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Hello and welcome again to Lechem Panim. We are continuing our study today of Acts chapter 8. You will remember that Stephen has recently been stoned and a great persecution has broken out against the Church in the wake of that, causing many of the believers (particularly the Hellenists) to be driven outside of Jerusalem to minister in the surrounding areas, one of which was Samaria. Now one of the Hellenists, a man by the name of Phillip, was the one to bring the Gospel to Samaria. And he tells the Samaritans of both of heaven and of the way they can get there; through faith in the name of Jesus. And this message of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (along with the signs that are being worked through Philip) invokes a huge response as multitudes come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and are baptized. But in this great revival, one of the men the people had previously looked up to (and even deified) was a sorcerer by the name of Simon. And Simon appeared to convert along with the rest of the believers; believing, being baptized, and even following Philip in what looks to be a discipleship relationship. However, as we will see in the rest of Simon’s story, his motives were quite sinister, as he wanted to use Christianity for his own ends; which consisted mainly of his keeping the spotlight and glory on himself. And so because of that he fell into the same category of believers as Ananias and Sapphira had been. He had the appearance, but was in reality a deceiver; a con artist.
Don’t Buy That Bridge!-- Now it’s interesting. [In the long history of con artists, George C. Parker holds a special place of dishonor. He is remembered as one of the most successful and daring swindlers in American history. He set up an office in New York City and “sold” some of the city’s most famous attractions to tourists. His favorite was the Brooklyn Bridge, but he also sold the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, and Grant’s Tomb. He produced elaborately forged documents and deeds to convince his targets that he was the rightful owner of the landmarks he was selling. Parker was so persuasive that on more than one occasion, police had to come and explain why the new “owners” of the Brooklyn Bridge couldn’t put up tollbooths to collect money from those who tried to cross. After his third conviction for fraud, Parker was sentenced to life at Sing Sing Prison in New York, where he spent the last eight years of his life. He dishonestly made a fortune preying on people who foolishly believed his empty words. He not only was an expert salesman, but he realized that many people were gullible and he could use that to his advantage.] Self-Deceived-- Now one of the amazing things about watching false prophets and con-artists is how convincing they can be. And this can be complicated by the fact that many charlatans actually believe the lies they are telling other people. There is such a thing as being self-deceived; and those who have been deceiving themselves for a long time can lose their ability to distinguish between what is reality and what is make-believe. They become kind of like walking fiction novels that they themselves are writing. But the fact that Simon may have been self deceived did not make him any less dangerous. In fact it made him more dangerous because he did not have the air of a liar. He really believed that he was the special power of God. And everybody was paying attention to him because he was able to astonish them with his magical arts. And the reason they were eager to believe was because they were clinging onto hopes of the Messiah. And when somebody is hopeful about something, that can make them particularly vulnerable to false dealers of hope. And that is not just then, but now as well. Even people in our day and age can be susceptible to being swindled by miracle workers who claim to be acting with the power and in the authority of God. 4 Major Faults-- Now last week we began exploring four major faults in Simons theology; faults that were severe enough to cause him to miss out on experiencing true saving faith. And having a wrong view of self was the first one. He had a glorified view of himself that kept him from ever reaching true repentance. And therefore He misses his salvation. Jesus Himself gives a demonstration of this in one of His parables. It says in… Luke 18:9-14 (ESV)-- 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” James’ Sermon-- James the brother of Jesus may have had this passage in mind when he wrote [one of the most powerful invitations {ever} to sinners]. He writes in… James 4:6-10 (ESV)-- 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Our Pride-full Culture-- One of the things that our culture is discovering as it is moving away from God is that we are becoming so full of pride that we are rendering ourselves incapable of healing and restoration. There are multitudes of people who see themselves (not God; but themselves) as the arbiters of truth. And they look around at anybody who disagrees with them with hatred and animosity. Have you noticed there is no humility in dialogue anymore? So many people arrive to the conversation with no intent of learning anything about the positions or beliefs of the other side. And really they can’t learn. Because in order to learn you must first be humble. But you cannot be humble before another person before you are first humble before God. And we live in a culture that (in so many ways) has turned its back on God. In our humanism we think we know better; that we are good; and not only good but the very standard by which all goods ought to be measured. And this was Simon’s problem. But if you and I want to come to Jesus, then we have to come with that sense of our own lostness; that recognition of our own inadequacies, shortcomings, sinfulness, and pride. Because without that brokenness we cannot receive Christ. That is what Jesus was saying in the Beatitude section of His great Sermon on The Mount when He said… Matthew 5:3 (ESV)-- 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Lost Without Jesus-- He’s not saying be sad and depressed all the time. He’s saying understand your sinfulness and approach God with the recognition that apart from Him you are utterly and completely lost. A Wrong View of Salvation-- Now Simon had a second fault in his theology. Beyond his false view of himself, he also had a wrong view of salvation. The text does say that Simon himself believed. And he was even baptized. And for many nowadays, that is enough. And when you ask a person about their salvation, they will very often give you the date of their baptism. Now the two often go hand-in-hand, but not always. We see here in this passage that although Simon was baptized, that baptism did not save him; in fact he remained lost. And this is because more than just baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of our sins. It is an important part of the salvation process, but it is not the instrument of salvation. It is rather an outward sign of an inward work. It is an outward washing that reflects an inward cleansing of the soul by the blood of Jesus Christ. But in and of itself it has no power to take away sin or to save us. And people run into problems when they see their salvation as a ritualistic thing. My Ritualistic Religion-- I know this because I was one of those people. For far to many years for me it was all about crossing my T’s and dotting my I’s; making sure I said the sinner’s prayer so many times a day in case I had lost my salvation so that I wouldn’t go to hell. But ritual alone doesn’t save you. Faith is what saves you; resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Now belief is a part of that. But it takes more than belief. Baptism is a part of that; but it takes more than just baptism. You have to believe and then (by faith) walk in newness of life, which is what baptism is a picture of. There has to be a repentance that leads to transformation. Listen to the words of… 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)-- 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. And so we see that [Faith that does not transform the life is not saving faith.] Listen to what James writes in… James 2:14 (ESV)-- 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? {And that’s a rhetorical question by the way. The answer (obviously) is no. And then he says in…} James 2:17-19 (ESV)-- 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Transformation-- And so the difference between saving faith and the non-saving faith (that of the demons) is that saving faith always produces in us a love of righteousness and a hatred of sin. The demons believe, but that doesn’t produce in them a love for God and a hatred of sin. But if you have given your life to Christ, and that love for God leading to transformation is at play in your life, that is strong evidence of your salvation. But Simon’s problem was that he believed in the signs, but he did not believe or walk in faith with the One behind the signs. And because of that he never experienced [the divine transformation of the soul from love of self to love of God, from love of sin to love of holiness.] The question is, have you and I experienced that transformation? If not, it is available to you today; all you have to do is ask God and He will give it to you. Ask Him today, and you will receive from Him today a true and saving faith. Amen.
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Hello and welcome again to Lechem Panim. In recent weeks in our study of the book of Acts we have been talking about the persecution that broke out against the Church in the wake of the stoning of Stephen. And this [persecution scattered the Jerusalem fellowship and led to the first missionary outreach of the Church. And Philip, whose ministry begin with waiting on tables with the rest of the Hellenists, is now being used by God as a mighty minister to bring the Gospel to the Samaritans. But in the midst of this incredible story, there was a man who (despite outward appearance) was in fact a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It says in…
Acts 8:9-11 (ESV)— 9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. A Contrast-- Now it’s important in our study of this passage to also look ahead; because the book of Acts is about to present us with a stunning example of what it means to place saving faith in Jesus Christ. And that is demonstrated in the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch, which we are about to come to later in this chapter. But before we get to his story, we are first given the account of Simon Magus, who represents the first known Satanic attempt to sew a tare in the Church. He’s a Samaritan; and one whose beliefs are very unorthodox and (as we will see) very much self-worshipping. Bargain Emeralds— Now I know most of us are not traveling much during these days; but if you ever do plan on traveling out of the country and [If you're planning to vacation in Zambia, beware of the street-corner "emerald vendors." And if you're driving, be prepared for some confusion in the streets, owing to stolen traffic lights. The two warnings are related: The traffic light thieves are selling green glass chips to unsuspecting tourists who think they're getting bargain-basement emeralds.] All The Earmarks-- Well, Simon Magus was one of those who at first appeared to be a stunning emerald; a monument and testimony to what God can do in a person’s life. He had all the ear-marks of being a genuine Christian. And he even managed to deceive Philip, who was very godly and discerning. And no wonder. Simon had believed, had been baptized, and he had “continued on with Philip” (verse 13), which are the three major marks of the true believer. And in reality, he was very close to being a Christian. So where did he go wrong? Well, we will see as we proceed through this passage four major faults in Simon’s theology; faults that were severe enough to cause him to miss salvation. (1) He had a wrong view of self, (2) a wrong view of salvation, (3) a wrong view of the Holy Spirit, and (4) a wrong view of sin. A Wrong View of Himself-- And the first of these is seen in that he sees himself as not just good, but “somebody great“. And that is antithetical to what the Bible tells us about mankind before we enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But this faulty philosophy is still being taught today. A myriad of people will tell you that man is basically good; and if we can reach deep down inside of ourselves and tap into our inner goodness (who we really are underneath), then the world would be a better place. However, scripture tells us that sin has so marred us, that our hearts are wretchedly sinful; so much so that we are incapable (without Christ) of doing any works that aren’t (in the eyes of God) like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The reality is that we are desperately wicked and in need of a Savior. And without that necessary starting point of humility (recognizing our need of a Savior), we are incapable of receiving saving grace. And Simon Magus never seemed to come to that point; and certainly wasn’t there in the beginning, which is seen in his declaring himself to be “somebody great”. And that greatness he and others believed flowed from his ability to perform magic. Now that word “magic“ obviously comes from the word “magi“, which remember referred to the high-priestly tribe of the Medo-Persians. And those beliefs were a mixture of science and superstition. They combined astrology, divination, and cultic practices with history, mathematics, and agriculture. Now were these magical feats trickery or were they demonic? We don’t know for sure, but it very well could’ve been a mixture of both. Those who are possessed by or using the power of demons can sometimes perform feats similar to God’s, but on a much smaller scale. But whatever those miracles were, they gave Simon Magus an incredible hold on the people of Samaria. Everybody was paying attention to him and held him in the highest respect. They even said “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” Now remember what Jesus had said in… Mark 14:62 (ESV)— 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Claiming Deity— Simon is claiming a very similar description. And this seems to suggest that Simon was even claiming deity of himself, which is the most heretical view that you can have of yourself. And the early church fathers report that Simon was in fact one of the founders of Gnosticism and that he actually viewed himself as God incarnate (like Jesus). And so we see that his false teaching actually did a lot of damage not just to this group of Samaritans, but to the Church as a whole. And that is always where Satan wants to bring us; to where we attempt to place ourselves on the throne of God. That was the heart of his temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden; and we see this same temptation even today. It is at the heart of virtually every key issue we are facing in our culture. Who has the ultimate say-so over our lives? Our Bodies?— Whether it is the issue of abortion, homosexuality, or the myriad of other practices that involve our bodies, it is very important to pay attention to the language used to defend those practices. It is said “You have the right to do with your body whatever you wish.” “It is your body, your choice.” I talked with a homosexual man this week who told me “Yes, I am a Christian, but I live my life how I want to.” Now that (to me) was a very interesting and telling statement; one that rubs against what the scriptures tell us about the Lordship of Christ over our bodies. Listen to the words of... 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)— 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. The Crux of It-- Let me tell you, those two verses have the power to change the world and can completely reverse the downward spiral of our nation. The crux of many of the issues we are facing today in these great culture wars boils down to this single question; am I God or is God God? Do I have the freedom to define who I am and use my body how I see fit or do I trust in God’s Lordship over my body? If God is God, then when it comes to the issue of abortion, we have no right to kill the works of creation He has established in us, even if (for a time) they are dependent on us. And when it comes to our sexual identities as well, He has a plan that is not ours to redefine. We are not our own. We were created by and bought anew by the blood of Jesus Christ. And until we are willing to receive Jesus Christ (to borrow the words of Thomas) as “My Lord and my God”, we will miss salvation just like Simon Magus did. Pride (the elevation of ourselves to the place of God) is the enemy of salvation. And that was Simon‘s problem. Pride’s Masquerade-- Now Simon Magus didn’t recognize his pride. And nor do we most of the time and that is because pride can masquerade under seemingly upright motives. With Herod, it masked itself as integrity when he beheaded John the Baptist. With the Pharisees, pride masked itself as holiness; and they ironically ended up rejecting the Holy One Himself. With the Jewish authorities, pride masked itself as zeal for God, but ended with their killing the very Son of God. Pride caused the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah. Pride cost Nebuchadnezzar his reason, Rehoboam his kingdom, Uzziah his health, and (as we studied in the book of Esther) it cost Haman his very life. This is why there is so much emphasis in scripture on humility as the starting point of salvation. The Kiddie Door-- The other day on our day off my wife and I spent the day together while the kids were in school. And let me tell you, even after 11 years of marriage we still know how to have a romantic date. Of all the frivolous ordinary things we could have done, we sprang for the ultimate; we went shopping. And one of the places we shopped at was a kids consignment store. Now I very chivalrously offered to stay and guard the car (because, you know, you can’t be too careful these days), but my wife didn’t think that was necessary and “requested” that I come in with her. And of course I was MORE than happy to do so; at least that’s what I’ve been told. But there were two doors into this kids clothing store; one normal sized door and then a much shorter door for the children. And my wife frivolously and cheerfully ducked under the kids door. However I (in all my dignity) walked through the regular run-of-the mill door for big people. I was not about to duck and look ridiculous stooping to fit through that small kiddie door. After all, I’m a man. But you know, as I was preparing this message I thought again of that small kiddie door. Jesus had said the most remarkable thing in... Matthew 18:1-4 (ESV)-- 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We Have to Stoop-- You know what Jesus was saying? “You have to stoop.” There IS no big person door to heaven. Until we become as little children (as Jesus says) we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. There’s only one way. And it begins with humbly accepting Christ’s Lordship over our lives and our bodies, and recognizing that our ways are not His ways; they’re not even good ways; they are (without Christ) desperately wicked. And it also means we must we see ourselves as weak, lost, and utterly helpless without the intervention of Christ. There is no other door but through the humble door of submission to Christ Jesus. Have you entered that door? Have you humbled yourself and accepted Christ’s Lordship over your life? If not, I would like to encourage you to do that today. Receive Him as Lord and He will fulfill you in a far better way than you ever could have doing things your own way. Receive Him today as the Lord of your life. Amen. Hello and welcome again to Lechem Panim. We have been talking about the first great persecution of the Early Church, which begins in Acts chapter 7 with the stoning of the first Christian martyr; Stephen. After his death, the Church is driven out of Jerusalem and Philip the apostle even goes so far as to take the good news of the Gospel of Christ into the region of Samaria.
And today I would like for us to take a look at a passage of scripture that ties in and really helps for us to apply what is happening here in Acts chapter 8 to our own lives. And that is James chapter 1. We’ll start with verses 1-2. It reads… James 1:1-2 (ESV)— 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, Now James was probably written before A.D. 50. If that dating is correct, then it makes James [the earliest of all the NT writings—with the possible exception of Galatians.] A Greeting Command to Rejoice-- And so imagine, the first command given in what is very likely the very first Christian epistle, is a command that completely changes forever how Christians are to think about trials, tribulations, and persecutions. First he says "Greetings" which (as we’ll talk about later) is actually a call to Rejoice. Then he says in verse 2: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, Why God?!!!!-- Now when you and I face trials in our lives, our tendency is often to immediately shift into frustration. God, why are you allowing this in my life? Did I do something wrong? Are you angry with me? Do you really care about? If you do, how can you allow this to happen to me? Count It Joy— But the very first point made in what is likely the very first book ever written in the New Testament is that suffering is not something to complain about, but something to rejoice about. Notice I didn’t say we are to rejoice in. Many people say that we are to maintain joy even in difficult circumstances. And that is true. But James isn’t talking about only keeping joy in the midst of trials. James says to count it joy when we meet trials. Trials themselves are what he says ought to produce joy in us. And I want you to catch that because that was one of the most profound concepts these early Christians in the book of Acts had. Martyrs Embracing Trials-- And when you look at the early Christian martyrs (of whom Stephen here is the first), that’s exactly what you find; Christians who rejoice not only within difficult circumstances, but rejoice because of difficult circumstances. And part of that is that they have the privilege in partaking with Christ in His sufferings. But again it goes further than that. They rejoice not only because they are participating with Christ in His suffering, but because that suffering is the means through which Christ is maturing their faith and developing and drawing them close to Him. Taking our Arm— James Packer makes this point pretty clear in his book Your Father Loves You. He says [This is the ultimate reason, from our standpoint, why God fills our lives with troubles ... of one sort and another -- to ensure that we shall learn to hold him fast. ...When we walk along a clear road feeling fine, and someone takes our arm to help us, likely we would impatiently shake him off; but when we are caught in rough country in the dark, with a storm brewing and our strength spent, and someone takes our arm to help us, we would thankfully lean on him. And God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough... , so that we may learn to lean on him thankfully. Therefore he takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in himself, to -- in the classic scriptural phrase for the secret of the godly man's life -- "wait on the Lord."] Persecution the Engine of the Church-- Some time ago I remember I had a conversation with a gentleman about the persecution that the Church is going through. And we talked about the reality that in and throughout history, persecution became the engine that drove the Church. The harder the Church was persecuted, the more they grew. And I think part of that was that people witnessed how these Christians suffered; the joy they found in and through suffering. And they wanted that in their lives too. “I am one of them”-- In the third century, a famous Christian name St. Cyprian (on his way to die a martyr’s death) wrote from Carthage to a friend of his named Donatus: “This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden under the shadow of these vines. But if I climbed some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see; brigands on the high road, pirates on the seas, in the amphitheaters men murdered to please the applauding crowds, under all roofs misery and selfishness. It really is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. Yet, in the midst of it, I have found a quiet and holy people. They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of this sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are the Christians…and I am one of them.” I love what he says, “They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world.” These Christians had that strength of character; the steadfastness that trials produce;. Steadfastness Through Testing— And James’ second point is that that steadfastness comes through testing. He says... James 1:3 (ESV)— 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. In fact, you might also accurately say that steadfastness comes only through testing. We are never growing more than when we are tested; than when we are meeting resistance. Resistance Suits— [On December 29, 1987, a Soviet cosmonaut returned to the earth after 326 days in orbit. He was in good health, which hasn't always been the case in those record-breaking voyages. Five years earlier, touching down after 211 days in space, two cosmonauts suffered from dizziness, high pulse rates, and heart palpitations. They couldn't walk for a week, and after 30 days, they were still undergoing therapy for atrophied muscles and weakened hearts. At zero gravity, the muscles of the body begin to waste away because there is no resistance. To counteract this, the Soviets prescribed a vigorous exercise program for the cosmonauts. They invented the "penguin suit," a running suit laced with elastic bands. It resists every move the cosmonauts make, forcing them to exert their strength. Apparently the regimen is working. We often long dreamily for days without difficulty, but God knows better. The easier our life, the weaker our spiritual fiber, for strength of any kind grows only by exertion.] Perfect & Complete— But there was another thing that Cyprian, on his way to die, pointed out that is absolutely important for us to grasp if we are to understand what fruit steadfastness produces in our lives. He says of Christians, “They are masters of their souls.” In other words they are not in bondage to sin any longer, but are living lives free of sin. Sin has no authority over their souls whatsoever. And that is James’ third and last point. He says... James 1:4 (ESV)— 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Becoming Holy-- He doesn’t say partially holy; partially perfect but still sinning occasionally. No, the kind of perfection that he is talking about is a present perfection that is complete, lacking in nothing. God offers us, in the trials we face every day, the means of becoming holy. Why can we rejoice in suffering? Because in it we become more like Christ; in it we become perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The first teaching given in the New Testament to some of the very first believers in the early church is that we are called to be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We are called to be holy; not perfect in the sense that we won’t make mistakes, but perfect in the sense that we are so filled with God’s love and presence that He gives us the necessary spiritual equipment to resist temptation and be and remain victorious over sin; to be masters of our souls. Pushing Through-- And so what I think what James wants us to understand about trials and suffering is that when we know what the purpose of suffering is, though we might not immediately see why we are going through a particular suffering, we can get through it because we know that in that suffering God is making us more like Himself. Even if we don’t know why we are going through it or why God has allowed it, we know what God is using it for in our lives; to move us towards that perfection in holiness. And it is in those moments that we are closest to Him and and growing the most. “Rejoice”-- In the first line of James, he says “Greetings”. But that word [“Greeting”--that translation is a little stilted, for the word in the Greek literally means “rejoice.” He writes to them and says, “Rejoice.”] Joy in Christ through trials is, in the mind of James, the starting point of what it means to be a Christian. Not to get overwhelmed; not to ask “why me”, but to rejoice that in our suffering we are being made perfect, lacking nothing. Joining Hands— Are you overwhelmed with life today? Or are you rejoicing in your Lord? Are you allowing trials to break your spirit, or are you allowing those trials to produce the steadfastness of Christ in you? As you go to work this week; as you take life day by day, you will face trials. There may be people like Saul who seek to ravage you; circumstances that are bringing you down. But the question is, “Will you allow those trials to draw you closer to God or drive you farther away from Him.” “Will you allow Christ to take your hand and, drawing you closer to Him, lead you through the darkness?” This week, rejoice that God is using your trials and persecutions to make you more like Him and to further His salvation work. Glory in your suffering so that in your suffering the world might see in you the glory of Jesus. Amen. Hello and welcome again to Lechem Panim. We have been studying the growth of the Early Church in the beginning chapters of the book of Acts. And (as we have been talking about in recent weeks), the Church has been growing at an incredible rate within the confines of Jerusalem. But as the church continues to grow and expand, it also continues to run into conflict with some of the Jewish leaders. And the tension climaxes in Acts 6:8-8:1 with the seizing and stoning of Stephen, who becomes the first martyr of the Christian Church. And last we recently read of his death at the hands of the Jewish leaders there in Acts chapter 7. But there is a person present at Stephen’s stoning who was watching the garments of those stoning Stephen; and this was a man who would have enormous significance for the Church. And of course I am speaking of Saul (also known as Paul).
Paul’s Early Life-- Now we can glean much from the book of Acts and the Epistles about the early life of Paul. [He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 22:3), a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (see 2 Cor. 11:22; Phil. 3:5), the “son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6), and a Roman citizen (16:37; 22:25–28). He was educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel (22:3) and became a devoted Pharisee (26:4–5; Phil. 3:5). Measured by the law, his life was blameless (Phil. 3:6). He was one of the most promising young Pharisees in Jerusalem, well on his way to becoming a great leader for the Jewish faith (Gal. 1:14). {And} Saul’s zeal for the law was displayed most vividly in his persecution of the church (Gal. 1:13–14; Phil. 3:6). He really thought that persecuting the believers was one way of serving God. {He had no idea that he was in fact persecuting God Himself, which Jesus confronts him with in chapter 9.} He obeyed the light that he had {at that time}, and when God gave him more light, he obeyed that and became a Christian!] The Dual Names of Saul/Paul-- Now some will say that it was at that point that he became known as Paul. But that is not in fact what the Bible teaches. Throughout the course of his life, he always had and maintained two names; one a Jewish name (Saul) and one a Greek name (Paul). [The custom of dual names was common in those days.] It is a common misconception that Saul’s name was changed to Paul. Many Christians think that Saul had his name changed, much like Abram’s was changed to Abraham; or any other of the famous name changes of scripture. Some even go so far as to say that it was Jesus who changed Saul’s name after appearing to him on the Damascus Road; a story that we will cover in depth in the next chapter. However, the reality is that Saul actually never changed his name. [Jesus addresses him as “Saul, Saul” during the christophany (Acts 9:4).] [Ananias addresses him as “Saul” after his conversion (Acts 9:17).] [The Holy Spirit calls him “Saul” before his first missionary trip.] [After the conversion experience, he is {in fact} called “Saul” 11 more times.] And in fact he isn’t even called Paul at all until Acts 13:9 while he is on the island of Cyprus. Now there is a definite shift to his using the name Paul more than he uses Saul, but it is not for the reasons we might assume. [The decisive shift from “Saul” to “Paul” in Acts happens only once Paul sets off on his missionary journeys away from Jerusalem.] In Jerusalem he used his Jewish name, “Saul” and outside of Jerusalem when he was ministering to Gentiles, he chose to use his Greek name “Paul”. As we will see when we come to chapter 9, he not only had an exquisite Hebrew education, but a secular (and even Greek) one as well. And so (depending on his audience) he could adapt not only the way he presented the Gospel, but even his very name to help relate best to those to whom he was bearing witness; which we will see will eventually be primarily to Gentiles (hence the shift to his Gentile name). But [Saul and Paul were two names for the same person all along.] Now Saul is far from being a Christian at this point in the book of Acts. Not only is he watching the garments of those killing Stephen, but it says in… Acts 8:1 (ESV)— 1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Scattered-- And so we see the Church is scattered. The apostles remain in the city; and rightfully so. They knew they had to remain there to care for the Church. But the believers are scattered out into the rest of Judea and even Samaria. And [The word translated “scattered” (diaspeiro, Acts 8:1,4) {literally} means “to scatter seed.”] And so we see that instead of persecution killing the church, [Persecution does to the church what wind does to seed: It scatters it and only produces a greater harvest.] And that harvest now begins to move outwards into the rest of Judea and even into Samaria. But we see later in Acts that the death of Stephen pushed the Gospel even farther than Samaria. It says in… Acts 11:19-21 (ESV)— 19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. [So you have persecution causing the spread of the Gospel] 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists[a] also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. So persecution is driving the Church to spread out across the empire. And though we see it as a wonderful and even a necessary part of God’s plan, think about how they must have been processing all of this. They don’t see the big picture yet. All they know is that one of their most anointed leaders has been killed. And they are still in mourning over that. It says in… Acts 8:2-3 (ESV)-- 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. {And then it says.} 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Saul’s Ravaging-- Now your Bibles probably say of Saul something like he began to destroy the church. That phrase is actually a Greek phrase that is sometimes used to describe the ravages of wild animals. So this was an intense persecution; and because of it, the Church at Jerusalem is scattered all throughout Judea and Samaria. Now when you and I face persecution, we also don’t always see the big picture. And though it might be hard at times for us to understand, persecution is not always a bad thing. In fact Tertullian, an early church theologian once pointed out that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Well, that is what we see. It says in… Acts 8:4-5 (ESV)-- 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. Samaria-- Now who lives in Samaria? Samaritans. Well, who are they? Well, you will remember that after the reign of King Solomon in the Old Testament, the kingdom of Israel was split in two. You had the northern kingdom of Israel, whose capital King Omri named "Samaria" (1 Kings 16:24). And then you had the southern kingdom of Judah. But the northern kingdom of Israel was the region that, in 722 BC, was conquered by the Assyrians and taken into captivity into Assyria. Now we remember that Israel was called by God to remain ethnically pure. They were not to intermarry with and of the surrounding nations. However, during those years that the northern kingdom of Israel was in captivity in Syria, the Jews ignored those prohibitions and began intermarrying with the non-Jews around them. And so they lost their ethnical purity. Now the southern kingdom of Judah was also taken into captivity in 586 BC by the Babylonians. Yet we find that while they were in captivity they maintained their ethnical purity and did not intermarry with the Babylonians. They kept themselves pure. And Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego) were stalwart examples of this kind of resolve to keep themselves pure unto God. However, when both captivities were ended and everyone came home, the Jews from the southern kingdom of Judah began to regard the Jews from the northern kingdom of Israel as half-breeds—Samaritans because they had mingled blood. And so they despised them. And that hatred was passed down throughout the generations and was still every bit as alive in Jesus’ day as it was in the beginning. In fact, so deep was the hatred that [A popular prayer in those days among some of the southern-kingdom Jews was, “Lord, do not remember the Samaritans in the resurrection.”] Praise God that He doesn’t say “yes” to all our prayers. Now I say all of this because I want you to understand what a miracle it is that the early Christians brought the Gospel to Samaria; because it means that the love of God shed abroad in their hearts has moved them to cast aside their racism and their hate and embrace those they had until recently despised. It’s a powerful thing. And you can imagine what an impact this had on those who were recipients of Philip’s ministry. It says in… Acts 8:6-8 (ESV)— 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city. Philip’s Ministry in Samaria-- So we see that Philip goes to Samaria and actually becomes a preacher of the word. And God moved through him mightily. He becomes the first ever Christian missionary to non-Jews. He performed miraculous signs, he cast out demons, he healed paralytics and cripples. And the people of Samaria listened to him and rejoiced at what God was doing through him. And I’m sure Philip rejoiced as well. But all of that would not have happened at all if there had not been a mighty wave of persecution in the Church; a persecution that touched many of these believers on a very deep and personal level. And what that ought to tell you and me is that when things seem darkest (even after the death of a great leader) or in the midst of friends, family members, or co-workers who are trying to persecute you, God may be doing a mighty work; because others are watching and seeing the righteousness of Christ being lived out through you in those moments. And so don’t give up; don’t get discouraged. Hold fast to Jesus; as Stephen did, look up into the eyes of the Savior and trust that even though we might not see the big picture, God is using us and will continue to use us if we but remain faithful to him. Let’s hold fast to Him today. Amen. Hello and welcome again to Lechem Panim. In recent weeks we have been taking a look at the life and ministry of Stephen, one of the men chosen by the apostles to help wait on tables. And yet (as we have seen) God was also using him to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and to perform miraculous signs and wonders that confirmed his message. Yet when he started proclaiming the Gospel in some of the synagogues, he was met by violent opposition. At the end of chapter 6 (6:13-14) Stephen is accused by a group of men from various Hellenistic synagogues of threatening God’s temple and rejecting the Law of Moses (the Torah). And these are very serious accusations; and are the same ones (interestingly) that had been leveled against Jesus Himself. And so it seems that the men of these synagogues apparently are so threatened by Stephen, that they are after his very life.
Stephen’s Apologia— Now our chapter today (chapter 7) is really quite an amazing chapter; because in it we have Stephen’s apologia (his defense) of both himself and of the Gospel. Now I don’t think Stephen was so interested in preserving his own life as much as much as he was interested in defending what it was that Christianity was really teaching. Christianity wasn’t about throwing out the law of Moses or those things that had been at the heart of the Jewish faith, but rather was a fulfillment of all of those things. And we see this in his apologia (his defense) here in our passage today, which he roots in the Old Testament scriptures themselves; particularly in the Law of Moses, whom his accusers are saying he is rejecting. And it is significant to note that this address is the longest of any address in the book of Acts; and it is a summary of the Old Testament, particularly of the lives and ministries of some of Israel’s greatest leaders. We have Abraham in verses 2-8; we have Joseph in verses 9-17; we have Moses in verses 18-44; Joshua in verse 45; and David and Solomon in verses 46-50. And the reason that Stephen brings up these men is both to defend himself against the indictments made against him by his accusers, but also to indict the religious leaders themselves (and Israel as a whole) for rejecting the Messiah. Stephen shows in a very powerful way how there was a pattern of behavior in Israel; a destructive pattern that had caused them serious problems throughout the entirety of their history, and which would ultimately lead to their downfall if they did not repent; and that pattern of behavior is seen in that Israel had this tendency to always resist the will of God and even persecute those whom God was using as His instruments through whom he was moving His salvation plan forward. All of these leaders Stephen mentions dealt with rejection by the Jewish people. And Stephen very clearly says that the Jewish leaders are practicing that same behavior. Now this is remarkable because while it is supposed to be Stephen on trial, like when Peter and the apostles had stood trial, Stephen (the defendant) turns the tables on them and becomes the prosecuting attorney! Temple-Focus-- And in his prosecution; his indictment, we see two major overarching themes. The first is of course Israel’s rejection of God’s messengers. And that theme is climaxed in their rejection of the Messiah. But then you have another theme; and that is in relation to God’s sovereignty and His glory. Notice the title Stephen uses when talking about God. It says in… Acts 7:2 (ESV)— 2 And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, The God of Glory-- He calls God by this title The God of glory. And then in verse 55 it says that as he is gazing into heaven he saw the glory of God. And keep in mind that this whole time he is there, standing before the Sanhedrin on trial, his very face is radiating with that same glory, as it says his face was like that of an angel. There is so much emphasis in this passage on the glory of God. Why is that? Well, it’s because Israel was unique in that they were a people who had been hand-chosen by God to have His glory as part of their inheritance. And Paul really hones in on this in Romans 9:4 when he says of the Jewish people… Romans 9:4 (ESV)-- 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. Their Privilege Lost— Now remember that though Israel had had the privilege of having in their midst the very glory of God, the glory of God left them, first from the tabernacle (which we read about in 1 Sam. 4:19–22) and then later from the temple (which we read about in Ezek. 10:4,18). And so the tabernacle and temple became places void of the glory of the presence of God when they were supposed to be places filled with the glory of God. And rather than the seeking the glory of God, we find (especially when we come to the New Testament) that the Sadducees had made the temple (not God) the focal point of their religion. Everything had become about the temple; a temple that was ultimately a man-made thing. Now God wanted to bring His glory back, but (interestingly) not to the temple. No, He wanted to reveal Himself in a much more intimate and personal way than that; and so He reveals His glory in the person of His Son Jesus Christ (John 1:14), who became man in order to bring God’s glory into the very flesh of our humanity. That is how personal God gets with us. And the writer of Hebrews really wants his listeners to catch the awesomeness of that, which is why the book opens with his saying of Jesus in… Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)-- 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, At God’s Right Hand-- So in Jesus the glory of God is revealed. And Stephen sees that glory at the end of chapter 7 as he is being stoned; executed at the hands of these religious leaders. And (as the author of Hebrews says) Jesus is at the right hand of God; and that is how Stephen sees Him. But notice that (unlike the passage in Hebrews) Jesus isn’t sitting. No, look again. It says in… Acts 7:55 (ESV)-- 55 But he {(Stephen)}, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus Standing-- So Jesus isn’t sitting; he’s standing. Do you know why? It is most likely because it was customary during that time (as it still is today), when you were making a defense before a judge, to stand. You stand when you are presenting your case. And so what is Jesus doing? He’s standing for Stephen. How beautiful is that! Remember, Jesus had promised all the way back in… Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV)-- 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Jesus Stands for Us-- Here we find Stephen standing for Jesus. And as he’s doing that, we get a glimpse into what happens also in our day to day lives when we choose to stand for Jesus. Jesus stands for us! He stands for us before our accusers; and He stands for us before the Father and bears testimony that yes we are His. Now we might still face persecution and death (which Stephen does at the close of this chapter); but ultimately when we get to heaven we will know that we are welcome because Jesus will have already stood for us. The Glorious Plan-- Now one more thing needs to be highlighted about Stephen’s summation of Israel’s history. And that is that from the beginning, we see that God had a glorious plan for the salvation of the world; a plan that He faithfully worked out in and through His people and (eventually) in and through His Son Jesus. God’s Plan Not Thwarted-- And you know what? God hasn’t changed; neither has His promises. God has a plan for your life and for my life as well. And let me tell you, that plan isn’t thwarted by our persecution or our trials. Whatever those are in your life, God foresaw them; and He has a plan to reveal His glory to you in those persecutions and trials and to actually use them to further his plan, which (if you are faithful to Him) will lead ultimately to your salvation. I want to point out something that I think we know, but we often forget. And that is that in the story of Joseph, after God had revealed through Joseph’s dreams that he would rule over his brothers, his brothers subsequently sold him into slavery to nullify that promise of God. But how does the story end? Were they able to thwart God’s plan? No; in fact they only helped to further it. And that was one of the reasons Joseph was able to forgive them; because he recognized how God used even their sin against him to further His plan and to save an empire and the surrounding countries from utter ruin. At the time of the Exodus, Pharaoh couldn’t stop God’s plan either. He tried to resist as well, but instead his resistance only served to make the deliverance of God’s people all the more fruitful, as Israel consequently gained favor in the eyes of the humbled Egyptians, who gave them whatever they asked for; and thus they were able to plunder the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36); and it was that plundering of the Egyptians that may have furnished them with much of the necessary materials they would need to build the Tabernacle. In the New Testament, Herod also set himself to resist God in his attempt to kill the Jesus, the Messiah, the true King of the Jews; but ended up only fulfilling many of the prophecies God had given through his prophets hundreds of year prior about the Messiah and the events in and surrounding His birth. Pilate couldn’t thwart God’s plan either; even when he sentenced Jesus to death; again, that only fulfilled God’s plan. And even the Israelites themselves who stood up against God’s chosen leaders all throughout Israel’s history could not thwart God’s plan. God’s Messiah came and His gift of salvation has been made available to all through the very cross they condemned Jesus to death on. And so what God’s Word is revealing to us in our passage today is that in the days ahead, no matter what the future holds, we know that God’s plan is not going to be thwarted. Personal Faith-- And if you grasp nothing else from our time together today, at the very least walk away with the knowledge that God is in control over all thing’s and wants you to live in a relationship of faith and trust in Him. If we can do that, the story of God’s salvation will be our story as well. Let’s embrace Him in faith in and through His Son Jesus today. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
September 2021
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