 --> 00:34:47.840 and then die 00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:48.539 in our place 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:49.420 a human death 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:50.640 and get buried 00:34:50.640 --> 00:34:51.539 in a human way 00:34:51.539 --> 00:34:52.460 and rise again 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:54.120 in a divine way 00:34:54.120 --> 00:34:55.079 so that we now 00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:55.760 as humans 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:56.840 share in that 00:34:56.840 --> 00:34:57.740 reality, 00:34:58.039 --> 00:34:58.780 in that resurrection 00:34:58.780 --> 00:34:59.360 life. 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:01.320 Lord, 00:35:01.420 --> 00:35:02.680 expose our hearts 00:35:02.680 --> 00:35:03.880 to the idols 00:35:03.880 --> 00:35:04.960 that we have, 00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:05.920 to our functional 00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:06.519 saviors, 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:07.440 to the things 00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:08.300 we go to 00:35:08.300 --> 00:35:11.059 to calm 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:13.440 our restlessness 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:15.179 and instead, 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:15.460 Lord, 00:35:15.539 --> 00:35:16.420 let us learn 00:35:16.420 --> 00:35:18.000 by your help 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:19.639 to rest in you. 00:35:20.679 --> 00:35:21.420 We pray this 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:22.019 in Christ's name. 00:35:22.759 --> 00:35:23.059 Amen.