Empowered to Penetrate Darkness
Notes
Transcript
Secular:
Storm in day - dark as night
Personal:
What storms are you facing now where you can’t see the light?
What did you expect to be bright and joyful that has turned into darkness and despair?
What storms have you faced that brought darkness to your heart, your family, your community?
Injustice brings such darkness - such confusion
What would Jesus want to remind you during these times?
Biblical:
Stephen was chosen along with 6 other men to serve in the daily distribution to the Hellenist widows
Stephen was challenged
Stephen was seized
13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 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.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Subject:
What does the Spirit remind us of in the darkness of injustice?
Textual:
Acts 7:1-53
What does the Spirit remind us of in the darkness of injustice?
The Spirit reminds us that the Presence of God is not confined
Mesopotamia / Haran (2-8)
Egypt (9-35)
Wilderness (36-37)
Tent/temple (44-50)
The Spirit reminds us that the Commands of God are for our good
Given (38)
Resisted (39-43)
Now what?
Stephen’s abusers (51-53)
Us today?
presence of God
not limited to a building
Jesus Christ came to live among us
Will you pursue Him even now
commands of God
Living - relevance / effectiveness / value
A gift from God
Will you obey Him even now
Don’t resist
Not which character of this story is you? But in what stories have you played each character?
Stephen - injustice
Religious leaders - resistance
Observers - convenience
Sun always shining - bring light into the darkness - be a source of God’s light