God is with Us
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Returning to our series on Acts
Jesus teaching in action
Today it takes an interesting turn and teaches us that God is with us in the highs and lows of life.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Would you commit with me as we follow the testimony of Stephen? (I am going to need your help along the way)
But first, take a look at the words on your handout.
In your life which of these words would you take (want more of) and which would you leave (want less of)?
Circle the ones you would want
compare with your neighbour
Okay, now we are going to see how these words interact with Stephen’s life and stand for Jesus.
But always refer to the Promise Jesus made - Immanuel (Christmas is coming) God is with us - through Jesus' action on the cross and confirmed in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We have been observing the work of the Holy Spirit through Acts, empowering the disciples. Now we meet Stephen.
We are going to start at the beginning of Acts 6 (please follow along with your own bible), because we have already looked at this passage I am going to summarise the story.
We are told at the start that the widows in the congregation were being overlooked, our first word, now was that circled as something you want to have happen in life or left?
put low
But look at their response:
The leaders gathered seeking wisdom from God and they decided to give responsibility to others.
This is seen to be the right call among the congregation and Stephen is highlighted as a man that God is with.
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
and this is where we concluded last time -
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Exciting times
We are in exciting times (new people, the Holy Spirit is active, prayers answered) which is why I am nervous about what comes next, and am thankful for the scriptures so we can navigate these times seeking God together.
We continue with Stephen -
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Stephen had a calm assurance that God was with him.
However next verse Opposition arose,
Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen.
and he began to be Questioned by the Jews from the synagogue
Do we like to face opposition and be questioned? Can be a good thing?
But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
Wisdom
He is brought before the Sanhedrin (like a courtroom of religious leaders)
They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
Change - is it positive or negative
In the face of this aggression, Stephen had peace
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
A couple of things here before we move on:
Notice the difference in the 2 tales.
Both start with conflict
One seeks to gather wisdom from God and decide to give responsibility to others.
this time they use deceit and lies and stir up others to get what they want
One concludes with growth the other we will find destruction (well-intended destruction).
Take note of the accusations
He is inciting the destruction of the temple
That he is changing the law
7:1 Stephen responds to the charges against him with Boldness and Knowing the Truth
Story 1 - he starts by recapping their history
Acts 7:2-8, Abraham, The Promise - I will be with you
Abraham called to leave home, to be in a foreign place
had only one descendent
receives not a great forecast from God about the next 400 years
Didn’t see the promise that his descendants would fill the land, at least physically.
Story 2 - entering Eygpt
Acts 7:9-16, Joseph, The Promise - I will be with you
Joseph sold into slavery - things out of his control
again in a foreign place
God gave wisdom
Saved Eygpt and his family from famine
Story 3 - Conflict
Acts 7:17-29, Mose steps into the story
New king - cruelty
Moses is equipped
He is the ideal leader
Yet - Who made you ruler and judge of us?
Story 4 - God gives Moses the authority to lead Acts 7:30-38.
Moses draws near to God
power and authority is given to Moses (the same language was said about Stephen)
the law is give
Stephen is drawing his argument to a close
Conclusion - You didn’t listen then and you are not listening now. Acts 7:39-47.
Refused to obey Moses
turned back to the comfort of Eygpt
God allowed them to stay comfortable (we spoke about this with men at Macca’s, the parable of the talents, the lazy servant that only wants to stay comfortable than to use the gifts or freedom God has given)
There was the Tabernacle, God and His law were with them
It was Solomon who built the house, the temple
“ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?
What kind of house is your life building for the Lord?
Stephen pushes back in truth and boldness to try to wake the religious leaders up
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
Piercing words
now did they take heed and repent from their ways? no way.
They got Angry, back to our words!
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,
dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
This is one of the ultimate repercussions of being Misunderstood. He is trying to help and point out the error in their ways and the history of rejecting God’s plan and now Stephen is rejected. Now you might have already heard this story and knew what was coming but let us sit with the reality for a second, If God is with us wont he save us? there are stories when he has but like the timeline he gave about Abraham, we might not physically see the end goal of what God sets us out to do. And where have we seen this story before, Man trying to kill God's plan? that’s right Jesus … Jesus was killed for claiming to be the son of God the one prophesied to come. It looked like Stephen had failed, it looked like Jesus failed.
- Success and failure
I keep saying physically because the other part of this is our eternity and resurrection in Jesus.
It’s not something we like to talk about but maybe God doesn’t always rescue us in our situation or even in this life because laying down our life is what we are called to do for the sake of the Kingdom. Because death is not the end for us.
Prayerful
That is what Stephen saw.
Interestingly our last words are in Chapter 8
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Persecution and Scattered
Now that is a low note to finish on and it is not the full picture but it is a reality. Life is full of ups and downs.
But no matter the highs Jesus is with us and no matter the lows Jesus is with us. And this story and I am sure you have your own experiences that when the (low words - highlight) comes we can be (high words - highlight) because that is what God promises to do and has been doing since time began.
Pray
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