WEBVTT 00:00:04.189 --> 00:00:06.889 Always a special thank you to Joellen Dykstra 00:00:06.889 --> 00:00:09.550 for being able to get something very beautiful 00:00:09.550 --> 00:00:12.929 out of our organ. I'd go and practice with it 00:00:12.929 --> 00:00:15.289 and it just comes out as noise. So thank you 00:00:15.289 --> 00:00:19.289 for Joellen's gift and that really, for me, that 00:00:19.289 --> 00:00:21.489 little liturgical boy in me that I kind of grew 00:00:21.489 --> 00:00:24.690 up with, being able to hear some of my favorite 00:00:24.690 --> 00:00:26.550 hymns being done on the organ has just been a 00:00:26.550 --> 00:00:28.989 blessing. So Jo, thank you for that. In that 00:00:28.989 --> 00:00:34.000 song we sang... Fear not, I am with me. Oh, be 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:38.179 not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:41.619 give thee aid. Though that might not be in a 00:00:41.619 --> 00:00:45.000 way that you guys talk or pray, unless you're 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:47.439 Roger Momin. He still prays in the thee, thou, 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:50.500 those, and I love it. I don't, but though we 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:53.299 don't use some of that language, the promise 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:59.020 holds true. Fear not, I am with me. For lunch 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:01.619 and a conversation with Pastor Jim, where do 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:05.180 we see that in four different examples in one 00:01:05.180 --> 00:01:11.239 of the prophets? Isaiah what? Huh? Oh, Isaiah 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:14.400 49. That is technically correct, all right? So 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:16.439 that's value meal because it's not what I was 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:20.750 going for. So you can get an even number. Or 00:01:20.750 --> 00:01:22.209 three or seven. We'll go with that for value 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:24.709 because it's biblical. But no, it's Isaiah 43, 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:28.129 though 41 has it, where it says, Fear not, for 00:01:28.129 --> 00:01:30.349 I am with me. When you pass through the waters, 00:01:30.409 --> 00:01:32.329 I will be with you. The waves will not overtake 00:01:32.329 --> 00:01:34.109 you. When you walk through the fire, you will 00:01:34.109 --> 00:01:36.989 not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. 00:01:36.989 --> 00:01:41.450 For I am the Lord your God. That God is declaring 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:44.670 something that over us. Have you ever thought 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:47.769 about that? It's not over just the holy of holies 00:01:47.769 --> 00:01:49.430 because guess what? None of us would fit that 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:52.450 bill. That would just be Jesus. He's saying that 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:56.549 to us. Whether in Isaiah 41 or Isaiah 43, the 00:01:56.549 --> 00:01:59.530 promise holds true. When you go through the stuff 00:01:59.530 --> 00:02:03.709 of life, I will be with you. And for some of 00:02:03.709 --> 00:02:07.689 us, that makes us angry because we just don't 00:02:07.689 --> 00:02:10.289 want to go through that stuff. Why in the world 00:02:10.289 --> 00:02:12.729 do we have to go through whatever that is? It's 00:02:12.729 --> 00:02:15.680 usually the negative. When things are going right 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:17.699 in our life, when the bank account is flushed, 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:20.460 when our relationships are strong, when everything 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:24.840 at work or family or sports going well, we think 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:27.460 about the negative, yet we don't really thank 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:30.120 God for that too. But then when things go wrong, 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:35.159 God gets our blame. For I am thy God and will 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:39.800 still give thee aid. What this hymn really is 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:46.000 capturing is what Stephen believed. the disciple, 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:48.379 we're all disciples, right? The believer that 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:51.860 was Stephen, that's what he believed as he lived, 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:54.939 and we're at that point in Acts, is what he believed 00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:57.879 as he died. That when your life is built on the 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:02.599 firm foundation of Jesus, no accusation, no suffering, 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:07.539 no earthly power can shake you, dot, dot, dot. 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:11.080 That's the promise, that it shouldn't shake us, 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.460 but it does. I'll be the first one to tell you. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.939 Yeah, there are times that's when I fall asleep 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:18.759 fine, but that's all of a sudden at the 1, 145 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.099 in the morning, all of a sudden I start thinking 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:24.639 about all the things shaking me, and then I can't 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:27.599 sleep, and I'm moving around, tossing and turning, 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:32.240 and that's when my wife then kind of nudges me 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:34.879 and says either go to sleep or get out, right? 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:36.860 I know what that nudge means, right? You may 00:03:36.860 --> 00:03:38.240 have that in a different way, but that's what 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:41.159 it means. And that's when I get up. Right? Because 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:42.419 I want her to be able to sleep. I don't want 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:44.340 to be the cause of that. But the understanding 00:03:44.340 --> 00:03:49.000 that I get dismayed. And I'm worried that that 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.520 aid is going to come. Or, if we're being honest 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:53.780 this morning, the aid is going to come in a way 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:56.360 I want it to come. See, we do that too. God, 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:58.379 I know you're going to come to my aid because 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.240 your Bible says it. But it better come this way. 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.919 Again, God's not some genie in a bottle that 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:07.060 does what we wish. But what we see in Acts 6, 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:09.139 the church has grown, the word is spreading, 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:12.680 new leaders are serving. The church is working. 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:14.759 Right? It's one of the reasons why I gave thanks 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:16.959 to all of our committees. Though we might get 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:18.620 in each other's way because they're growing and 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:20.939 doing things, we're doing stuff what we believe 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:24.360 is in right order of the church. Among them, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.439 Stephen. And I love what the Bible says. Stephen, 00:04:27.500 --> 00:04:30.420 a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.959 But the same Spirit that fills him with ministry 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:37.480 will also strengthen him for something much greater. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:41.899 Something that, if I'm being honest, 99 % of 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:44.699 us has probably never encountered or experienced 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:47.740 in the same level as we're going to see it. But 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:50.360 what this passage we're going to read, how firm 00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:52.600 that foundation, the passage we're going to read 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.259 is a look at what unshakable faith looks like 00:04:56.259 --> 00:05:04.199 in the face of fear, falsehood, and death. I 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:06.519 wait to say that part because fear and falsehood, 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:08.459 we can fall into that all the time. We've actually 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:10.860 may be the cause of that for other people. Living 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:15.199 a false life. Right? Living out fear. That people 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:17.079 don't know we're believers because of how fearful 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:20.920 we are. Ouch. Or that we are contradictory. Right? 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:24.120 That we don't walk the walk as we talk the talk 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:28.800 or vice versa. The death part though. We're going 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:30.019 to walk through that together. So we're going 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:32.100 to be in Acts chapter 6, starting with verse 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:35.459 8. Chapter 6 of the book of Acts, starting with 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:37.699 verse 8. If you're new here today, we do use 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:41.819 the ESV. It will be on the slides. But if you 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:43.220 have your Bible or your Bible app, feel free 00:05:43.220 --> 00:05:44.480 to open up to that. We're going to start with 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.759 verse 8. We're going to go kind of verse by verse. 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:51.610 to this very important passage, okay? Stephen's 00:05:51.610 --> 00:05:55.149 character and power, Acts 6, 8. And Stephen, 00:05:55.310 --> 00:05:58.629 full of grace and power, was doing great wonders 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:02.750 and signs among the people. I want you to look 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:06.149 at that verse, clear, leave that up. Put your 00:06:06.149 --> 00:06:10.110 name where Stephen's is. How would we feel if 00:06:10.110 --> 00:06:14.990 Acts mentioned that? And insert your name here. 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:17.899 Full of grace and power, was doing great wonders 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:21.339 and signs among the peoples. Wonders and signs. 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:24.459 Interesting. What does that mean? Well, that's 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.139 more than going to church, more than maybe sitting 00:06:27.139 --> 00:06:30.199 on a board, but it was signs and wonders, was 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.990 teaching the things of Jesus. That what Jesus 00:06:32.990 --> 00:06:36.029 was teaching was full of signs and wonders. It 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:38.649 was the fulfillment of the Torah. Love God with 00:06:38.649 --> 00:06:39.850 all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 00:06:39.970 --> 00:06:42.089 Love your neighbor as yourself. What does it 00:06:42.089 --> 00:06:45.350 practically look like to be a believer in this 00:06:45.350 --> 00:06:48.550 time of the church? Luke describes Stephen as 00:06:48.550 --> 00:06:53.269 full of grace and power. His life embodied a 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:57.889 spirit -filled balance. Again, we don't know 00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:01.160 too much about Stephen. I wish we did. But he 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:03.899 had grace and character. He had power and witness. 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:08.759 I would hope that that's said of me one day, 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:12.540 if not right now or ever. I would hope you would 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:14.540 want that said of you. I would hope that it would 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:18.259 be said of this church. And maybe you go to another 00:07:18.259 --> 00:07:20.199 church. Praise the Lord. Hopefully your church 00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:22.899 could be known as that too. But what would that 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:24.959 look like if that was actually what Munster Church 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:27.199 was thought of by other people? Munster Church, 00:07:27.339 --> 00:07:33.100 grace in character, power in witness. It shows 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.500 the mark of a true believer. And guess what? 00:07:35.540 --> 00:07:37.699 The Belgian Confession helps us. Article 29, 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:41.240 the true believer turns away from sin and follows 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:45.160 righteousness, loving the true God and neighbor. 00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:49.319 Stephen models that holiness in both word and 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.610 deed. Turns from sin and follows righteousness. 00:07:52.889 --> 00:07:58.370 And when falls, stops, repents, turns. And for 00:07:58.370 --> 00:08:00.230 some of us, that might be a daily occurrence. 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:02.629 For some of us, that might be a weekly occurrence. 00:08:05.189 --> 00:08:08.470 It's the saved that understand that when they 00:08:08.470 --> 00:08:12.790 sin, they need to pause and turn. But as we see, 00:08:12.850 --> 00:08:15.889 as when the Spirit is doing His work, when people 00:08:15.889 --> 00:08:19.069 are walking in the Spirit, what comes next? Some 00:08:19.069 --> 00:08:23.310 sort of Opposition. The opposition arises. And 00:08:23.310 --> 00:08:25.470 I would love it if this opposition was coming 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:28.350 from some Gentile groups or other cult groups 00:08:28.350 --> 00:08:31.449 or maybe the Egyptians get back into it or something. 00:08:31.670 --> 00:08:34.470 But it doesn't and it's so frustrating for me. 00:08:34.549 --> 00:08:37.509 And it should be for you that opposition arises 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:41.490 in verse 9. And then some of those who belong 00:08:41.490 --> 00:08:44.620 to the synagogue. and the freedmen, as it was 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:48.480 called, and the Syrians, and of the Alexandrians, 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:52.259 and of those in Silia and Asia, rose up and disputed 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:55.700 with Stephen. It starts in the synagogue. It 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:58.620 starts with other churched people. But understand, 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:00.600 those mean different things right now in Acts 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:03.039 6. All of the different people groups, we talked 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.120 about that. The Hellenists were a part of the 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.080 group. They just weren't, the widows weren't 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.049 getting fed. And so they're being overlooked. 00:09:10.190 --> 00:09:13.690 So the deacons were installed to help make sure 00:09:13.690 --> 00:09:16.730 everybody was covered. One of the main jobs of 00:09:16.730 --> 00:09:18.750 the deacon. Well, I grew up that the deacons 00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:21.250 just oversaw the budget and made it difficult 00:09:21.250 --> 00:09:23.590 for elders. No, that's how you may have learned 00:09:23.590 --> 00:09:26.789 it in the CRC. That is not how it goes. And I 00:09:26.789 --> 00:09:28.970 lovingly am able to say our deacons, I don't 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:30.649 see that from them. They understand what it means 00:09:30.649 --> 00:09:34.139 to be a deacon, the diaconate. It's a beautiful 00:09:34.139 --> 00:09:36.899 ministry. The opposition's coming from members 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:40.019 of the synagogue, and the freedmen begin to dispute. 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:43.779 These were likely Jews freed from Roman slavery, 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:46.759 hence the name. They were intelligent, they were 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:50.200 educated, they were passionate. But they could 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.399 not withstand the wisdom and the spirit of which 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:57.340 he was speaking. They couldn't stomach his words 00:09:57.340 --> 00:10:02.000 because they thought they knew better. Insert. 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:05.700 all of us that have been in church for more than 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:09.620 a week. That there are things that go on in churches, 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:12.440 especially churches that might be growing, right? 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:13.799 We've talked about that, and the main reason 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:15.399 I say that is because that's something, and it's 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:17.620 been a blessing of the Lord to see this church 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.559 grow the way it has over the last five, ten years. 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:23.179 A huge blessing. Stay humble, stay terrified, 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:27.740 all good things. But at one point in your life, 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:30.019 I guarantee you, And I'm going to throw that 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:32.720 guarantee that Munster Church has done something 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:34.039 that you're like, man, I wouldn't have done it 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.039 that way. Or I wouldn't have said it that way. 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:38.320 Or I would have done it differently. Praise the 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:41.360 Lord that we have those thoughts and we have 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.580 those opinions. But guess what? Just because 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:45.159 it comes out of you doesn't mean you're right. 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.120 Okay? That we have a church that comes together 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:51.580 to mutually submit to one another. And the same 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:55.320 goes for me. I do my best to not have to say, 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:59.210 thus saith the domine. How many of you actually 00:10:59.210 --> 00:11:01.190 would take that seriously if I said that to you 00:11:01.190 --> 00:11:04.669 to your face? I heard some giggles, and that's 00:11:04.669 --> 00:11:07.330 the right answer. I don't ever want to have to 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:11.090 be like that, right? There was a time that people 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:15.549 feared their pastor. I remember a story at Crown 00:11:15.549 --> 00:11:19.070 Point. I used the term pastor visit for a couple 00:11:19.070 --> 00:11:22.250 that had just gone through a miscarriage. And 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:24.230 I had asked to meet with them. I said, can I 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:26.549 do a pastor visit to come and talk with you? 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:29.090 I didn't hear anything for like three days. Come 00:11:29.090 --> 00:11:32.149 to find out she grew up in a tradition of a denomination. 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:36.870 It wasn't CRC. It was something different. That 00:11:36.870 --> 00:11:39.409 the term pastor visit meant they were in trouble. 00:11:40.429 --> 00:11:42.090 I just wanted to go and pray with them and bring 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:44.659 them coffee. Yet there was a tradition in there 00:11:44.659 --> 00:11:46.759 to the point where the husband said, what did 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.779 we do to warrant a pastor visit? And I got that 00:11:50.779 --> 00:11:53.379 message. I was like, I don't understand. Come 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:55.919 to find out it was kind of a church culture misunderstanding. 00:11:57.179 --> 00:12:00.860 But what a terrible thing. That if I wanted to 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:02.679 use the term pastor visit, you guys don't sleep 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:05.259 for three days because you think that's a bad 00:12:05.259 --> 00:12:07.840 thing. What a hard way to have a relationship 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.399 pastor do his people. But when we all have our 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:13.620 opinions and we all think we know how churches 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:15.720 should be run, we should submit them one to the 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:17.960 other, right? We should look to the council to 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:21.279 clarify. And that's how churches work. That's 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:25.659 the right order. And we see the same here. When 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:28.759 truth collides with pride, opposition is inevitable. 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:31.960 When we think our plans and our ideas are better 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:33.759 than other people, what we're saying is we're 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:36.279 better than other people. That's not a good thing 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:38.620 in the church. That's opposition and friction. 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:43.059 and then something inevitably will happen, especially 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:45.419 when we don't get our own way or we don't like 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:48.940 the system. We're going to probably use our words 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:52.139 or our emails or our texts or our whatever communications 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:56.639 for something not godly, and that's called slander. 00:12:56.860 --> 00:12:59.039 And the strategy of slander we're going to see 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.519 in verses 10 and 11. But they could not withstand 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:05.360 the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.240 Then they secretly instigated men who said, we 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.860 have heard him speak blasphemous words against 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:16.940 Moses and God. But they could not. There's only 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:18.700 one, right, Claire? Did I write that down wrong? 00:13:18.779 --> 00:13:19.980 Nope, there's only one. You were right. I'm wrong. 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:26.539 Unable to refute him, they resort to drama. They 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:31.879 resort to deceit. They secretly instigated men. 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:35.159 saying, we have heard him speak blasphemous words 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:41.100 against Moses and God. And when I got to this 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.620 point, I just thought about the gotcha journalism 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:46.600 in our culture and how dangerous it is to post 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:50.320 things online. Because that one thing you may 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.659 have just, in your emotions, in your venting, 00:13:52.889 --> 00:13:54.970 You just go because all you know is use your 00:13:54.970 --> 00:13:57.190 thumbs, you know, and then you hit send, and 00:13:57.190 --> 00:13:58.909 then immediately you go, oh, wait, no, no, no, 00:13:58.909 --> 00:14:00.710 let me find the delete button, and you can't 00:14:00.710 --> 00:14:02.029 do that with your thumb. You've got to get the 00:14:02.029 --> 00:14:03.889 mouse, and you've got to do the things. All of 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:05.809 a sudden, someone's already screenshotted it, 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:11.049 and you just lost your job. Now, that's a dramatic 00:14:11.049 --> 00:14:13.970 example, and we've seen that, right, a lot over 00:14:13.970 --> 00:14:16.350 the years. It's why we need to be discerning 00:14:16.350 --> 00:14:18.769 with our words. That we don't need to project 00:14:18.769 --> 00:14:21.809 all of our angst to everybody thinking they want 00:14:21.809 --> 00:14:24.750 to know. But unable to refute them, they resort 00:14:24.750 --> 00:14:28.889 to deceit. The devil's oldest tactic. We shouldn't 00:14:28.889 --> 00:14:32.809 be surprised by this. If you can't destroy the 00:14:32.809 --> 00:14:37.450 truth, then what do you do to it? Distort it. 00:14:37.970 --> 00:14:41.830 Who said that? Who said distort? Somebody, I 00:14:41.830 --> 00:14:45.269 heard it. Because it's written right here. Up 00:14:45.269 --> 00:14:48.649 in the balcony. Shauna, way to go. That literally 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:50.990 is what it says here. Distort it. I should have 00:14:50.990 --> 00:14:53.129 put lunch on it, but I didn't. I owe you like 00:14:53.129 --> 00:14:57.190 three anyway. So if you can't destroy the truth, 00:14:57.429 --> 00:15:03.809 distort it. Don't we do that? Man, I know I do 00:15:03.809 --> 00:15:06.190 that. I'm tempted to do that. I know we do that 00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:09.460 as people. Just as Jesus was falsely accused, 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:12.679 so now his followers bear the same cross. This 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:15.639 is Jesus in the Gospel of John. In this world 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:17.480 you will have trouble. In this world you will 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:19.659 have turmoil. In this world you will have tribulation, 00:15:19.799 --> 00:15:21.980 whatever translation you're reading. But take 00:15:21.980 --> 00:15:24.200 heart, I've overcome the world. He says, when 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:27.399 they hate you, they've hated me first. They're 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:29.100 going to do it in the same way. This goes all 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:31.669 the way back to the Garden of Eden. Right? The 00:15:31.669 --> 00:15:34.649 two perfect commands we get. You know this. The 00:15:34.649 --> 00:15:36.889 two perfect mandates we get. They're not commands 00:15:36.889 --> 00:15:39.330 yet. They're mandates. In Genesis chapter 2 are 00:15:39.330 --> 00:15:42.230 what? What are the two perfect commands? We'll 00:15:42.230 --> 00:15:43.909 just call them that for lack of a better word 00:15:43.909 --> 00:15:47.029 right now. In chapter 2, Adam is told to do what? 00:15:48.450 --> 00:15:51.169 Be fruitful and multiply, says the newly engaged 00:15:51.169 --> 00:15:53.789 person. Absolutely. Right? Be fruitful and multiply. 00:15:54.669 --> 00:15:56.649 And then what is the other one? The first one. 00:15:58.269 --> 00:15:59.850 Now that's the same thing as be fruitful and 00:15:59.850 --> 00:16:02.320 multiply. You've got to fill the earth. We'll 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:10.200 go over that. Close. Close. Work the ground. 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:12.860 All right. In the front, you've struck out. In 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:16.740 the back. What's the first one? It's simple. 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:19.279 Don't overthink it. How many of you are getting 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:23.080 hungry? You're not allowed to answer beginning 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:25.080 in front of the church. You've lost that ability. 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:29.649 Back. We've got to go back to Genesis. You can 00:16:29.649 --> 00:16:33.490 eat of everything of the garden except for what? 00:16:35.990 --> 00:16:38.350 The tree. Good. Okay, yeah, the tree. All right. 00:16:38.730 --> 00:16:40.049 We're just going to keep, we're just going to 00:16:40.049 --> 00:16:43.429 move on. Yes. Of that tree, right? Of the tree 00:16:43.429 --> 00:16:46.090 of the knowledge of good and evil. First two. 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:49.370 Don't eat from that tree. You got all the other 00:16:49.370 --> 00:16:52.129 ones. Fair game. Not that tree. Be food for a 00:16:52.129 --> 00:16:56.210 multiply. What is the first thing Satan says 00:16:56.210 --> 00:16:59.299 to Eve with Adam next to her? Because he says, 00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:03.639 if you eat of it, surely you will die. We all 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:06.380 got that. Ooh, death. We remember that. The tree. 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:15.819 And what is the first thing Satan says? Surely 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:20.579 you won't die. Takes God's word, discredits it. 00:17:21.400 --> 00:17:23.890 Oldest tactic in the book. And what does that 00:17:23.890 --> 00:17:26.109 do? When all of a sudden lies are out there, 00:17:26.190 --> 00:17:28.170 when all of a sudden deceit's out there, we get 00:17:28.170 --> 00:17:31.089 all hopped up, we get all dramatic, we get very 00:17:31.089 --> 00:17:33.930 hostile around these things, especially if we 00:17:33.930 --> 00:17:36.029 care about them. And that's what happens. The 00:17:36.029 --> 00:17:41.700 public hostility takes over in verse 12. And 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:44.220 they stirred up the people and the elders and 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:47.160 the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him, 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:49.859 and brought him before the council. This is worse 00:17:49.859 --> 00:17:53.279 than just sharing a bunch of junk online, right? 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:56.019 This is stirring people up, getting them to buy 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:59.640 in mob mentality, right, to the negatives, to 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:02.359 the lies. And what do they do? They seize the 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:07.819 man. They seize Stephen. The opposition escalates. 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:10.359 Stephen is seized. He's brought before the council. 00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:14.259 The pattern of persecution repeats over and over 00:18:14.259 --> 00:18:16.980 and over again. We'll see it in Paul in the epistles 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:22.140 later. The gospel exposes the hearts. And those 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:28.140 unwilling to repent respond with rage. It's one 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:30.559 of the saddest things that I think I've seen 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.079 as a pastor over now 20 years. Is when people 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.240 are brought to the truth. When they're being 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:41.869 exposed. In the midst of that. Exposure, that's 00:18:41.869 --> 00:18:45.089 not a word. In the midst of being exposed, they 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:49.450 turn angry. Why? Because we can't control our 00:18:49.450 --> 00:18:52.349 lie anymore. How many people remember the rumor 00:18:52.349 --> 00:18:56.309 weed? This side, this side, don't know if you're 00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:58.710 saved. So understand that this is from VeggieTales, 00:18:58.789 --> 00:19:01.230 right? The rumor weed, how do you continue a 00:19:01.230 --> 00:19:03.430 rumor? You just continue the lie, and then you 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:05.049 have to cover up that lie, then you have to cover 00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:06.890 up that lie with that lie. You see where I'm 00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:09.799 going. Right? That's all control. How much I 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.960 can control it is how much I can manipulate it. 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:15.579 And then when God is exposing it, you're trying 00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:17.799 to have a spiritual arm wrestle with the Almighty. 00:19:18.059 --> 00:19:21.559 Guess who's going to lose? Us. Ten times out 00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:24.160 of ten. Yet we get angry about that because we 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:27.180 are trusting in ourselves. Not that the gospel 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:30.420 exposes the hearts. We just don't want. We are 00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:32.900 unwilling to repent. So we respond with rage. 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:37.339 Yet. As I read this, I notice something missing. 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.799 I have already been there. Fear. Stephen stands 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.299 firm because he knows the foundation beneath 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:51.599 him cannot move. I had to pause. That one punked 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.720 me out. When I make a decision that hurts somebody 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:59.039 or when I mess things up in a situation, I'm 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.579 always trying to kind of cover my own butt when 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:03.940 it comes to, well, I did this the right way, 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:07.500 but not this. I'm trying to splice it. When if 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.299 we're standing in truth, knowing that all of 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:12.940 this has been lies, public ridicule, deceit, 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:19.099 you stand on the foundation set for you. The 00:20:19.099 --> 00:20:23.039 deceit was what? False testimony, right? thou 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:24.920 shall not bear false witness. It's one of the 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:27.500 top ten of the commandments, one we've talked 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:31.099 about. Verse 13 and 14 brings this out. And they 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:34.140 set up false witnesses who said, this man never 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.700 ceases to speak words against this holy place 00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:39.400 and the law, for we have heard him say that this 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:42.519 Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:45.380 will change the customs that Moses delivered 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:49.059 to us. So now they're planting more people. You 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:51.680 see how they have to control all of this? Kind 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:54.700 of this snuff job. They're having to put all 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:59.640 of this in place. Some of you are going, that's 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:02.200 what our politics does. So isn't it the right 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:05.119 way to do it? We're not going to go there. But 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:07.920 this is what happens when you stand and only 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:10.619 want human authority. Human authority is always 00:21:10.619 --> 00:21:12.640 going to let you down. Godly authority, what 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:16.119 we can stand on, on this life or the next in 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:19.299 Stephen's case. is really what matters. This 00:21:19.299 --> 00:21:21.299 man never ceases to speak words against this 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:24.359 holy place in the law. Their accusation is ironic, 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:27.339 right? Stephen isn't rejecting the temple of 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:29.960 the law. He's proclaiming the fulfillment in 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:33.140 Christ. They don't even know how to do this the 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:35.779 right way. The Belgic Confession, Article 25, 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:38.869 says this. We believe that the ceremonies and 00:21:38.869 --> 00:21:41.390 symbols of the law have ceased with the coming 00:21:41.390 --> 00:21:44.769 of Christ, yet their truth and their substance 00:21:44.769 --> 00:21:47.910 remain in him. What does that mean practically? 00:21:48.210 --> 00:21:50.509 It practically means that on Monday, Thursday, 00:21:50.710 --> 00:21:54.589 I have not asked the Smedbergs to bring me two 00:21:54.589 --> 00:21:57.549 goats, two sheep, kill one in front of you, and 00:21:57.549 --> 00:22:01.750 then we send the other one on Ridge Road. We 00:22:01.750 --> 00:22:04.329 don't have to do that anymore. That the laws 00:22:04.329 --> 00:22:10.150 have been fulfilled because of Jesus. And if 00:22:10.150 --> 00:22:12.049 you are new and you want to know why I brought 00:22:12.049 --> 00:22:13.589 that up, it's because the Spedbergs are farmers 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:16.650 and they have animals. Stephen's message is not 00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:19.750 rebellion, it's revelation. The temple points 00:22:19.750 --> 00:22:22.930 to Jesus, the true dwelling of God among his 00:22:22.930 --> 00:22:26.269 people. Look how God is even using their false 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:29.269 testimony and their blasphemy, right? He's actually 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:34.500 using it for proclamation. Because Stephen right 00:22:34.500 --> 00:22:37.920 now, it may be said of all of us one day, he 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:43.500 is the face of faith. Verse 15. And gazing at 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:46.440 him, all who sat in the council saw that his 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:51.859 face was like the face of an angel. We all think 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:55.119 about that about our newborn kids. But that's 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:57.150 not what we're talking about. That there was 00:22:57.150 --> 00:23:00.910 something about Stephen's standing and the face 00:23:00.910 --> 00:23:02.950 that he had, right? They looked at him as if 00:23:02.950 --> 00:23:05.829 a face was the face of an angel. This wasn't 00:23:05.829 --> 00:23:09.509 a, like, sentiment emotion. This is a visible 00:23:09.509 --> 00:23:14.430 reflection of God's peace and a faithful heart. 00:23:15.849 --> 00:23:19.009 Friends, I had to pause here. This was their 00:23:19.009 --> 00:23:24.119 Wednesday. I had to pause here. Because that 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:26.819 line that the Holy Spirit gave me is very convicting. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:29.779 This is the visible reflection of God's peace 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:34.400 in a faithful heart. But what happens when there 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:38.559 is faithlessness going on in our lives? All of 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:43.160 this gets stirred up. Create in me a clean heart, 00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:46.960 O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:49.640 not away from my transgressions, but uphold me 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:53.539 by your spirit. Not my own doings, not my own 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:56.720 sayings, not my own manipulations. When we don't 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:59.420 have peace, there's a reason. I say that even 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:02.180 to my anxiety folks in the room, and I'm looking 00:24:02.180 --> 00:24:04.099 at the mirror first as someone who struggles 00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:08.119 with that. Anxiety has a root somewhere. Getting 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:10.420 into some good mental health can help you find 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:12.960 that root, and we very much believe in that here 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:16.440 at Munster Church. Why do you think Jesus is 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:20.480 called the Prince of Peace? Because when there 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:23.920 isn't all the drama and the deceit, peace comes. 00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:28.440 It's when all of a sudden, at maybe 2 .15, 2 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:31.740 .30, I try to go back to sleep. And that's what 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:34.480 I pray for, is peace. It doesn't mean the problem 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:36.900 in my life has gone away. I may have confessed 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:39.259 it, and I'm right with God. Praise the Lord. 00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:42.480 There's still that human emotion, but when peace 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:48.799 comes, then there's rest. Moses' face once shone 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:51.859 after being in God's presence. Now Stephen's 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:56.359 radiates the same glory, testifying that he walks 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:02.180 with God even in suffering. And his worst suffering 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:06.200 hadn't even happened yet. So where do we go from 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:09.960 there? Where do we take this? Well, first, we 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.119 go to firm faith, what I call firm faith. Firm 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:18.019 faith begins with a fullness of the Spirit. You 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:20.720 want to grow in your faith? You want to stand 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:24.299 firm on the promises and providences of God? 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:27.039 Get into God's Word and ask for the Holy Spirit 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:30.359 to reveal those things to you. Stephen wasn't 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:33.200 strong because he was brave. He was strong because 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:36.140 he was filled. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:25:36.420 --> 00:25:41.039 Courage flows from communion with Christ. Second, 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:45.079 when truth is proclaimed, guess what? Opposition 00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:49.359 is going to come. It's inevitable. Faithfulness 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.480 doesn't always lead to applause. Often it invites 00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:57.519 resistance. Don't mistake opposition for failure. 00:25:58.890 --> 00:26:01.609 And I say that to my committees. I say that to 00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:05.230 my councils. Right? That when truth is proclaimed, 00:26:05.430 --> 00:26:08.789 opposition will come. And I hate to say it, opposition 00:26:08.789 --> 00:26:13.089 sometimes comes from within the room. And that 00:26:13.089 --> 00:26:14.589 can be difficult, but we've got to walk through 00:26:14.589 --> 00:26:17.309 it. We walk through it how? With integrity. That 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:23.789 integrity in trial reveals true foundation. Stephen 00:26:23.789 --> 00:26:26.289 didn't crumble when he was accused. He didn't 00:26:26.289 --> 00:26:29.650 try to flee. His peace came from knowing his 00:26:29.650 --> 00:26:35.069 standing with God was secure. Come what may. 00:26:35.789 --> 00:26:38.289 That if you are standing on the promises of God 00:26:38.289 --> 00:26:40.670 and you're doing your best to walk that out, 00:26:40.710 --> 00:26:44.089 you can stand secure. And then it's not defined 00:26:44.089 --> 00:26:46.690 by your bank account. It's not defined by some 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:48.809 of the relationships in your life or your standing 00:26:48.809 --> 00:26:51.029 at work or with your family. Those are things 00:26:51.029 --> 00:26:53.650 you might need to work on that God might be changing 00:26:53.650 --> 00:26:57.390 in you. a calling to account, you can stand firm. 00:26:57.569 --> 00:27:02.349 Why? Because the gospel fulfills, never destroys. 00:27:03.109 --> 00:27:07.390 The gospel fulfills, not destroys. Like Stephen, 00:27:07.509 --> 00:27:10.670 we must show that Jesus doesn't abolish God's 00:27:10.670 --> 00:27:14.230 promises. He completes them. He fulfills them. 00:27:14.289 --> 00:27:16.950 All the law and the prophets are fulfilled in 00:27:16.950 --> 00:27:21.009 Christ when we love the Lord our God and our 00:27:21.009 --> 00:27:24.130 neighbor as ourself. He is the one completing 00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:27.029 them. He is calling us to walk in that completion. 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:31.069 And then life changes, right? If you give your 00:27:31.069 --> 00:27:33.470 testimony, your life before Jesus, your life 00:27:33.470 --> 00:27:35.970 after Jesus, in good reform circles, it's when 00:27:35.970 --> 00:27:38.849 that stage of your sanctification, right, where 00:27:38.849 --> 00:27:42.210 something happens in your heart, it gets regenerated 00:27:42.210 --> 00:27:45.609 to recognizing the salvation God has given you, 00:27:45.670 --> 00:27:49.250 and you stand in that profession. Other traditions, 00:27:49.309 --> 00:27:51.029 it might be when you come up and get baptized 00:27:51.029 --> 00:27:53.829 or you pray the salvation's prayer, all the things. 00:27:54.250 --> 00:27:58.390 It's that kairos moment when the Spirit reminds 00:27:58.390 --> 00:28:00.690 you you're not doing this on your own, that the 00:28:00.690 --> 00:28:03.549 Spirit's got you. What happens? Your life turns 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:06.869 radiant. I use the term radiant for a reason. 00:28:07.490 --> 00:28:11.470 A radiant life speaks louder than words. The 00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:13.750 world may attack what you say, what you post, 00:28:13.930 --> 00:28:17.660 all the things, but it cannot ignore. When Christ 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:23.279 shines through you. So, that last one. When Christ 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:26.859 shines through you. I want you to think today. 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:30.259 And if you have a trusted friend or a spouse 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:32.140 or a family member, I want you to talk to them 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:34.839 about it today. As you are talking about who 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:38.240 to give your seven cards to. When's the last 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:42.539 time Christ shined through you? Well, it's when 00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:46.339 I came to church. I hope that's true. But I'm 00:28:46.339 --> 00:28:50.079 going to say, not right now. In your life outside 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:53.980 of this place, when's the last time Christ shined 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:56.859 through you? You see, like I said, the world's 00:28:56.859 --> 00:28:58.759 going to attack what you say. They'll cherry 00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:01.380 pick your words all day. But it cannot ignore 00:29:01.380 --> 00:29:05.220 when Christ shines through you. So my friends, 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:09.240 stay firm under pressure. Know that faith comes 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:13.319 even in the fire of life. And part of our job 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:16.980 is to be a peaceful... Witness to the world. 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:20.119 As we're going to see, Stephen's story doesn't 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:22.519 end here. It leads to one of the darkest moments 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:26.720 in the book of Acts. His martyrdom. He died for 00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:29.839 the faith. Even as stones are raised against 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:32.920 him, the foundation of his faith doesn't crack 00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:37.259 even a millimeter. He stood firm because he knew 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:40.200 who his foundation was. Not his doctrine, not 00:29:40.200 --> 00:29:43.420 his temple, not his confessions, not a system. 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:47.819 but his Savior, Jesus Christ. The cornerstone 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:51.500 rejected by men, but chosen by God. So Munster 00:29:51.500 --> 00:29:55.000 Church, live in this as we close. If we build 00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:58.259 our lives on that same foundation, we will stand 00:29:58.259 --> 00:30:01.000 firm in every storm, even the storms we bring 00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:04.420 upon each other. The world may lie, accuse, oppose, 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:08.339 but it cannot shake the rock beneath our feet. 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:12.740 So when we sing it, my hope is we believe it. 00:30:13.450 --> 00:30:16.950 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 00:30:17.089 --> 00:30:21.690 is laid for your faith in his excellent word. 00:30:21.930 --> 00:30:25.450 Please stand if you are able. And as we have 00:30:25.450 --> 00:30:28.349 done, we do so today. Let's close together by 00:30:28.349 --> 00:30:32.549 praying our closing prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, 00:30:32.789 --> 00:30:36.589 our firm foundation, thank you for being our 00:30:36.589 --> 00:30:39.730 strength in trial and our peace in suffering. 00:30:40.490 --> 00:30:43.289 Fill us with your spirit as you filled Stephen. 00:30:43.710 --> 00:30:47.630 When opposition comes, help us stand firm in 00:30:47.630 --> 00:30:50.670 truth and love. Let your light shine through 00:30:50.670 --> 00:30:53.970 us so that others may see your good works and 00:30:53.970 --> 00:30:57.990 glorify you. In the powerful name we pray, amen. 00:30:58.289 --> 00:31:00.349 And as you go out into your week, may the Lord 00:31:00.349 --> 00:31:00.769 bless you.