Could it be ever said of us that we turned anything upside down?
Those that said this about Paul and Silas were the religious leaders of the Jews – they were jealous of the attention that Paul was getting, and they were upset about the amount of people who had begun to follow Christ
They did not like the message that Paul and Silas were preaching
We will face those same types when we share our faith
People will wonder out loud to others what our problem is – why we are so nutty in our desire to talk about Jesus!
If people are offended by our message – that is exactly what the Gospel is supposed to do – we should not be surprised.
It should be our goal to have the people of Altona say this about us – they have turned Altona upside down
Can you imagine if we would make such an impact on this town, that people know our message – people that we don’t even know today would know the message we preach because people are complaining about our message.
Obviously, our goal would be that people would accept Christ – that they would believe the message of salvation
That they would believe that Jesus Christ did in fact die for their sin so that they could live forever with God in heaven
Why do we not witness?
Lack of confidence, a Lack of knowledge, and a lack of routine
All of these we will work on this year
All of these are our responsibility to work on
Our Faith - A Lack of belief in our God
You might say – well I certainly believe in God
I believe in what He has done for me, I believe in my need for Him, I believe in His Word.
But does your witness show that you do believe in His attributes??
His holiness
Romans 3:23 ESV - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
His love
John 3:16 ESV - 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 ESV - 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Because we know that God loves us – our grave condition has hope
His grace
Romans 3:24-25 ESV - 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
We are justified by His grace through the redemption in Christ
God set Christ to be our substitution if we would have faith in His shed blood for us
If God did not show His grace through the substitutionary death of Christ, we have not hope
Acts 4:12 ESV - 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
But we know that God’s grace has provided us with the way of salvation
Our Love – Example of Stephen (Acts7)
Background
In Acts 6:8-15 – Stephen is accused of blasphemy against Moses and God, blasphemy against the Law and the temple
Notice that both of these accusations were made up – they had to recruit false witnesses to accuse Stephen
So Stephen responds to these accusations by preaching this sermon
This is by the way an important aspect of our witness – responding to opposition
I Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
We know this verse, but there is much more that leads to this verse as we looked a little while ago as we studied through 1 Peter
We should accept suffering (persecution) because Christ did (I Peter 2:21-24)
1 Peter 2:21-24 ESV - 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Then in I Peter 3:8-9 Peter shows the attitude we should have – love
1 Peter 3:8-9 ESV - 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
In I Peter 3:13-17 Peter shows why we should suffer at the hands of those who would harm us
1 Peter 3:13-17 ESV - 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
Stephen understood this and he responded in a way that is consistent with this truth – we can suffer persecution in order to show love to others by proclaiming the message
Christ is the perfect example of this truth
He was willing to suffer in order to show his love to us
We should do the same
Stephen did
He gave his life in order to proclaim the truth of the Gospel
He showed his love to the Savior and to these people.
Lack of Love for the Word (1-50)
Stephen loved the word (the law that Moses spoke) that he was accused of blaspheming
Acts 7:2, 8, 17-20, 25, 30, 35-36, 38-39, 41, 44-45, 47 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, ... 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ... 17 "But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. 19 He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. 20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house, ... 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. ... 30 "Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. ... 35 "This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?'--this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. ... 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, ... 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. ... 44 "Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, ... 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
This was an off the cuff message that Stephen was able to deliver because of his devotion and studying the Word.
He was able to deliver this because he knew God’s story – He knew how God had worked in Israel from the beginning. What a sermon!
Our love for the Word should make that word be on our lips when we have an opportunity to share it with someone
You cannot expect to be able to share the Word if you do not study the Word
Lack of love for the Truth (51-54)
Stephen loved the truth – so much so that he was not concerned about his own life for the sake of that truth
Acts 7:51-54 ESV - 51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." 54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
He knew that this would not help his chances of making these people like him anymore, yet he chose to speak the truth
Does your lack of love for the truth enable you to be silent when others speak untruth
Lack of love of abiding with Christ in heaven (55-56, 59)
Stephen while being stoned seems to be excited about His home in heaven
His eyes are focused on heaven and Christ while he is being persecuted for preaching Christ in heaven
Acts 7:55-56, 59 ESV - 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." ... 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
If we would keep our eyes focused on Christ while witnessing much of our apprehension would be gone
Do you loose sight of heaven and Christ when you share the truth of God’s Word
Do you focus on yourself and your own weakness
Lack of love for the lost (57-58,60)
Acts 7:57-58, 60 ESV - 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ... 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
After all that they had done to Stephen, and he responds with – verse 60b
WOW – what a response
Most of us would probably be asking God to strike them down dead
Even to the point of his death, Stephen was concerned about these people blinded by their religion
Oh, that we would have that same love!
Oh that we would have the love, and the faith, and the knowledge to share with others the wonderful truth of the Gospel