Always a special thank you to Joellen Dykstra
for being able to get something very beautiful
out of our organ. I'd go and practice with it
and it just comes out as noise. So thank you
for Joellen's gift and that really, for me, that
little liturgical boy in me that I kind of grew
up with, being able to hear some of my favorite
hymns being done on the organ has just been a
blessing. So Jo, thank you for that. In that
song we sang... Fear not, I am with me. Oh, be
not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still
give thee aid. Though that might not be in a
way that you guys talk or pray, unless you're
Roger Momin. He still prays in the thee, thou,
those, and I love it. I don't, but though we
don't use some of that language, the promise
holds true. Fear not, I am with me. For lunch
and a conversation with Pastor Jim, where do
we see that in four different examples in one
of the prophets? Isaiah what? Huh? Oh, Isaiah
49. That is technically correct, all right? So
that's value meal because it's not what I was
going for. So you can get an even number. Or
three or seven. We'll go with that for value
because it's biblical. But no, it's Isaiah 43,
though 41 has it, where it says, Fear not, for
I am with me. When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you. The waves will not overtake
you. When you walk through the fire, you will
not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God. That God is declaring
something that over us. Have you ever thought
about that? It's not over just the holy of holies
because guess what? None of us would fit that
bill. That would just be Jesus. He's saying that
to us. Whether in Isaiah 41 or Isaiah 43, the
promise holds true. When you go through the stuff
of life, I will be with you. And for some of
us, that makes us angry because we just don't
want to go through that stuff. Why in the world
do we have to go through whatever that is? It's
usually the negative. When things are going right
in our life, when the bank account is flushed,
when our relationships are strong, when everything
at work or family or sports going well, we think
about the negative, yet we don't really thank
God for that too. But then when things go wrong,
God gets our blame. For I am thy God and will
still give thee aid. What this hymn really is
capturing is what Stephen believed. the disciple,
we're all disciples, right? The believer that
was Stephen, that's what he believed as he lived,
and we're at that point in Acts, is what he believed
as he died. That when your life is built on the
firm foundation of Jesus, no accusation, no suffering,
no earthly power can shake you, dot, dot, dot.
That's the promise, that it shouldn't shake us,
but it does. I'll be the first one to tell you.
Yeah, there are times that's when I fall asleep
fine, but that's all of a sudden at the 1, 145
in the morning, all of a sudden I start thinking
about all the things shaking me, and then I can't
sleep, and I'm moving around, tossing and turning,
and that's when my wife then kind of nudges me
and says either go to sleep or get out, right?
I know what that nudge means, right? You may
have that in a different way, but that's what
it means. And that's when I get up. Right? Because
I want her to be able to sleep. I don't want
to be the cause of that. But the understanding
that I get dismayed. And I'm worried that that
aid is going to come. Or, if we're being honest
this morning, the aid is going to come in a way
I want it to come. See, we do that too. God,
I know you're going to come to my aid because
your Bible says it. But it better come this way.
Again, God's not some genie in a bottle that
does what we wish. But what we see in Acts 6,
the church has grown, the word is spreading,
new leaders are serving. The church is working.
Right? It's one of the reasons why I gave thanks
to all of our committees. Though we might get
in each other's way because they're growing and
doing things, we're doing stuff what we believe
is in right order of the church. Among them,
Stephen. And I love what the Bible says. Stephen,
a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit.
But the same Spirit that fills him with ministry
will also strengthen him for something much greater.
Something that, if I'm being honest, 99 % of
us has probably never encountered or experienced
in the same level as we're going to see it. But
what this passage we're going to read, how firm
that foundation, the passage we're going to read
is a look at what unshakable faith looks like
in the face of fear, falsehood, and death. I
wait to say that part because fear and falsehood,
we can fall into that all the time. We've actually
may be the cause of that for other people. Living
a false life. Right? Living out fear. That people
don't know we're believers because of how fearful
we are. Ouch. Or that we are contradictory. Right?
That we don't walk the walk as we talk the talk
or vice versa. The death part though. We're going
to walk through that together. So we're going
to be in Acts chapter 6, starting with verse
8. Chapter 6 of the book of Acts, starting with
verse 8. If you're new here today, we do use
the ESV. It will be on the slides. But if you
have your Bible or your Bible app, feel free
to open up to that. We're going to start with
verse 8. We're going to go kind of verse by verse.
to this very important passage, okay? Stephen's
character and power, Acts 6, 8. And Stephen,
full of grace and power, was doing great wonders
and signs among the people. I want you to look
at that verse, clear, leave that up. Put your
name where Stephen's is. How would we feel if
Acts mentioned that? And insert your name here.
Full of grace and power, was doing great wonders
and signs among the peoples. Wonders and signs.
Interesting. What does that mean? Well, that's
more than going to church, more than maybe sitting
on a board, but it was signs and wonders, was
teaching the things of Jesus. That what Jesus
was teaching was full of signs and wonders. It
was the fulfillment of the Torah. Love God with
all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself. What does it
practically look like to be a believer in this
time of the church? Luke describes Stephen as
full of grace and power. His life embodied a
spirit -filled balance. Again, we don't know
too much about Stephen. I wish we did. But he
had grace and character. He had power and witness.
I would hope that that's said of me one day,
if not right now or ever. I would hope you would
want that said of you. I would hope that it would
be said of this church. And maybe you go to another
church. Praise the Lord. Hopefully your church
could be known as that too. But what would that
look like if that was actually what Munster Church
was thought of by other people? Munster Church,
grace in character, power in witness. It shows
the mark of a true believer. And guess what?
The Belgian Confession helps us. Article 29,
the true believer turns away from sin and follows
righteousness, loving the true God and neighbor.
Stephen models that holiness in both word and
deed. Turns from sin and follows righteousness.
And when falls, stops, repents, turns. And for
some of us, that might be a daily occurrence.
For some of us, that might be a weekly occurrence.
It's the saved that understand that when they
sin, they need to pause and turn. But as we see,
as when the Spirit is doing His work, when people
are walking in the Spirit, what comes next? Some
sort of Opposition. The opposition arises. And
I would love it if this opposition was coming
from some Gentile groups or other cult groups
or maybe the Egyptians get back into it or something.
But it doesn't and it's so frustrating for me.
And it should be for you that opposition arises
in verse 9. And then some of those who belong
to the synagogue. and the freedmen, as it was
called, and the Syrians, and of the Alexandrians,
and of those in Silia and Asia, rose up and disputed
with Stephen. It starts in the synagogue. It
starts with other churched people. But understand,
those mean different things right now in Acts
6. All of the different people groups, we talked
about that. The Hellenists were a part of the
group. They just weren't, the widows weren't
getting fed. And so they're being overlooked.
So the deacons were installed to help make sure
everybody was covered. One of the main jobs of
the deacon. Well, I grew up that the deacons
just oversaw the budget and made it difficult
for elders. No, that's how you may have learned
it in the CRC. That is not how it goes. And I
lovingly am able to say our deacons, I don't
see that from them. They understand what it means
to be a deacon, the diaconate. It's a beautiful
ministry. The opposition's coming from members
of the synagogue, and the freedmen begin to dispute.
These were likely Jews freed from Roman slavery,
hence the name. They were intelligent, they were
educated, they were passionate. But they could
not withstand the wisdom and the spirit of which
he was speaking. They couldn't stomach his words
because they thought they knew better. Insert.
all of us that have been in church for more than
a week. That there are things that go on in churches,
especially churches that might be growing, right?
We've talked about that, and the main reason
I say that is because that's something, and it's
been a blessing of the Lord to see this church
grow the way it has over the last five, ten years.
A huge blessing. Stay humble, stay terrified,
all good things. But at one point in your life,
I guarantee you, And I'm going to throw that
guarantee that Munster Church has done something
that you're like, man, I wouldn't have done it
that way. Or I wouldn't have said it that way.
Or I would have done it differently. Praise the
Lord that we have those thoughts and we have
those opinions. But guess what? Just because
it comes out of you doesn't mean you're right.
Okay? That we have a church that comes together
to mutually submit to one another. And the same
goes for me. I do my best to not have to say,
thus saith the domine. How many of you actually
would take that seriously if I said that to you
to your face? I heard some giggles, and that's
the right answer. I don't ever want to have to
be like that, right? There was a time that people
feared their pastor. I remember a story at Crown
Point. I used the term pastor visit for a couple
that had just gone through a miscarriage. And
I had asked to meet with them. I said, can I
do a pastor visit to come and talk with you?
I didn't hear anything for like three days. Come
to find out she grew up in a tradition of a denomination.
It wasn't CRC. It was something different. That
the term pastor visit meant they were in trouble.
I just wanted to go and pray with them and bring
them coffee. Yet there was a tradition in there
to the point where the husband said, what did
we do to warrant a pastor visit? And I got that
message. I was like, I don't understand. Come
to find out it was kind of a church culture misunderstanding.
But what a terrible thing. That if I wanted to
use the term pastor visit, you guys don't sleep
for three days because you think that's a bad
thing. What a hard way to have a relationship
pastor do his people. But when we all have our
opinions and we all think we know how churches
should be run, we should submit them one to the
other, right? We should look to the council to
clarify. And that's how churches work. That's
the right order. And we see the same here. When
truth collides with pride, opposition is inevitable.
When we think our plans and our ideas are better
than other people, what we're saying is we're
better than other people. That's not a good thing
in the church. That's opposition and friction.
and then something inevitably will happen, especially
when we don't get our own way or we don't like
the system. We're going to probably use our words
or our emails or our texts or our whatever communications
for something not godly, and that's called slander.
And the strategy of slander we're going to see
in verses 10 and 11. But they could not withstand
the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.
Then they secretly instigated men who said, we
have heard him speak blasphemous words against
Moses and God. But they could not. There's only
one, right, Claire? Did I write that down wrong?
Nope, there's only one. You were right. I'm wrong.
Unable to refute him, they resort to drama. They
resort to deceit. They secretly instigated men.
saying, we have heard him speak blasphemous words
against Moses and God. And when I got to this
point, I just thought about the gotcha journalism
in our culture and how dangerous it is to post
things online. Because that one thing you may
have just, in your emotions, in your venting,
You just go because all you know is use your
thumbs, you know, and then you hit send, and
then immediately you go, oh, wait, no, no, no,
let me find the delete button, and you can't
do that with your thumb. You've got to get the
mouse, and you've got to do the things. All of
a sudden, someone's already screenshotted it,
and you just lost your job. Now, that's a dramatic
example, and we've seen that, right, a lot over
the years. It's why we need to be discerning
with our words. That we don't need to project
all of our angst to everybody thinking they want
to know. But unable to refute them, they resort
to deceit. The devil's oldest tactic. We shouldn't
be surprised by this. If you can't destroy the
truth, then what do you do to it? Distort it.
Who said that? Who said distort? Somebody, I
heard it. Because it's written right here. Up
in the balcony. Shauna, way to go. That literally
is what it says here. Distort it. I should have
put lunch on it, but I didn't. I owe you like
three anyway. So if you can't destroy the truth,
distort it. Don't we do that? Man, I know I do
that. I'm tempted to do that. I know we do that
as people. Just as Jesus was falsely accused,
so now his followers bear the same cross. This
is Jesus in the Gospel of John. In this world
you will have trouble. In this world you will
have turmoil. In this world you will have tribulation,
whatever translation you're reading. But take
heart, I've overcome the world. He says, when
they hate you, they've hated me first. They're
going to do it in the same way. This goes all
the way back to the Garden of Eden. Right? The
two perfect commands we get. You know this. The
two perfect mandates we get. They're not commands
yet. They're mandates. In Genesis chapter 2 are
what? What are the two perfect commands? We'll
just call them that for lack of a better word
right now. In chapter 2, Adam is told to do what?
Be fruitful and multiply, says the newly engaged
person. Absolutely. Right? Be fruitful and multiply.
And then what is the other one? The first one.
Now that's the same thing as be fruitful and
multiply. You've got to fill the earth. We'll
go over that. Close. Close. Work the ground.
All right. In the front, you've struck out. In
the back. What's the first one? It's simple.
Don't overthink it. How many of you are getting
hungry? You're not allowed to answer beginning
in front of the church. You've lost that ability.
Back. We've got to go back to Genesis. You can
eat of everything of the garden except for what?
The tree. Good. Okay, yeah, the tree. All right.
We're just going to keep, we're just going to
move on. Yes. Of that tree, right? Of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. First two.
Don't eat from that tree. You got all the other
ones. Fair game. Not that tree. Be food for a
multiply. What is the first thing Satan says
to Eve with Adam next to her? Because he says,
if you eat of it, surely you will die. We all
got that. Ooh, death. We remember that. The tree.
And what is the first thing Satan says? Surely
you won't die. Takes God's word, discredits it.
Oldest tactic in the book. And what does that
do? When all of a sudden lies are out there,
when all of a sudden deceit's out there, we get
all hopped up, we get all dramatic, we get very
hostile around these things, especially if we
care about them. And that's what happens. The
public hostility takes over in verse 12. And
they stirred up the people and the elders and
the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him,
and brought him before the council. This is worse
than just sharing a bunch of junk online, right?
This is stirring people up, getting them to buy
in mob mentality, right, to the negatives, to
the lies. And what do they do? They seize the
man. They seize Stephen. The opposition escalates.
Stephen is seized. He's brought before the council.
The pattern of persecution repeats over and over
and over again. We'll see it in Paul in the epistles
later. The gospel exposes the hearts. And those
unwilling to repent respond with rage. It's one
of the saddest things that I think I've seen
as a pastor over now 20 years. Is when people
are brought to the truth. When they're being
exposed. In the midst of that. Exposure, that's
not a word. In the midst of being exposed, they
turn angry. Why? Because we can't control our
lie anymore. How many people remember the rumor
weed? This side, this side, don't know if you're
saved. So understand that this is from VeggieTales,
right? The rumor weed, how do you continue a
rumor? You just continue the lie, and then you
have to cover up that lie, then you have to cover
up that lie with that lie. You see where I'm
going. Right? That's all control. How much I
can control it is how much I can manipulate it.
And then when God is exposing it, you're trying
to have a spiritual arm wrestle with the Almighty.
Guess who's going to lose? Us. Ten times out
of ten. Yet we get angry about that because we
are trusting in ourselves. Not that the gospel
exposes the hearts. We just don't want. We are
unwilling to repent. So we respond with rage.
Yet. As I read this, I notice something missing.
I have already been there. Fear. Stephen stands
firm because he knows the foundation beneath
him cannot move. I had to pause. That one punked
me out. When I make a decision that hurts somebody
or when I mess things up in a situation, I'm
always trying to kind of cover my own butt when
it comes to, well, I did this the right way,
but not this. I'm trying to splice it. When if
we're standing in truth, knowing that all of
this has been lies, public ridicule, deceit,
you stand on the foundation set for you. The
deceit was what? False testimony, right? thou
shall not bear false witness. It's one of the
top ten of the commandments, one we've talked
about. Verse 13 and 14 brings this out. And they
set up false witnesses who said, this man never
ceases to speak words against this holy place
and the law, for we have heard him say that this
Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and
will change the customs that Moses delivered
to us. So now they're planting more people. You
see how they have to control all of this? Kind
of this snuff job. They're having to put all
of this in place. Some of you are going, that's
what our politics does. So isn't it the right
way to do it? We're not going to go there. But
this is what happens when you stand and only
want human authority. Human authority is always
going to let you down. Godly authority, what
we can stand on, on this life or the next in
Stephen's case. is really what matters. This
man never ceases to speak words against this
holy place in the law. Their accusation is ironic,
right? Stephen isn't rejecting the temple of
the law. He's proclaiming the fulfillment in
Christ. They don't even know how to do this the
right way. The Belgic Confession, Article 25,
says this. We believe that the ceremonies and
symbols of the law have ceased with the coming
of Christ, yet their truth and their substance
remain in him. What does that mean practically?
It practically means that on Monday, Thursday,
I have not asked the Smedbergs to bring me two
goats, two sheep, kill one in front of you, and
then we send the other one on Ridge Road. We
don't have to do that anymore. That the laws
have been fulfilled because of Jesus. And if
you are new and you want to know why I brought
that up, it's because the Spedbergs are farmers
and they have animals. Stephen's message is not
rebellion, it's revelation. The temple points
to Jesus, the true dwelling of God among his
people. Look how God is even using their false
testimony and their blasphemy, right? He's actually
using it for proclamation. Because Stephen right
now, it may be said of all of us one day, he
is the face of faith. Verse 15. And gazing at
him, all who sat in the council saw that his
face was like the face of an angel. We all think
about that about our newborn kids. But that's
not what we're talking about. That there was
something about Stephen's standing and the face
that he had, right? They looked at him as if
a face was the face of an angel. This wasn't
a, like, sentiment emotion. This is a visible
reflection of God's peace and a faithful heart.
Friends, I had to pause here. This was their
Wednesday. I had to pause here. Because that
line that the Holy Spirit gave me is very convicting.
This is the visible reflection of God's peace
in a faithful heart. But what happens when there
is faithlessness going on in our lives? All of
this gets stirred up. Create in me a clean heart,
O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me
not away from my transgressions, but uphold me
by your spirit. Not my own doings, not my own
sayings, not my own manipulations. When we don't
have peace, there's a reason. I say that even
to my anxiety folks in the room, and I'm looking
at the mirror first as someone who struggles
with that. Anxiety has a root somewhere. Getting
into some good mental health can help you find
that root, and we very much believe in that here
at Munster Church. Why do you think Jesus is
called the Prince of Peace? Because when there
isn't all the drama and the deceit, peace comes.
It's when all of a sudden, at maybe 2 .15, 2
.30, I try to go back to sleep. And that's what
I pray for, is peace. It doesn't mean the problem
in my life has gone away. I may have confessed
it, and I'm right with God. Praise the Lord.
There's still that human emotion, but when peace
comes, then there's rest. Moses' face once shone
after being in God's presence. Now Stephen's
radiates the same glory, testifying that he walks
with God even in suffering. And his worst suffering
hadn't even happened yet. So where do we go from
there? Where do we take this? Well, first, we
go to firm faith, what I call firm faith. Firm
faith begins with a fullness of the Spirit. You
want to grow in your faith? You want to stand
firm on the promises and providences of God?
Get into God's Word and ask for the Holy Spirit
to reveal those things to you. Stephen wasn't
strong because he was brave. He was strong because
he was filled. He was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Courage flows from communion with Christ. Second,
when truth is proclaimed, guess what? Opposition
is going to come. It's inevitable. Faithfulness
doesn't always lead to applause. Often it invites
resistance. Don't mistake opposition for failure.
And I say that to my committees. I say that to
my councils. Right? That when truth is proclaimed,
opposition will come. And I hate to say it, opposition
sometimes comes from within the room. And that
can be difficult, but we've got to walk through
it. We walk through it how? With integrity. That
integrity in trial reveals true foundation. Stephen
didn't crumble when he was accused. He didn't
try to flee. His peace came from knowing his
standing with God was secure. Come what may.
That if you are standing on the promises of God
and you're doing your best to walk that out,
you can stand secure. And then it's not defined
by your bank account. It's not defined by some
of the relationships in your life or your standing
at work or with your family. Those are things
you might need to work on that God might be changing
in you. a calling to account, you can stand firm.
Why? Because the gospel fulfills, never destroys.
The gospel fulfills, not destroys. Like Stephen,
we must show that Jesus doesn't abolish God's
promises. He completes them. He fulfills them.
All the law and the prophets are fulfilled in
Christ when we love the Lord our God and our
neighbor as ourself. He is the one completing
them. He is calling us to walk in that completion.
And then life changes, right? If you give your
testimony, your life before Jesus, your life
after Jesus, in good reform circles, it's when
that stage of your sanctification, right, where
something happens in your heart, it gets regenerated
to recognizing the salvation God has given you,
and you stand in that profession. Other traditions,
it might be when you come up and get baptized
or you pray the salvation's prayer, all the things.
It's that kairos moment when the Spirit reminds
you you're not doing this on your own, that the
Spirit's got you. What happens? Your life turns
radiant. I use the term radiant for a reason.
A radiant life speaks louder than words. The
world may attack what you say, what you post,
all the things, but it cannot ignore. When Christ
shines through you. So, that last one. When Christ
shines through you. I want you to think today.
And if you have a trusted friend or a spouse
or a family member, I want you to talk to them
about it today. As you are talking about who
to give your seven cards to. When's the last
time Christ shined through you? Well, it's when
I came to church. I hope that's true. But I'm
going to say, not right now. In your life outside
of this place, when's the last time Christ shined
through you? You see, like I said, the world's
going to attack what you say. They'll cherry
pick your words all day. But it cannot ignore
when Christ shines through you. So my friends,
stay firm under pressure. Know that faith comes
even in the fire of life. And part of our job
is to be a peaceful... Witness to the world.
As we're going to see, Stephen's story doesn't
end here. It leads to one of the darkest moments
in the book of Acts. His martyrdom. He died for
the faith. Even as stones are raised against
him, the foundation of his faith doesn't crack
even a millimeter. He stood firm because he knew
who his foundation was. Not his doctrine, not
his temple, not his confessions, not a system.
but his Savior, Jesus Christ. The cornerstone
rejected by men, but chosen by God. So Munster
Church, live in this as we close. If we build
our lives on that same foundation, we will stand
firm in every storm, even the storms we bring
upon each other. The world may lie, accuse, oppose,
but it cannot shake the rock beneath our feet.
So when we sing it, my hope is we believe it.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
Please stand if you are able. And as we have
done, we do so today. Let's close together by
praying our closing prayer. Lord Jesus Christ,
our firm foundation, thank you for being our
strength in trial and our peace in suffering.
Fill us with your spirit as you filled Stephen.
When opposition comes, help us stand firm in
truth and love. Let your light shine through
us so that others may see your good works and
glorify you. In the powerful name we pray, amen.
And as you go out into your week, may the Lord
bless you.