WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.439 Perhaps you've noticed the new sound system this 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:07.360 morning that has begun to be installed. We appreciate 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.880 Mark Allard and those who've assisted him in 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:13.259 getting this work done. It's got a little ways 00:00:13.259 --> 00:00:15.619 to go yet, so we appreciate your patience, but 00:00:15.619 --> 00:00:17.420 I think you should be able to hear a little better 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:23.339 on the sides than you have in weeks past. Would 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:25.820 you open your Bible, please, to the book of Acts 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:31.089 and the sixth chapter? Have you ever seen an 00:00:31.089 --> 00:00:34.670 artesian well? I remember several years ago when 00:00:34.670 --> 00:00:37.950 I saw the first one. I was amazed that all that 00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:40.969 was necessary was for a valve to be opened and 00:00:40.969 --> 00:00:43.250 that the water flowed naturally from the ground 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:46.030 without having to be pumped. On the farm where 00:00:46.030 --> 00:00:49.590 I was raised, we had muscles specifically for 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:54.570 the pumping of water for the cattle. An artesian 00:00:54.570 --> 00:00:56.909 well is the result of a boring, a perpendicular 00:00:56.909 --> 00:01:01.759 boring into the earth. into an underground water 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:06.799 source which is under pressure. The result is 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.159 that the water is forced up then through the 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:13.120 hole naturally. The greater the pressure on the 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:17.739 water in its source, the more force with which 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:22.299 it comes out of the boring. I believe that there 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:25.280 is a parallel picture there to the life of the 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:31.049 church. When the enemy... of souls places pressure 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:37.189 on the church. It results in the witness of the 00:01:37.189 --> 00:01:40.030 church, the expression of the life of Jesus Christ, 00:01:40.390 --> 00:01:44.650 flowing out with even greater force than ever. 00:01:45.430 --> 00:01:50.349 That is true of the Jerusalem church. We read 00:01:50.349 --> 00:01:54.969 in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7, and the word of 00:01:54.969 --> 00:01:59.180 God kept on spreading. And the number of the 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:03.939 disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem. 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:07.239 Now notice that that is despite the pressure 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.580 of persecution from the Sanhedrin and the stress 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:16.259 of conflict from within. Despite these, the church 00:02:16.259 --> 00:02:20.159 continued to increase as the word of God kept 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:25.000 on spreading out from it. That leads me to observe. 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.759 that a church may never be in greater danger 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:35.919 than when there is no pressure on it. In fact, 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.240 complacency and stagnation have killed more churches 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:45.479 than persecution. In the Jerusalem church, there 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:50.599 was so much power and fruit to God's glory that 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:53.680 the intensity of the spiritual battle with the 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:58.430 enemy was inevitably going to grow more fierce, 00:02:58.650 --> 00:03:03.250 and it didn't take long for that to occur. We 00:03:03.250 --> 00:03:06.389 come to one of the most remarkable chapters in 00:03:06.389 --> 00:03:10.710 the entire book of Acts. It contains the longest 00:03:10.710 --> 00:03:15.110 sermon in the book, and probably the most profound. 00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:20.129 It is the sermon of Stephen, who was the first 00:03:20.129 --> 00:03:25.319 martyr of the church. Beginning in verse 8, we 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:28.599 see how it leads up to his message. And Stephen, 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:32.159 full of grace and power, was performing great 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:36.000 wonders and signs among the people. But some 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.599 men from what was called the synagogue of the 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:42.860 freed men, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:48.080 and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:51.719 with Stephen. And yet they were unable to cope. 00:03:52.030 --> 00:03:54.509 with the wisdom and the spirit with which he 00:03:54.509 --> 00:03:58.729 was speaking. Then they secretly induced men 00:03:58.729 --> 00:04:02.169 to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words 00:04:02.169 --> 00:04:06.830 against Moses and against God. And they stirred 00:04:06.830 --> 00:04:09.430 up the people and the elders and the scribes, 00:04:09.430 --> 00:04:13.229 and they came upon him and dragged him away and 00:04:13.229 --> 00:04:16.930 brought him before the council. And they put 00:04:16.930 --> 00:04:21.589 forward false witnesses who said, This man incessantly 00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:26.189 speaks against this holy place and the law. For 00:04:26.189 --> 00:04:29.089 we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, 00:04:29.370 --> 00:04:32.730 will destroy this place and alter the customs 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:36.529 which Moses handed down to us. And fixing their 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:39.470 gaze on him, all who were sitting in the council 00:04:39.470 --> 00:04:43.990 saw his face like the face of an angel. And the 00:04:43.990 --> 00:04:47.660 high priest said, Are these things so? And that 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:51.420 leads us to Stephen's sermon. The theme of the 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:55.980 sermon is the glory of God and the nation of 00:04:55.980 --> 00:05:01.420 Israel. The purpose of the sermon is to act as 00:05:01.420 --> 00:05:05.680 a final appeal to the Jewish nation to understand 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:10.839 God's dealings with them, to repent and to receive 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:18.600 their Messiah. final indictment of their crime 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:23.220 of apostasy against their God. It becomes the 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:26.579 turning point in Israel's history, the occasion 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:31.519 for a fall from which they have never yet recovered. 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:35.459 But may I insert even here early in the message, 00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:42.319 someday they will. Our God is the God of glory 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:46.819 and grace. That is how Stephen begins his message. 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:50.579 Hear me, brethren and fathers. The God of glory 00:05:50.579 --> 00:05:56.199 appeared to our father Abraham. This God of glory 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:59.420 of whom Stephen speaks is the same God that you 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:04.500 and I worship. It is the God of Abraham, Isaac, 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:08.519 and Jacob. He is the God and Father of our Lord 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:13.810 Jesus Christ. Our God is a God of glory. and 00:06:13.810 --> 00:06:18.290 grace. We see this illustrated throughout this 00:06:18.290 --> 00:06:21.610 lengthy lesson in history in Acts chapter 7. 00:06:22.389 --> 00:06:26.110 Now before I begin this message, let me say that 00:06:26.110 --> 00:06:29.910 I was puzzled as to how to handle this chapter. 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:34.910 It is a wonderful chapter. It includes so many 00:06:34.910 --> 00:06:39.069 beautiful details in the history of Israel that 00:06:39.069 --> 00:06:42.310 are worth talking about. The lessons in here 00:06:42.310 --> 00:06:47.389 for us are many. I had the choice either to segment 00:06:47.389 --> 00:06:52.230 Stephen's sermon, take it a bite at a time, or 00:06:52.230 --> 00:06:55.110 to do the whole thing at once. And I chose to 00:06:55.110 --> 00:06:57.389 do the latter. Now that doesn't mean that we're 00:06:57.389 --> 00:06:59.149 going to be here till three this afternoon talking 00:06:59.149 --> 00:07:02.129 about it. But it means that rather going through 00:07:02.129 --> 00:07:04.949 it verse by verse, we're going to look at it 00:07:04.949 --> 00:07:07.930 as a whole. We're going to analyze it, and then 00:07:07.930 --> 00:07:10.970 talk about it, and then we'll move ahead. I would 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:13.170 encourage you, though, to read through this sermon 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:17.250 of Stephen's carefully and thoughtfully on some 00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:20.430 occasion. First, let's talk about the background 00:07:20.430 --> 00:07:23.910 of the situation. We've read something of that. 00:07:25.389 --> 00:07:29.589 Luke immediately focuses in verse 8 on one of 00:07:29.589 --> 00:07:33.509 the seven appointees who had been chosen to oversee 00:07:33.509 --> 00:07:37.670 the conflict earlier in chapter 6. This one man 00:07:37.670 --> 00:07:41.860 is Stephen, a remarkable... young men. Remember 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:44.860 that this man had only been converted, listen 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:48.779 to this, only been converted for a few weeks 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:53.980 when he gave this message. Of course, he drew 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:57.519 upon a vast store of his own knowledge before 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:01.899 he was converted of Jewish history. But he was 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:05.279 able to stand for Jesus Christ in a pressure 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:09.410 -filled situation. and speak for his faith intelligently, 00:08:09.550 --> 00:08:14.069 convincingly. He is described in verse 5 as a 00:08:14.069 --> 00:08:18.189 man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. In 00:08:18.189 --> 00:08:21.790 verse 9, he is described as full of grace and 00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:25.370 power. Think of those words being applied to 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:30.009 a new convert, basically. It says that he was 00:08:30.009 --> 00:08:34.649 full of these characteristics. It means that 00:08:34.649 --> 00:08:38.240 he was complete with them. Filled out with them 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.320 is the thought. It was a word that was used in 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.559 that day of the filling out of an ear of corn. 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:46.320 It was also used in classical Greek literature 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:51.600 of the manning of a ship by a full crew. Everybody 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:55.320 was on board that was necessary. And so you have 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:58.519 the idea of a young man who stands before a council 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:01.879 to give answer to his faith, who is completely 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:06.379 filled out in that which he needs. He has been 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:11.320 endowed with graces and gifts from God to be 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:15.120 able to stand for Jesus Christ in this situation. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:20.559 Remember that when God gives us gifts, abilities, 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:24.840 and graces, that these are never ends in themselves, 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.759 but we are filled with them, that we might then 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:32.460 speak for the Lord. They are the means to the 00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:35.740 end that God may be glorified in our lives. So 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.740 it was with Stephen. His opposition sprang forth 00:09:38.740 --> 00:09:41.200 from what was called the synagogue of the freedmen. 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:47.019 It is uncertain as to who the freedmen were that 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:50.340 are spoken of here. But probably they were persons 00:09:50.340 --> 00:09:53.759 who themselves had been freed from Roman slavery 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:58.259 or whose descendants worshipped there in the 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:03.840 synagogue. as freedmen. There were a number of 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:06.220 these apparently throughout the city of Jerusalem, 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:11.779 and they became meeting points for various culture 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:15.919 groups. In this particular synagogue, there were 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:19.519 people from the northern part of Africa as well 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:24.519 as Asia Minor. It is these people who, it is 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:28.940 said, argued with Stephen. They questioned him. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:33.080 They disputed with him. But they were unable 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:36.320 to cope with the answers that he gave because 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.340 of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in his life. 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:43.000 God gave him the words to say. Have you ever 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:46.620 been in a situation like that? A situation perhaps 00:10:46.620 --> 00:10:51.519 you had no chance to prepare. Someone asks you 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:53.919 a question. What are you going to say? And in 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:56.059 that moment, the Spirit of God brings to your 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:58.240 mind something that you've read or studied or 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:01.279 memorized in the past, maybe even forgotten about 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:04.120 it. He made you sufficient for that challenge. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:07.379 So it was with Stephen, time and time again, 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:11.259 as they argued with him. They could not silence 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:15.340 him by argument, so they decided to silence him 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:20.879 permanently by death. Therefore they schemed 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:23.179 and they brought together some false witnesses 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:27.799 who basically made three accusations against 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:30.659 Stephen for which he was brought to trial. Number 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:36.639 one, blasphemy against God, verse 11. That was 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:39.320 punishable by death according to Jewish law. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:44.299 Number two, blasphemy against Moses and against 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:49.570 the law. Twice they say that in verse 11 and 00:11:49.570 --> 00:11:54.169 again in verse 13. And the third charge was blasphemy 00:11:54.169 --> 00:11:58.429 against this holy place, speaking of the temple, 00:11:58.590 --> 00:12:03.950 the temple of God in Jerusalem. Now with that 00:12:03.950 --> 00:12:07.389 bit of background, let's analyze the sermon. 00:12:08.450 --> 00:12:10.690 Again, we don't have time to read through this 00:12:10.690 --> 00:12:14.649 verse by verse, but follow with me, if you will, 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:19.830 something of an analysis. It is a brilliant overview 00:12:19.830 --> 00:12:26.629 of Israel's history in which Stephen deftly and 00:12:26.629 --> 00:12:31.590 cleverly weaves a defense for himself against 00:12:31.590 --> 00:12:34.409 the accusations that were leveled against him. 00:12:35.570 --> 00:12:40.450 Charge number one was, this man has blasphemed 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:47.669 God. Stephen's response in his sermon, is such 00:12:47.669 --> 00:12:50.909 that he asserts, in fact, that he worships the 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:54.549 God of glory, the same one who has revealed himself 00:12:54.549 --> 00:12:58.889 in Jewish history. If you look through the sermon, 00:12:58.970 --> 00:13:02.210 you will find eight times at least in which Stephen 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:05.169 identifies himself with the mainstream of Jewish 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:11.389 history. He speaks about our fathers. And another 00:13:11.389 --> 00:13:17.070 time he uses the term our rulers. And so he identifies 00:13:17.070 --> 00:13:19.789 himself with the mainstream of Jewish history. 00:13:20.889 --> 00:13:23.830 He's preparing to say to them, I am not the one 00:13:23.830 --> 00:13:29.730 who is blasphemed. You have. He says, I worship 00:13:29.730 --> 00:13:32.690 the God of glory. Now what does he say about 00:13:32.690 --> 00:13:35.669 the God of glory? Well, he says in verse 2 that 00:13:35.669 --> 00:13:40.350 he appeared to Abraham. And in verse 5 he says 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:45.399 he promised Abraham a possession. and an offspring. 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:50.519 The possession was the land of Palestine. The 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:56.100 offspring was a son. And then the son came, and 00:13:56.100 --> 00:14:00.200 God gave to Abraham, in verse 8, the covenant 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:03.580 of circumcision. And so very quickly, Stephen 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:06.279 hits several of the main points for Jewish history. 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:09.720 The God of glory, he says, appeared to Abraham. 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:13.879 He gave to Abraham the promise of a seed and 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:17.279 of the land in which we're living. And he gave 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:21.460 to Abraham the covenant of circumcision, which 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:26.919 was passed on to Isaac and to Jacob. He speaks 00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:30.740 about these events to Jacob's family down through 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:35.639 verse 16. Not only did the God of glory appear 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:39.419 to Abraham, but beginning in verse 17, He speaks 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:42.440 about Moses, to whom the God of glory appeared. 00:14:44.179 --> 00:14:46.840 Skip on down there to verse 30, where it says, 00:14:46.919 --> 00:15:00.740 Now this angel that appeared is not just any 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:06.279 angel. It is the angel of the Lord. It is a pre 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:10.909 -incarnate appearance. Of God the Son, Jesus 00:15:10.909 --> 00:15:17.110 Christ. The God of glory, says Stephen, appeared 00:15:17.110 --> 00:15:21.850 to Abraham and he appeared to Moses. And then 00:15:21.850 --> 00:15:26.309 he goes on to say that this same God of glory 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:31.750 revealed himself through the tabernacle of testimony. 00:15:32.049 --> 00:15:36.710 Verse 44. Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony 00:15:36.710 --> 00:15:40.090 in the wilderness. just as he who spoke to Moses 00:15:40.090 --> 00:15:42.629 directed him to make it according to the pattern 00:15:42.629 --> 00:15:46.470 which he had seen. Why is it called the tabernacle 00:15:46.470 --> 00:15:52.409 of testimony, of witness? It is because the tabernacle 00:15:52.409 --> 00:15:55.370 served as a testimony to what? The presence of 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:59.230 God, right? It was there that God revealed himself 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:02.610 when the tabernacle was dedicated. And from then 00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:07.559 on, with a fiery... pillar at night and a cloudy 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:12.019 pillar in the daytime, God appeared over that 00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:14.600 tabernacle and went with the children of Israel 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:18.120 through the wilderness. And so he doesn't explicitly 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:21.279 state it, but he reminds us that this was a testimony, 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:24.720 a tabernacle of testimony to the presence of 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:28.019 God. So he says the God of glory appeared to 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:31.860 Abraham, to Moses, and to the people of Israel 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:35.759 in the wilderness. And then he mentions the temple 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:40.120 in verse 47. And once again, a good Jew would 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.679 remember that when the temple was dedicated, 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:46.440 what happened? The place was filled with the 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:50.379 Shekinah of God. The presence of God, the glory 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:54.039 of God filled that temple when Solomon prayed 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:57.759 his great prayer of dedication. So Stephen's 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:01.700 point is that this God that he's accused of blaspheming, 00:17:01.700 --> 00:17:05.299 the God of glory, is actually the God that he 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:09.500 worships. And God not only leads him to say these 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:11.940 things, but God does something very special in 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:15.900 verse 55. For when he was being martyred, it 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.740 says that Stephen gazed intently into heaven 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:26.440 and saw himself the glory of God. They said, 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:31.069 you have blasphemed God. Stephen stands before 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:34.869 them with a face that is aglow with the glory 00:17:34.869 --> 00:17:40.690 of God. And he says, brethren, the God of glory 00:17:40.690 --> 00:17:44.690 appeared to our father Abraham and to Moses and 00:17:44.690 --> 00:17:46.990 in the wilderness and the tabernacle and when 00:17:46.990 --> 00:17:50.910 the temple was dedicated. And he says, in essence, 00:17:51.009 --> 00:17:55.089 this is the God that I worship. I do not blaspheme 00:17:55.089 --> 00:17:58.950 him. They, of course, disagreed with that and 00:17:58.950 --> 00:18:01.529 took him out to kill him. But even while he was 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:03.890 standing there, Stephen gave expression of the 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:06.269 fact that he looked into heaven and there he 00:18:06.269 --> 00:18:13.710 saw himself, the glory of God. The second charge 00:18:13.710 --> 00:18:16.750 that we want to talk about is the charge of blasphemy 00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:23.490 against the temple. Stephen traces the tabernacles. 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:26.859 construction in the wilderness, on down to the 00:18:26.859 --> 00:18:29.240 temple, the permanent structure in Jerusalem, 00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:35.640 in just two or three quick verses. But the thing 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.980 that he wants to point out to his accusers is 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:41.339 this. I am charged of blaspheming this structure. 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:44.960 But he says to them, I want you to remember what 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:49.420 Isaiah the prophet said, that God cannot be contained 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:55.240 in structures such as this. Now it may be difficult 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:58.000 for us to appreciate how these Jews who accused 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:02.660 him were thinking. For you see, to them, the 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:07.779 outward ritual had long ago substituted for inward 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:12.940 righteousness. Form and tradition had eclipsed 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:19.539 faith and truth. So for them, this building was 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:25.339 something extremely precious and sacred. They 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:28.099 had forgotten about the God of the building and 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:33.079 worshipped the building itself. No longer did 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:35.779 they consider the meaning of the sacrifices that 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.480 were brought. They were totally involved in the 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:45.220 ritual of offering up of these sacrifices. And 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:47.640 here's a man who comes along and says in his 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:53.339 preaching that God doesn't dwell in this structure. 00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:57.769 No structure on earth built by men's hands can 00:19:57.769 --> 00:20:02.089 contain him. Stephen goes on in his sermon to 00:20:02.089 --> 00:20:04.710 say that God's blessing in history has not been 00:20:04.710 --> 00:20:08.670 limited to this temple either. He points out 00:20:08.670 --> 00:20:12.069 that Abraham was called in Mesopotamia at the 00:20:12.069 --> 00:20:15.089 other end of the Fertile Crescent. He points 00:20:15.089 --> 00:20:19.869 out that Joseph, whom they revered, was not blessed 00:20:19.869 --> 00:20:22.869 even in the land of Canaan, but down in Egypt. 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:28.059 He says that Moses was not called from the land 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:31.099 of Palestine, but down in Midian to go back to 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:34.200 Egypt. And it was there in Midian that he was 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:37.059 blessed with two sons who were born there. Verse 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:40.900 29. He goes on to talk about the law being given, 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:43.359 not at the temple in Jerusalem, but down in Mount 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:47.759 Sinai, away from the land. And he says the tabernacle 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:50.519 was constructed and God appeared in the wilderness. 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:55.829 not here in Jerusalem at this temple. And so 00:20:55.829 --> 00:20:58.150 he is saying to them, you have made too much 00:20:58.150 --> 00:21:03.049 of this structure. And of course, they brought 00:21:03.049 --> 00:21:07.630 up the charge that was even laid against Jesus, 00:21:07.690 --> 00:21:11.049 and that was that Jesus would tear down this 00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:14.470 structure, this building. Now, Jesus had made 00:21:14.470 --> 00:21:17.730 a statement like that, but he was talking about 00:21:17.730 --> 00:21:21.150 his own body, that temple, which would be destroyed. 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:24.960 in death, and then would be raised again in three 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:28.420 days. Jesus had not predicted, in that statement 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:32.240 at least, the destruction of this physical temple 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.400 in which they were standing. But that was the 00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:37.720 accusation against Jesus, and that was the accusation 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:40.460 against Stephen, that he was saying those kinds 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:44.319 of things. And so he averts that he is not guilty 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:47.240 of blasphemy against the temple, but in fact 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.700 they had exaggerated the purpose of the temple. 00:21:51.529 --> 00:21:54.569 But then he answers the third charge, and with 00:21:54.569 --> 00:21:58.690 this one he gets himself into real trouble. They 00:21:58.690 --> 00:22:01.609 charged him with blasphemy against Moses and 00:22:01.609 --> 00:22:06.589 against the law. Stephen is now going to assert 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:10.089 to them that in fact it was the nation of Israel 00:22:10.089 --> 00:22:14.549 itself which blasphemed Moses and the law in 00:22:14.549 --> 00:22:17.670 their long history of rejecting the prophets 00:22:17.670 --> 00:22:21.460 of God. It is interesting as he goes through 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:24.799 the history of Israel, Stephen takes note of 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:28.420 those individuals that Israel rejected. For example, 00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:39.799 Joseph. Look back in verse 9. He says, He is 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:46.000 pointing out the fact that their fathers had 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:51.539 rejected Joseph. and had sold him into Egypt 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:57.420 out of jealousy. In verse 27 he says, But the 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.500 one who was injuring his neighbor pushed Moses 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:02.779 away, saying, Who made you a ruler and judge 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:05.940 over us? And tied together with that in verse 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:10.099 35 he says, This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:12.279 Who made you a ruler and a judge, is the one 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:15.980 whom God sent. And so he says, Not only did our 00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:20.319 fathers reject Joseph, But they rejected Moses. 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:26.640 Again in verse 39, he says that they rejected 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.079 Moses when he says, And our fathers were unwilling 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:34.059 to be obedient to him, to Moses, but repudiated 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:37.019 him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:39.720 So you see what he's doing here? He's saying, 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:44.220 you're accusing me of rejecting Moses, the patriarchs, 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:47.970 and the law. But he says, I want you to know 00:23:47.970 --> 00:23:50.670 that in fact it is the nation itself which in 00:23:50.670 --> 00:23:53.829 its history has rejected the prophets of God. 00:23:53.890 --> 00:23:56.309 For example, here's Joseph and here's Moses. 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:00.190 And now in verse 51, he gets right to the heart 00:24:00.190 --> 00:24:04.410 of the issue. He says, you men who are stiff 00:24:04.410 --> 00:24:08.150 -necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are 00:24:08.150 --> 00:24:12.809 always resisting the Holy Spirit. That was not 00:24:12.809 --> 00:24:15.049 a statement intended to make them feel real good. 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:20.440 You are doing just as your fathers did. In other 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.720 words, he's saying they rejected God's sent prophets. 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:29.519 Now you are rejecting God's sent prophets. He 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:31.599 says, which one of the prophets did your fathers 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:35.099 not persecute? And they killed those who had 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:37.319 previously announced the coming of the righteous 00:24:37.319 --> 00:24:42.140 one. And they had. They had rejected, even killed 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:45.099 their own prophets. But then notice what he says. 00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:47.519 In talking about the righteous one, that's the 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:51.619 Lord Jesus, he says, whose betrayers and murderers 00:24:51.619 --> 00:24:58.019 you have now become. And so here is the prophet. 00:24:58.680 --> 00:25:01.519 By the way, he points out that verse from Deuteronomy 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:06.660 chapter 18 in verse 37 of Acts 7. He says, this 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:08.680 is the Moses who said, God shall raise up to 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:12.839 you a prophet. Talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:25:14.569 --> 00:25:17.470 And he says, now you have rejected through your 00:25:17.470 --> 00:25:20.410 fathers, the prophets in the past, you have now 00:25:20.410 --> 00:25:25.529 rejected the prophet, prophesied by Moses, the 00:25:25.529 --> 00:25:29.130 righteous one, the Messiah, and you have murdered 00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:35.950 him. And he goes on to say in verse 33, and you 00:25:35.950 --> 00:25:40.210 who received the law as ordained by angels and 00:25:40.210 --> 00:25:44.900 yet did not keep it. And that was as far as he 00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:48.460 got. In his defense, he defended himself against 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:51.680 the charge of blasphemy against God. He says, 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:53.819 in fact, I worship the God of our fathers, the 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:57.700 God of glory, who appeared to Abraham, who appeared 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:00.400 to Moses, who appeared to the people of Israel 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.960 in the wilderness, and again to our people of 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:05.519 the dedication of the temple when Solomon built 00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:11.079 it. I am not guilty of blasphemy. They said, 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:14.849 you have blasphemed. this temple. He says, you've 00:26:14.849 --> 00:26:17.730 made too much of it. Think of all that God has 00:26:17.730 --> 00:26:22.170 done when this temple didn't even exist. They 00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:24.450 said, you have blasphemed Moses and the law. 00:26:25.170 --> 00:26:28.150 And he says, you people have rejected your prophets 00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:32.349 in the past, including Moses. You have rejected 00:26:32.349 --> 00:26:35.970 the prophet prophesied by Moses, the Messiah, 00:26:36.190 --> 00:26:39.750 the righteous one, and you yourselves have failed 00:26:39.750 --> 00:26:45.319 to keep the law. And that was all it took. When 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:48.019 they heard this, they were cut to the quick, 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:57.140 and they began gnashing their teeth at him. And 00:26:57.140 --> 00:26:59.819 being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:03.480 into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:07.079 at the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:09.500 I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man. 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:14.200 standing at the right hand of God. When Stephen 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:18.420 used that term son of man, he was using a term 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:24.180 that was definitely messianic. It is a term that 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:29.279 is found only here outside of the Gospels. It 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:32.059 was the term that Jesus most frequently used 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:36.299 in referring to himself. Now Stephen employs 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:39.180 this term. which, by the way, goes back to the 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:43.779 book of Daniel, where Daniel has a vision of 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:48.680 this one standing before the throne of God. Now 00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.460 Stephen brings that same picture, that same illusion 00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:55.700 to mind when he says, I see the Son of Man standing 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:59.099 at the right hand of God. And they cried out 00:27:59.099 --> 00:28:01.539 with a loud voice and covered their ears and 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:05.289 rushed upon him with one impulse. When they had 00:28:05.289 --> 00:28:07.630 driven him out of the city, they began stoning 00:28:07.630 --> 00:28:11.029 him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes 00:28:11.029 --> 00:28:15.329 at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went 00:28:15.329 --> 00:28:17.890 on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord 00:28:17.890 --> 00:28:22.410 and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And 00:28:22.410 --> 00:28:24.569 falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud 00:28:24.569 --> 00:28:27.630 voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. 00:28:27.829 --> 00:28:32.799 And having said this, he fell asleep. How wonderfully 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:36.619 the Spirit of God records Stephen's death. He 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:43.000 fell asleep. Despite the violence, despite the 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:47.660 fact he was being murdered, it says he fell asleep, 00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:52.359 indicating the peace that was his as he laid 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:56.079 down his life for the sake of his Savior. The 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:59.980 first one since the church was born to do so. 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:06.339 I'd like to make four observations regarding 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:10.400 our study this morning. We'll be on our way. 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:16.759 Observation number one is that our God, the God 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:21.519 of glory, is a pardoning God who is rich in grace. 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:28.359 That is illustrated in this chapter. Again and 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:31.259 again we see the mercy and the grace of God. 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:38.440 For example, Joseph was rejected by his brothers 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:44.279 and cruelly treated and sold into slavery. Yet 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:48.019 God mercifully and graciously chose Joseph to 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:51.579 prepare the way in Egypt for Jacob and his sons 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:56.160 in later years. And in those later years, his 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:58.900 brothers would receive him when they saw him 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:05.329 the second time. Moses was God's appointed deliverer 00:30:05.329 --> 00:30:08.029 for the people of Israel. He understood that. 00:30:08.069 --> 00:30:12.029 They did not when he was 40 years of age. So 00:30:12.029 --> 00:30:15.609 they rejected him. And for 40 more years, he 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:17.849 was out there in the wilderness taking care of 00:30:17.849 --> 00:30:24.329 the sheep. But God called that man after 80 years 00:30:24.329 --> 00:30:28.089 of life and 40 years of absence from his people 00:30:28.089 --> 00:30:31.210 to go back to Egypt to deliver the Jewish people. 00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:36.400 And so when he appeared the second time, they 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:40.400 accepted the one they rejected. Do you see a 00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:43.799 certain pattern there? It is the pattern that 00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:46.220 we followed regarding Jesus Christ whom they 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:49.640 have rejected. For when he came the first time, 00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:54.539 he was rejected by the Jewish nation. Just as 00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:59.900 Joseph was rejected the first time, and just 00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:04.130 as Moses was rejected the first time. But as 00:31:04.130 --> 00:31:07.470 they were received the second time they appeared 00:31:07.470 --> 00:31:12.869 to the people of Israel, so the Lord Jesus Christ 00:31:12.869 --> 00:31:16.170 will be received the second time He appears to 00:31:16.170 --> 00:31:20.430 them at His second coming. He will be received. 00:31:20.430 --> 00:31:23.769 The spirit of supplication will be poured out 00:31:23.769 --> 00:31:27.369 upon the nation, and they will repent of their 00:31:27.369 --> 00:31:31.750 rejection of their Messiah, and this Jesus Christ. 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:37.759 will be received as their own. God is a pardoning 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:42.759 God who is rich in mercy. He is a God who will 00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:45.859 pardon the people of Israel when they turn to 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:50.539 Him. Israel still has a future in God's plans 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:56.759 and His purpose for history. May I say to you 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:59.140 that God is a pardoning God who is rich in mercy 00:31:59.140 --> 00:32:03.589 for you as well. For though you may have rejected 00:32:03.589 --> 00:32:08.690 him in the past, you have turned from him, not 00:32:08.690 --> 00:32:12.410 heeding the conviction that he has brought upon 00:32:12.410 --> 00:32:17.069 your heart. Still today he loves you, and he 00:32:17.069 --> 00:32:21.309 pleads with you, and opens his arms to you to 00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:25.430 receive him. He desires to pardon you and to 00:32:25.430 --> 00:32:31.339 forgive your sins. He desires to pour out His 00:32:31.339 --> 00:32:38.359 mercy upon you. Do not turn away from Him to 00:32:38.359 --> 00:32:44.299 certain judgment. Receive Him today. There's 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:46.859 a second observation I want to make, and that 00:32:46.859 --> 00:32:50.779 is this, that when God is going to use a person, 00:32:50.839 --> 00:32:54.599 He calls that one out from His comfort zone. 00:32:55.299 --> 00:32:59.759 That is His place of security. Consider with 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:03.140 Abraham. He was at home there in Mesopotamia, 00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:07.339 but God chose him and called him out from there. 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:11.539 Consider the same regarding Joseph. He was secure 00:33:11.539 --> 00:33:15.119 within his father's home as the apple of his 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:17.460 father's eye, but God took him out from that 00:33:17.460 --> 00:33:20.400 home, that place of comfort, to become a slave. 00:33:22.920 --> 00:33:25.400 Moses was called out from the palaces in the 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:30.960 learning of Egypt to the wilderness. Stephen 00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:33.480 was singled out from the comfort of six other 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:37.200 men with whom he oversaw a portion of the church 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:40.799 and made to stand alone in order to be used by 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:49.460 God. Shall we talk about Noah? Or Samuel? David? 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:58.880 What about Daniel? Or Esther? Or Mary? When God 00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:03.500 is going to use a person, he calls that person 00:34:03.500 --> 00:34:06.440 out from the comfort zone where he has been. 00:34:10.280 --> 00:34:13.659 That is because the walk with God is an adventure 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:18.039 of faith. And God will not allow us to hold tightly 00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:23.119 to our security blankets. He will not permit 00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:26.619 us to stay holed up in our... comfortable, secure 00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:32.219 circumstances. Because if He is going to use 00:34:32.219 --> 00:34:35.280 us, it must be by faith that we will be used. 00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:42.039 And faith demands risk, not security. How is 00:34:42.039 --> 00:34:45.059 it that God is working in your life? Calling 00:34:45.059 --> 00:34:49.800 you out from your comfort zone. That place where 00:34:49.800 --> 00:34:52.099 you have been secure up to this point in your 00:34:52.099 --> 00:34:56.050 life. How is it that God is saying, come out 00:34:56.050 --> 00:35:02.090 from there to follow me? However it is, I want 00:35:02.090 --> 00:35:05.269 to challenge you to do it. You will never regret 00:35:05.269 --> 00:35:09.409 it. Never. And you will find that your walk with 00:35:09.409 --> 00:35:12.110 God from here on will be hastened to become a 00:35:12.110 --> 00:35:14.909 more exciting adventure of faith than you have 00:35:14.909 --> 00:35:19.170 ever dreamed possible in your life. The spirit 00:35:19.170 --> 00:35:21.590 of some may be that of the Jews in Stephen's 00:35:21.590 --> 00:35:23.750 day, which basically was, don't rock the ship. 00:35:23.829 --> 00:35:27.349 Let's keep the status quo. Let's hang on to our 00:35:27.349 --> 00:35:31.710 traditions. My friend, God rejects that kind 00:35:31.710 --> 00:35:35.670 of a spirit. He seeks out that one who will trust 00:35:35.670 --> 00:35:42.929 Him, obey Him, be willing to take the risk. A 00:35:42.929 --> 00:35:45.389 third observation for our application is this. 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:48.539 that the servant of God must learn to look at 00:35:48.539 --> 00:35:52.719 history from God's perspective. That's what wisdom 00:35:52.719 --> 00:35:56.960 is. It's learning to look at history from God's 00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:01.340 perspective and to see the fact that God is at 00:36:01.340 --> 00:36:05.800 work in our lives and in the current events of 00:36:05.800 --> 00:36:10.820 our world. Consider how these men did that. Abraham. 00:36:14.250 --> 00:36:19.929 Abraham was promised a land, but all of his life 00:36:19.929 --> 00:36:26.230 long he did not own it, but he walked in it as 00:36:26.230 --> 00:36:30.429 a pilgrim, never having received that promise 00:36:30.429 --> 00:36:38.929 from God yet. How was Abraham able to trust God 00:36:38.929 --> 00:36:43.619 when God didn't give him the land? Because Abraham 00:36:43.619 --> 00:36:48.940 saw it all from God's perspective. And he looked 00:36:48.940 --> 00:36:53.679 ahead by faith and saw that someday it will belong 00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:58.039 to him and to all of his descendants. What about 00:36:58.039 --> 00:37:02.599 Joseph? Instead of becoming a bitter old man 00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:05.039 because of the way he was cruelly treated by 00:37:05.039 --> 00:37:08.460 his family, Joseph rather was a gracious and 00:37:08.460 --> 00:37:13.039 wise individual. He responded to God's dealings 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:16.679 in his life by faith, according to Hebrews chapter 00:37:16.679 --> 00:37:20.760 11, so that he was able to say, although you 00:37:20.760 --> 00:37:23.719 intended it for evil, my brothers, God meant 00:37:23.719 --> 00:37:28.239 it for good. The servant of God must learn to 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:30.800 look at what's going on in his life from God's 00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:37.900 perspective. Moses. Moses thought that the people 00:37:37.900 --> 00:37:41.670 would understand. That he was the one who was 00:37:41.670 --> 00:37:46.309 going to deliver them. When he took his very 00:37:46.309 --> 00:37:49.630 first even small step in that direction, he was 00:37:49.630 --> 00:37:56.230 rejected. How unexpected that was. He fled into 00:37:56.230 --> 00:38:01.530 the wilderness. Forty years later, God called 00:38:01.530 --> 00:38:05.329 him. Moses had seen God's perspective on it. 00:38:06.289 --> 00:38:09.510 Can you look at your life's circumstances? That 00:38:09.510 --> 00:38:13.250 way? The disappointments, perhaps, that you face? 00:38:14.429 --> 00:38:16.590 Maybe you didn't get the job that you were counting 00:38:16.590 --> 00:38:20.289 on. Or you weren't accepted at that college that 00:38:20.289 --> 00:38:24.030 you wanted to go to. Perhaps it's a broken engagement 00:38:24.030 --> 00:38:28.010 that has shattered your life. Or maybe a divorce 00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:33.050 that has cut deeply into your soul. A broken 00:38:33.050 --> 00:38:41.099 home. The death of a parent. Perhaps it is the 00:38:41.099 --> 00:38:45.619 disappointment of singleness when you've desperately 00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:50.480 wanted to be married. Can you look at the circumstances 00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:54.800 that God has allowed in your life from His perspective 00:38:54.800 --> 00:39:01.500 and say, Lord, thank you? Perhaps you've had 00:39:01.500 --> 00:39:06.300 cruel experiences such as child abuse in your 00:39:06.300 --> 00:39:12.000 past. And some of us have. Or maybe you've been 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:16.440 unjustly fired from some position. Or you have 00:39:16.440 --> 00:39:22.659 suffered from some disablement. Are you able 00:39:22.659 --> 00:39:24.980 to accept those things from God and surrender 00:39:24.980 --> 00:39:28.659 to Him? And say, Lord, You are loving and You 00:39:28.659 --> 00:39:31.780 are sovereign in my life, and I accept Your design 00:39:31.780 --> 00:39:37.860 for what You made me to be. The servant of God 00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:41.760 must learn to look at history, including his 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:46.179 own history, his own life, from God's perspective, 00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:54.039 and accept it. And finally, and there's not a 00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:57.739 more important application than this one, God 00:39:57.739 --> 00:40:02.579 -given spiritual privileges do not guarantee 00:40:02.579 --> 00:40:11.409 one's acceptance with God. Think of this. Israel 00:40:11.409 --> 00:40:15.829 had the promises. Israel had the prophets, not 00:40:15.829 --> 00:40:20.349 the Gentiles. Israel had the law. Israel had 00:40:20.349 --> 00:40:23.250 the tabernacle. Israel had the temple. Israel 00:40:23.250 --> 00:40:27.929 had the Christ himself. And yet with all of those 00:40:27.929 --> 00:40:31.170 spiritual privileges, the nation was disobedient 00:40:31.170 --> 00:40:36.500 and rebellious against God. God -given spiritual 00:40:36.500 --> 00:40:39.480 privileges do not guarantee one's acceptance 00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:44.639 with God. You say, then what does? Heart attitude. 00:40:48.139 --> 00:40:50.820 There are some of you who have been raised in 00:40:50.820 --> 00:40:55.380 Christian homes, a Bible -teaching church. You 00:40:55.380 --> 00:40:58.079 may have even gone to a Christian school. You've 00:40:58.079 --> 00:41:02.960 had a godly heritage. But your heart, like the 00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:05.559 heart of the people of Israel, has been rebellious 00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:10.179 and disobedient. All of those privileges you've 00:41:10.179 --> 00:41:13.800 had in your past mean nothing as far as your 00:41:13.800 --> 00:41:17.619 acceptance with God is concerned. God is looking 00:41:17.619 --> 00:41:23.480 at your heart attitude. If, in fact, that is 00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:27.559 your heart attitude, will you today repent of 00:41:27.559 --> 00:41:32.639 that disobedience and rebellion? And surrender 00:41:32.639 --> 00:41:37.920 yourself to the Lord in faith. Receive Him. There 00:41:37.920 --> 00:41:40.340 are some of us who know Jesus Christ as Savior, 00:41:40.480 --> 00:41:42.340 whose sins have been forgiven, who have a home 00:41:42.340 --> 00:41:45.300 in heaven, who have access to the throne of grace, 00:41:45.400 --> 00:41:49.119 who own a Bible filled with God's promises, who 00:41:49.119 --> 00:41:52.380 belong to a Christ -honoring church, and yet 00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:58.059 we waste our lives living for ourselves because 00:41:58.059 --> 00:42:04.239 our heart attitudes are wrong. And all of those 00:42:04.239 --> 00:42:06.579 spiritual privileges that we have as children 00:42:06.579 --> 00:42:09.800 of God will mean nothing when we come to the 00:42:09.800 --> 00:42:16.860 judgment seat empty -handed and ashamed. Spiritual 00:42:16.860 --> 00:42:20.460 privileges in themselves do not guarantee us 00:42:20.460 --> 00:42:25.920 anything. God looks for the heart attitude. Is 00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:30.360 your heart right with God today? I hope it is. 00:42:31.579 --> 00:42:37.739 Let's pray. Lord, we've covered a lot of ground 00:42:37.739 --> 00:42:42.260 this morning in this chapter. We've only skimmed 00:42:42.260 --> 00:42:45.519 the surface of the content of it, yet we've drawn 00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:47.880 from it some applications that are rather pointed 00:42:47.880 --> 00:42:52.619 and which all of us have to search out for ourselves 00:42:52.619 --> 00:42:59.219 and give answer for to you. And I pray that you 00:42:59.219 --> 00:43:05.940 would today, by your Holy Spirit, tenderly and 00:43:05.940 --> 00:43:11.139 graciously reveal our heart's needs. And wherein 00:43:11.139 --> 00:43:15.539 we need to make some changes, wherein we need 00:43:15.539 --> 00:43:19.000 to make a decision, or we need to surrender, 00:43:19.260 --> 00:43:23.940 I pray that you will give us grace to do that. 00:43:26.480 --> 00:43:30.119 Lord, you are the God of glory, but we bless 00:43:30.119 --> 00:43:34.119 you that you are also the God of grace. Now graciously 00:43:34.119 --> 00:43:38.539 work in our lives to meet our needs and cause 00:43:38.539 --> 00:43:42.380 us to respond to your spirit. You may have your 00:43:42.380 --> 00:43:46.420 way with us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.