That Same Old Song and Dance
(Acts 7: 1-53)
1. It is natural for all of us to get absorbed in our own worlds; as a result, we often lose sight of the big picture.
2. Our nation’s current economic meltdown is causing us to rethink life and the way we do things in this country.
3. But God’s concern is for both the individual and for all. And it is important for us to remember that not all the citizens of planet earth live in America; we are less than 6% of the world’s population.
4. In the last hour, while we were in Sunday school -- or any hour, for that matter, here is what typically happens in this world.
2,738 people died from starvation
342 people died from malaria
76 mothers died from childbirth
9,582 babies died from induced abortion
8,898 infants and children were abandoned
4,650 rural poor people migrated to cities
$2trillion (2thoushand million), 86 billion, and 752 million dollars was earned by church members
$2 million, 738 thousand dollars were given to foreign missions.
$2 million, 966 thousand was embezzled by trusted church leaders (more than given to missions)
20 Christians were martyred, put to death for their faith, in the last hour.
[source: Mission Maker 2009 Magazine, numbers rounded off]
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5. There are two approaches we can take toward these statistics: we can appreciate how good we have it here in America, or we can care about reaching the world. And it is not wrong to do both, but caring is the more important of the two, IMO.
6. God cares, and the stoning of Stephen, ironically, is about that care. Because the church at Jerusalem was persecuted from the point of Stephen’s stoning, the Gospel would spread throughout the Mediterranean world. You see, it is about us, but not just us; it is primarily about God, and we fit in somewhere in the pattern of it all. God uses our sufferings to accomplish His greater purposes.
7. In his defense, Stephen preaches a sermon. Stephen’s sermon follows traditional Greek oratory for persuading a hostile audience. (1) exordium (2a), (2) narration (2b-34), (3) transition/proposition (35), (4) argument (36-50), (5) peroratio.
[Source: quoted by Ben Witherington III, ¬in his commentary on Acts]
Stephen’s speech was masterful. Stephen has been accused of speaking negatively about the Law, the Temple, and the customs handed down from Moses. This is simply not true.
Let me take the time to read this text to you, and then we’ll have to rush through our outline, but I think this is the best approach.
Main Idea: When we are bound by stubborn patterns, we can become hostile when our stubborn ways are exposed.
TS --- > Stephen argued his case that God has never confined Himself to one place (like the temple), and that the Jewish people have a habit of rejecting those God sends to them! He began using a number of insinuations around the lives of key Bible characters and then forcefully stated his conclusion.
I. The Big NAMES Illustrate A Pattern (1-36)
A. ABRAHAM (1-8)
1. God blessed Abraham apart from TORAH and TEMPLE
2. As a matter of fact, God appeared to Abraham in IRAQ
B. JOSEPH (9-16)
1. No TORAH, TEMPLE, and in EGYPT
2. His fellow Jews, his brothers, REJECTED him
3. Nonetheless, he would provide for their SALVATION
.
Their legal land in Israel was but a few burial plots
4. The TWO Comings
On their first visit, they did not recognize him.
On their second visit, they did not recognize him until he revealed himself to them.
C. MOSES First Coming (17-29)
1. Moses escaped persecution from his BIRTH
2. Moses tried to deliver the people, but they REFUSED
D. Moses SECOND coming (30-36)
1. God COMMISSIONED Moses (like Jesus’ Baptism)
2. God appeared to Moses on holy ground, NOT a temple
3. Moses worked signs and DELIVERED the people
4. Verse 35 is Stephen’s PROPOSITION
When we are bound by stubborn patterns, we can become hostile when our stubborn ways are exposed.
II. The Jews DEMONSTRATED A Pattern (37-53)
A. The People Rejected Moses (37-43)
1. By ignoring the Great PROPHET
2. By IDOLATRY
B. The People Valued the Temple ABOVE God (44-50)
1. God ordained the tabernacle and APPROVED the Temple
2. But the Temple came with a DISCLAIMER
3. Jews all acknowledge God was not CONFINED to the Temple
4. He can bring people to Himself APART from the Temple
C. Stephen’s SCORCHING Accusation (51-53)
1. Same old STIFF-NECKED attitude as in the OT
2. NO circumcision of the heart
3. YOU killed the Messiah!
4. You do not keep the LAW
When we are bound by stubborn patterns, we can become hostile when our stubborn ways are exposed.
APPLICATIONS:
A. How Stubborn and close-minded are we in our view of living life?
1. An open-minded person puts himself in the shoes of another. He recognizes that people have different operating systems, and that most people live in light of their operating system, their worldview and the accumulated lessons of their lives. They might be completely wrong and sinful, but they do generally make sense.
2. There is a difference between tolerance and agreement, between conviction and enforcement…the world has become increasingly intolerant of our views, but that does not give us the right to become intolerant in return…one distinguishing mark of the Christian is he does not typically fight fire with fire…
Open minded within the boundaries of Biblical convictions because we trust God or closed-minded because we fear and want everything under control and spelled out?
B. Are we truly Biblical in our convictions?
1. There is a difference between being Biblical and traditional; true, there are many areas of overlapping, but it is a matter of authority.
2. Are we into religion or to know the God of the Bible through His Son and His Word?
3. The unbelieving Jews did not have troubles because they were too Biblical, they were not Biblical enough; because they were too religious and had an agenda to maintain traditions and were not open to Biblical reform.
C. Is our Christianity too comfortable?
1. Stephen was in an uncomfortable position because he was making a difference. We do not necessarily make a difference by putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations, but if we are going to make a difference, we will sometimes find ourselves in this position.
3. In his book entitled, "The Trouble With Jesus," Joe Stowell tells the story of the mayor’s prayer breakfast in Chicago. If it were not for the performance of Wheaton College choir, the name of Jesus would not have even been mentioned.
The keynote speaker was saying that now is the time for the religions of the world to lose their narrow traditions so we can become one in worshiping one God. At that moment the entire room stood in standing ovation. Joe Stowell, refused to stand. He knew that the speaker meant that Christians had to give up their narrow tradition of Jesus Christ. Joe Stowell remained seated in his chair in allegiance to Jesus Christ.
[source: http://www.woodschapelonline.org/sermons/20031109_Sermon.html]
