Speaking the Truth-Part V

Acts 7 is an incredible chapter in the book of Acts and a defining moment in the early church. Acts 7 is the defence of a young christian man who has been falsely charged as a blasphemer. Stephen has been brought before the Jewish courts and he stands before 71 judges who sit and listen to Stephen's defence of the charges that he is blaspheming Law of Moses which is equal to blaspheming God and the temple. Stephen's defence that he is not blaspheming God or God's Law began with the Promise God gave to Abraham that God would make Abraham a mighty nation. Then Stephen's defence moves to God's power in fulfilling His promise. This begins in verse 17 with the introduction to Moses in the History of Israel. As we have been looking at God's Power we have seen an interchange between God's power and man's response. God has control of all events, but man is clumsy in their sin and push to do things on the own. We also see that God can choice people even when they are complacent, feeling secure in what they have and not being focused on God's promise or power. This morning we will conclude looking at God's Power and as we do we will see once again a character of God's Power and man's negative response to it.

We pick this up in verse 35, As we look at verses 35-38. We are continuing to look at Trusting In God's Power, and the next characteristic of God's power is, God's Consolation.

The Truth of Trusting in God's Power

God's Consolation

Verse 35 Stephen continues his defence and in the portion of the defence he outlines for the Sanhedrin four facts of God's consolation or comfort. These are four bullet points of God's consolation or how He showed comfort to the nation of Israel.

The first is found in verse 35 and we can be comforted in a God of Salvation.

God heard the cry of the nation of Israel in Egypt and God choose Moses to go back from Midian to Egypt and to not only be the Ruler and Judge but to be the ruler and deliverer of the nation of Israel. When Moses attempted this 40 years earlier he failed, but now God has chosen him as His own instrument to go back to Egypt and rule under God's authority and to save the nation from bondage. Moses obeyed God and went back as God's chosen instrument to deliver the nation of Israel from the hands of the Egyptians and to be the instrument that God used to bring down the Egyptian nation. Don't get me wrong God did all of the work and all of the deliverance but Moses was His chosen instrument of bringing all this about. The foreshadow has now come to pass, the people who wouldn't acknowledge Moses as their ruler and judge have now recieved him as ruler and deliverer.

So in God's consolation God Saves and verse 36 we can be comforted in a God of Wonders.

Moses was the one who went back and God worked through him. It is funny Moses performed incredible works in the land of Egypt, from his staff turning into a snake to the ten plagues that stuck the Egyptian to the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone of these miracles, every one of these wonders that were performed were for the same reason and purpose the miracles and signs were performed in the New Testament church, for the purpose of demonstrating God's wonder and power. Aside from some small events that happened with Elijah and Elisha no other incredible miracles like this have happened until Jesus came on the scene. God demonstrates His Wonder in two miraculous events, Salvation of the nation of Israel and Salvation of people through Jesus Christ. God didn't continue to demonstrates these kinds of wonders outside of the book of Exodus and He also doesn't outside of the book of Acts. These are singular events that point to a God of Wonders, One who comes to comfort with power and majesty.

The third is in verse 37, we can be comforted in a God of Assurance.

Stephen quotes a Scripture they would have been familiar with which Jesus quoted and Moses said as a foreshadow to God's work in bringing about the Messiah, Jesus. Moses says this to point to Jesus and Stephen quotes as a looking back at Jesus as fulfilling this prophecy. The promise was made and the promise has come to fruition in Christ, and for this reason if the religious leaders trust so much in what God said to Moses and trust in the Law then the should trust this quote and trust that God has fulfilled it, without any doubt of God's power in this and they should find comfort in this truth. Just as we should find comfort in this truth.

The fourth is found in verse 38 we can be comforted in a God of Disclosure

Moses received, living oracles. Moses sat with God and God would speak to him. God is not a God of the dead, He is not a God of stone or wood, He is a living God who has the Words that bring life. The ten commandments are called the Decalogue, meaning ten words. They were written by the finger of God Himself, not once but twice. These words of God are used for one purpose. Hebrews teaches us what this purpose is.

Hebrews 4:12–13 NASB95

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

This is the purpose of the word of God, this has always been the purpose. It is for the showing the people they are dead and they need life and life can only come from the God of the living. John's gospel tells us right in the begin that Jesus is the Word and the Word took on flesh, living and He lived among His own creation and He even lives today in Heaven as both Savior and Judge.

God has sent His Son Jesus Christ, to Save all mankind from the greatest oppressor, sin. Jesus has performed wonders that demonstrated God was doing something wonderful for the nation of Israel. Jesus was the One who came who was life Moses, a mediator between man and God and He is the living Word who took on flesh and paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind. These four points point to Christ as our ultimate consolation.

Man's Corruption

Yet even with all of the signs and wonders Moses performed and with all the majestic power the nation of Israel saw in and through Moses, the nation still worshiped other gods. They were never fully committed that is why Stephen says in verse 42, 'God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven.' They were never fully committed to a God who is fully committed to them. They had no loyalty to their Lord and Savior and they lacked the faithfulness God displayed to them. God made a promise and God stands by that promise which is why the nation has not been completely wiped off the face of the earth. Still there are consequences for sin, the consequence for the nation of Israel was exile. This is to show those Stephen is talking to that God is faithful but if they don't fully commit to God there will be consequence and if they never trust in the truth of Jesus as the prophet Moses was pointing to then they have no hope at all. They are empty tombs and they only give lip-service to God and don't really worship Him.

These nation of Israel fell into Idol worship but the problem was not idols, it was not graven images, the problem was their hearts. They desired to follow after the desire of their hearts instead of following after the Living God who saved them from oppression. This is mankind's true problem we follow our hearts instead of following God's heart. When we follow our own hearts it always leads us away from God.

Isaiah 29:13–14 NASB95

13 Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, 14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”

We must be more like the psalmist,

Psalm 119:47–48 NASB95

47 I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love. 48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.

Is this what your love, do you say you love God but then follow after your own heart, do you say you trust God but then instead of waiting on His power you force the situation and do it on your own. Do you say you love God but never spend time with Him in prayer or in His Word. Do you say you love God but then compromise your integrity for the sake of making more money or getting something done faster. Do your say you love God but you would rather watch tv then read His Word. The problem is not the things but your heart, love is selfless, love seeks the others good. God demonstrated the greatest love anyone could ever demonstrate by sending His own Son to die for you and I and the most selfless act ever done and we want to follow our hearts after the dead things of this world and give lip-service to God oh I love you.

There is a consaquence to following after your heart and that is being left to wallow in your sin.

Who would you rather have as the one to console you or give you comfort? Would you rather have some psychologist or psychiatrist, some consoler who only provides worldly behavioral treatments that are all centered on your own happiness or would you rather have God's comfort and consolation? (Look up what Wayne Mack has to say about this.) I don't believe there is a place for this practices in the Church at all. If this is your profession I am sorry and I am sure you can do something to make it more biblical and a whole lot less worldly. The problem with mankind is not behavior, so changing behavior will only change a symptom not the problem. The problem is the heart and the only way the heart can be fixed is by the work of the Holy Spirit through God's Word. When you get down to the root of those practices and disciplines all you find are people who in all honesty have become a pressure cooker ready to explode.

God is the only One who can bring true comfort He is our consolation and He is the only comfort and consolation mankind has. He is the only One who knows what is best for us, He is the only One who can change our behavior from the inside out and He is the Only One who can save man from the root problem of our behavior and that is only through Jesus Christ His Son.

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