1 00:00:01,350 --> 00:00:04,350 Acts 7:1–60 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,350 And the high priest said these things so. 3 00:00:08,350 --> 00:00:10,200 And Stephen said. 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,666 Brothers and fathers, hear me, you stiff necked people. 5 00:00:13,950 --> 00:00:16,350 Uncircumcised in heart and ears. 6 00:00:16,350 --> 00:00:20,033 You always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did. 7 00:00:20,066 --> 00:00:21,466 So do you. 8 00:00:21,466 --> 00:00:24,316 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? 9 00:00:24,316 --> 00:00:26,866 And they killed those who announced beforehand 10 00:00:26,866 --> 00:00:31,066 the coming of the righteous one, whom you have now betrayed and murdered. 11 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,400 You who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. 12 00:00:35,433 --> 00:00:36,916 Now when they heard these things, 13 00:00:36,916 --> 00:00:40,116 they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 14 00:00:40,133 --> 00:00:45,000 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory 15 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,666 of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 16 00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:52,266 And he said, behold, I see the heavens opened, 17 00:00:52,266 --> 00:00:55,550 and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. 18 00:00:55,750 --> 00:00:59,600 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears 19 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:01,866 and rushed together at him. 20 00:01:01,866 --> 00:01:04,666 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him, 21 00:01:04,666 --> 00:01:09,400 and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,400 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus 23 00:01:13,433 --> 00:01:15,033 received my spirit. 24 00:01:15,033 --> 00:01:18,916 And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, 25 00:01:19,116 --> 00:01:21,000 do not hold the sin against them. 26 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,000 And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 27 00:01:27,033 --> 00:01:30,050 Hey, everyone, and welcome to Christ Community Chapel. 28 00:01:30,066 --> 00:01:32,150 My name is Mike, one of our pastors here. 29 00:01:32,150 --> 00:01:33,666 Great to be with you. 30 00:01:33,666 --> 00:01:36,666 If you're watching on video, welcome. 31 00:01:36,916 --> 00:01:38,033 My wife and I, Christina, 32 00:01:38,033 --> 00:01:41,066 We have three kids, ten, five and three. 33 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:43,233 And recently we received what I would say 34 00:01:43,233 --> 00:01:47,266 is the most professional and polite insult that we've ever gotten. 35 00:01:47,350 --> 00:01:50,833 So our three year old has been in speech therapy for a while. 36 00:01:50,833 --> 00:01:54,233 And so we had a therapist come to the house on a regular basis. 37 00:01:54,233 --> 00:01:56,000 And at one point she made the observation. 38 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Your your house is language rich. 39 00:01:59,716 --> 00:02:02,233 Its language kind of sounds nice, right? 40 00:02:02,233 --> 00:02:05,116 To be a language risk rich household. 41 00:02:05,116 --> 00:02:09,266 Let me realize what she meant by that is your kids are never quiet 42 00:02:09,266 --> 00:02:13,183 and your kids never, ever stop talking. 43 00:02:13,916 --> 00:02:16,350 We are in acts this fall. 44 00:02:16,350 --> 00:02:19,633 This is week five of ten, calling it room for more. 45 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,033 And from acts one to act 28, we see God do that. 46 00:02:24,066 --> 00:02:26,116 He makes room for more. 47 00:02:26,116 --> 00:02:29,233 In acts one, there's a 120 Christians. 48 00:02:29,266 --> 00:02:34,666 Acts 28 rough estimate tens of thousands of Christians all over the world. 49 00:02:34,666 --> 00:02:37,950 He made room for more in the church. 50 00:02:38,033 --> 00:02:41,433 How? Let me show you a phrase that repeats itself a few times. 51 00:02:42,066 --> 00:02:44,916 Acts chapter six, verse seven. Notice. 52 00:02:44,916 --> 00:02:49,150 And the Word of God increased, and the number of the disciples 53 00:02:49,150 --> 00:02:52,316 multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. 54 00:02:52,350 --> 00:02:57,100 Acts 1224 but the Word of God increased and multiplied. 55 00:02:57,116 --> 00:02:58,433 Acts 1920. 56 00:02:58,433 --> 00:03:04,216 So again the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 57 00:03:04,233 --> 00:03:07,233 You might say the early church was language rich. 58 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:12,433 They were never quiet, and they always kept talking and sharing 59 00:03:12,433 --> 00:03:16,833 what was true about God's Word in God's Son. 60 00:03:17,350 --> 00:03:20,666 And we're going to see in our story of Stephen, they did this 61 00:03:20,666 --> 00:03:25,750 no matter the cost, even the cost of his own life. 62 00:03:25,750 --> 00:03:29,550 Three points for our time, confusion, 63 00:03:30,266 --> 00:03:32,950 courage and challenge, 64 00:03:32,950 --> 00:03:35,866 confusion, courage and challenge. 65 00:03:35,866 --> 00:03:37,950 Let's start with confusion. 66 00:03:37,950 --> 00:03:40,950 There are two types of confusion generally. 67 00:03:41,066 --> 00:03:44,600 The first is when you are unsure between two things, right? 68 00:03:44,750 --> 00:03:47,266 Say you're driving and you're not sure. Do I go left? 69 00:03:47,266 --> 00:03:48,200 Do I go right? 70 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,200 Do I go straight right? 71 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,200 You are unsure of which way to go. 72 00:03:52,266 --> 00:03:56,033 There's a second type of confusion, a little bit different, right? 73 00:03:56,066 --> 00:04:00,066 If we use the driving example again, you you make the turn right. 74 00:04:00,116 --> 00:04:04,116 You think you're going in the right direction, but you're wrong. 75 00:04:04,150 --> 00:04:06,916 It's a little bit different a little bit deeper. 76 00:04:06,916 --> 00:04:10,716 You think you are right when you're wrong. 77 00:04:10,950 --> 00:04:14,433 And in acts chapter six we see this kind of 78 00:04:14,466 --> 00:04:17,950 confusion around Stephen and his ministry. 79 00:04:17,950 --> 00:04:21,916 Let me show you acts chapter six, verses 80 00:04:21,916 --> 00:04:25,950 eight through 11, a little bit of context for our story. 81 00:04:25,950 --> 00:04:30,750 And Stephen, full of grace and power, who's doing great wonders and signs 82 00:04:30,750 --> 00:04:33,600 among the people, then some of those who belong 83 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,116 to the synagogue of the freedmen, as it was called, 84 00:04:36,116 --> 00:04:40,400 and of the sirenians of the Alexandrians, and of those from Silas in Asia. 85 00:04:40,433 --> 00:04:43,433 They rose up, and they disputed with Stephen, but 86 00:04:43,433 --> 00:04:47,550 they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. 87 00:04:47,716 --> 00:04:51,266 Then they secretly instituted men who said, we have heard him 88 00:04:51,316 --> 00:04:54,950 speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. 89 00:04:54,950 --> 00:04:58,466 God is doing great wonders and signs through Stephen 90 00:04:58,916 --> 00:05:01,600 an amazing, foundational, early church leader. 91 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,550 Amazing things are happening, signs and wonders, teachings 92 00:05:05,550 --> 00:05:08,666 and arguments that he's winning time and time again. 93 00:05:08,666 --> 00:05:11,916 It seemed like it's going great, except for the response. 94 00:05:12,666 --> 00:05:14,433 Stephen is not making friends. 95 00:05:14,433 --> 00:05:16,233 He's making enemies. 96 00:05:16,233 --> 00:05:21,516 Lots of enemies are rising up, disputing with him, challenging him 97 00:05:21,516 --> 00:05:26,400 because they are convinced that they are right about God and He is wrong. 98 00:05:26,433 --> 00:05:28,350 They are seeing signs and wonders. 99 00:05:28,350 --> 00:05:33,633 They are hearing Stephen speak and still they resist and they reject. 100 00:05:33,950 --> 00:05:37,866 Stephen is surrounded by spiritually confused people. 101 00:05:37,866 --> 00:05:41,116 They are convinced of their view of God, 102 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,600 but they couldn't be more wrong. 103 00:05:44,716 --> 00:05:48,033 So Stephen is trying to reason with them and argue 104 00:05:48,033 --> 00:05:51,033 with them and demonstrate why they are confused. 105 00:05:51,033 --> 00:05:53,400 But they double down. 106 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,033 They bring lies. They bring witnesses. 107 00:05:56,033 --> 00:06:00,316 They end up accusing him of blasphemy, which is a capital crime 108 00:06:00,316 --> 00:06:03,800 in the first century. And he heads to trial. 109 00:06:04,750 --> 00:06:06,466 You see spiritual confusion. 110 00:06:06,466 --> 00:06:08,400 The Bible will tell us it's not isolated 111 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,466 to a few people, a few pockets and a few moments of history. 112 00:06:12,516 --> 00:06:14,916 It's like a hereditary condition. 113 00:06:14,916 --> 00:06:18,266 It gets passed on to every single human heart, 114 00:06:18,316 --> 00:06:21,316 every single human culture. 115 00:06:21,433 --> 00:06:25,666 Spiritually confused, think they know what is true about God, 116 00:06:25,666 --> 00:06:29,150 but they could not be more wrong. 117 00:06:29,716 --> 00:06:32,000 Does that surprise you? 118 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,033 If you would look at the culture around the people around, would you say, 119 00:06:35,033 --> 00:06:41,433 hey, we are spiritually clear and spiritually confused, right? 120 00:06:41,433 --> 00:06:43,350 There can be a few side 121 00:06:43,350 --> 00:06:46,600 effects, a few indicators that you can look at a culture around you, 122 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,516 and it'll show you if they're getting God right or getting God wrong. 123 00:06:50,550 --> 00:06:53,116 The Bible say, if a culture is getting God wrong, 124 00:06:53,116 --> 00:06:56,116 you're going to see it first in how they understand themselves. 125 00:06:56,433 --> 00:06:59,200 And if people are having confusion of who they are, 126 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,033 it's probably an indicator they don't get God right. 127 00:07:02,033 --> 00:07:04,800 If people are misunderstanding sex and marriage, 128 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,800 it's probably an indicator that they are getting God wrong. 129 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,000 If people are not understanding and handling money well, then they are 130 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,000 probably getting God wrong. 131 00:07:14,066 --> 00:07:16,400 So you look at our culture today, what would you say? 132 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,466 Are we more spiritually clear and confused? 133 00:07:20,866 --> 00:07:21,116 Right? 134 00:07:21,116 --> 00:07:24,033 It doesn't matter how advanced or successful 135 00:07:24,033 --> 00:07:27,666 or educated or developed a culture may be. 136 00:07:28,033 --> 00:07:33,800 Underlying the culture around us is a deep spiritual confusion. 137 00:07:33,833 --> 00:07:36,233 People think they know what is right about God, 138 00:07:36,233 --> 00:07:39,400 but they could not be more wrong. 139 00:07:39,916 --> 00:07:43,116 Now. Some confusion, no big deal, right? 140 00:07:43,150 --> 00:07:46,350 If you take the wrong turn a few minutes a time, you turn around. 141 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:47,666 No big deal. 142 00:07:47,666 --> 00:07:49,233 Other confusion. 143 00:07:49,233 --> 00:07:51,866 It's costly. It's costly. 144 00:07:51,866 --> 00:07:53,116 I read a story this week. 145 00:07:53,116 --> 00:07:57,116 Woman named Sharon Jacks had a surgery in Ohio last year, 146 00:07:57,116 --> 00:08:00,116 and the doctor amputated the wrong leg. 147 00:08:00,233 --> 00:08:03,600 She went in, had had one leg amputated. 148 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:08,116 The doctor was confused and she had both legs amputated. 149 00:08:08,116 --> 00:08:09,516 Confusion sometimes. 150 00:08:09,516 --> 00:08:12,550 No big deal, sometimes very, very costly. 151 00:08:12,666 --> 00:08:15,666 You know that spiritual confusion with God is very costly. 152 00:08:16,716 --> 00:08:18,916 If people get God 153 00:08:18,916 --> 00:08:22,666 wrong, they have no chance to get eternity right. 154 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,433 The Bible is clear time and time and time again, 155 00:08:26,433 --> 00:08:31,000 spiritual confusion will lead to eternal condemnation. 156 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Hell is real. 157 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,000 Judgment is in fact true. 158 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,600 And so we, whether we realize it or not, 159 00:08:38,633 --> 00:08:41,633 whether you wake up thinking about it or not, we are surrounded 160 00:08:41,633 --> 00:08:46,833 by a spiritually confused culture and the confusion is costly. 161 00:08:47,466 --> 00:08:50,000 The question is, what do they need? 162 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,916 How do we respond? 163 00:08:51,916 --> 00:08:53,716 That brings to my second point. 164 00:08:53,716 --> 00:08:56,633 It's courage. It's courage. 165 00:08:56,633 --> 00:09:02,116 A spiritually confused culture needs a church of courage, 166 00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:06,600 a courageous church to say what is true. 167 00:09:07,066 --> 00:09:09,600 Not to sugarcoat, not to minimize, 168 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,783 not to downplay, but to tell the truth. 169 00:09:12,783 --> 00:09:13,633 Now, I don't know about you, 170 00:09:13,633 --> 00:09:17,950 but I feel like kids are way better at telling the truth than adults, right? 171 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,600 They're just directly honest. 172 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:22,316 At least my language rich kids are. 173 00:09:22,316 --> 00:09:23,466 Let me put it that way. 174 00:09:24,550 --> 00:09:26,950 My ten year old will often tell me I stink. 175 00:09:26,950 --> 00:09:28,516 I need to shower. 176 00:09:28,516 --> 00:09:32,266 My five year old learn about plaque recently and now it's very concerned. 177 00:09:32,316 --> 00:09:33,233 Dad, I see plaque. 178 00:09:33,233 --> 00:09:35,466 You need to brush your teeth right away. 179 00:09:35,466 --> 00:09:39,033 And my three year old just says mom is better all the time, right? 180 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:40,066 Which no argument. 181 00:09:40,066 --> 00:09:43,066 There she is definitely better. 182 00:09:43,150 --> 00:09:44,866 Steven is an adult. 183 00:09:44,866 --> 00:09:48,166 He is honest, like a kid, right? 184 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:49,350 He has his moment, right? 185 00:09:49,350 --> 00:09:51,516 This defining moment in his life. 186 00:09:51,516 --> 00:09:55,800 In our story where he's brought to trial, he's before the religious leaders. 187 00:09:55,833 --> 00:09:57,433 He has his chance to speak in. 188 00:09:57,433 --> 00:09:59,033 What's he going to do? 189 00:09:59,033 --> 00:10:00,833 Is he going to be a coward? 190 00:10:00,833 --> 00:10:02,916 Is it going to be courageous? 191 00:10:02,916 --> 00:10:05,350 Is he going to kind of bend the truth a little bit? 192 00:10:05,350 --> 00:10:09,466 Is he going to tell it directly, honestly and truthfully? 193 00:10:09,466 --> 00:10:14,550 And he launches into this wonderful, amazing 53 verse speech, 194 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,266 acts one, all the way through acts 53. 195 00:10:18,350 --> 00:10:22,266 If you haven't read it before, I'd love for you to go read it this week sometime. 196 00:10:23,066 --> 00:10:25,433 You can summarize it in two ways Stephen. 197 00:10:25,433 --> 00:10:27,116 Speech. Summarize in two ways. 198 00:10:27,116 --> 00:10:30,350 God is good and you are not. 199 00:10:31,233 --> 00:10:36,000 God is good and humanity isn't that great. 200 00:10:36,550 --> 00:10:40,800 He goes through Abraham and says, God made and kept these wonderful promises, 201 00:10:40,833 --> 00:10:45,150 goes through Moses and the rescue and the leading out of Egypt that he gave 202 00:10:45,350 --> 00:10:48,233 talks about the kingdom being solidified with David, 203 00:10:48,233 --> 00:10:50,233 and then the temple being built with Solomon. 204 00:10:50,233 --> 00:10:54,466 God is good, God is good, God is good, God is good, 205 00:10:55,266 --> 00:10:57,466 and you're not. 206 00:10:57,466 --> 00:10:59,033 And we're not right. 207 00:10:59,033 --> 00:11:01,516 Notice how he ends his sermon. 208 00:11:01,516 --> 00:11:03,750 This is the end of his sermon. 209 00:11:03,750 --> 00:11:06,750 Acts 751 to 52. 210 00:11:06,833 --> 00:11:10,916 You stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, 211 00:11:10,916 --> 00:11:14,400 you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did. 212 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,400 It's a hereditary condition. So did you. 213 00:11:17,466 --> 00:11:20,400 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? 214 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:24,066 And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous. 215 00:11:24,066 --> 00:11:29,833 One reference to Jesus, whom you now have betrayed and murdered. 216 00:11:30,066 --> 00:11:31,633 You know, it's like a godly version 217 00:11:31,633 --> 00:11:35,383 of Clark Griswold's Christmas vacation tirade, right? 218 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:38,466 I went familiar with that movie and that scene right to the end of the movie. 219 00:11:38,750 --> 00:11:40,800 He's expecting a bonus for Christmas. 220 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,833 He's been build a pool, and instead of a bonus, his boss 221 00:11:43,833 --> 00:11:47,516 gives them a membership to the jelly of the Month Club. 222 00:11:47,516 --> 00:11:49,066 And he launches into this tirade, 223 00:11:49,066 --> 00:11:51,950 which I can only say half of if I'm going to keep my job, but 224 00:11:53,066 --> 00:11:56,233 because I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him 225 00:11:56,233 --> 00:12:00,800 what a cheap, lying, no good, rotten for flushing, low life snake licking. 226 00:12:00,833 --> 00:12:03,233 Okay, I'm going to stop. 227 00:12:03,233 --> 00:12:06,066 That's Stephen's speech. 228 00:12:06,066 --> 00:12:07,916 You are stiff necked. 229 00:12:07,916 --> 00:12:11,750 You're stubborn, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. 230 00:12:11,750 --> 00:12:15,316 You don't listen and you resist the Holy Spirit. 231 00:12:15,350 --> 00:12:17,833 You do what you want to do. 232 00:12:17,833 --> 00:12:19,716 And on top of that, you betrayed. 233 00:12:19,716 --> 00:12:24,316 And you murdered the righteous One, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 234 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,233 Why does Stephen do this? 235 00:12:28,233 --> 00:12:30,350 Seems pretty harsh. 236 00:12:30,350 --> 00:12:32,116 It seems almost mean. 237 00:12:32,116 --> 00:12:33,666 It seems judgmental. 238 00:12:33,666 --> 00:12:35,716 Why does Stephen do this? 239 00:12:35,716 --> 00:12:36,950 Well, I, I realized. 240 00:12:36,950 --> 00:12:39,266 What if he didn't say that? 241 00:12:39,266 --> 00:12:42,266 What if he stood up and said, hey everyone, you're doing great today. 242 00:12:42,666 --> 00:12:44,833 Here's a few minor adjustments you might be able to make, 243 00:12:44,833 --> 00:12:46,833 but all in all, you're doing great. Keep living. 244 00:12:46,833 --> 00:12:48,233 Keep trying. 245 00:12:48,233 --> 00:12:50,150 All is well, right? 246 00:12:50,150 --> 00:12:52,033 Imagine you're in a doctor's office. 247 00:12:52,033 --> 00:12:53,550 You're awaiting news of a Pet scan 248 00:12:53,550 --> 00:12:56,116 and trying to figure out if and where you have cancer. 249 00:12:56,116 --> 00:12:57,800 And the doctor has the results. 250 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,066 And there is cancer, and it's in lots of places. 251 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,116 And he says, hey, you're doing great. 252 00:13:04,116 --> 00:13:05,666 Nothing to report. 253 00:13:05,666 --> 00:13:09,266 Just keep going. Keep living. All is well. 254 00:13:10,516 --> 00:13:12,350 That'd be awful. 255 00:13:12,350 --> 00:13:15,266 That'd be a death sentence. 256 00:13:15,266 --> 00:13:19,033 A diagnosis is meant to lead to the right healing and treatment. 257 00:13:19,066 --> 00:13:20,516 It's the same thing here. 258 00:13:20,516 --> 00:13:23,150 Christianity is built on two big ideas. 259 00:13:23,150 --> 00:13:24,066 Two big ideas. 260 00:13:24,066 --> 00:13:27,150 Bad news about us, good news about God, 261 00:13:27,266 --> 00:13:30,550 bad news of our sin, bad news of our judgment. 262 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,400 Bad news of our confusion. 263 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,716 Really, really good news about God and His Son 264 00:13:35,716 --> 00:13:38,716 and his grace and his love. 265 00:13:38,716 --> 00:13:44,066 People need to know of the bad news first to get to the good news. 266 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,633 That's the first reason Stephen leans into them. 267 00:13:47,633 --> 00:13:51,950 And the second reason is people need help believing it. 268 00:13:51,950 --> 00:13:57,116 They need to know it first and second, they need help believing it. 269 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,266 Let me tell you a story from the Old Testament 270 00:14:00,266 --> 00:14:03,033 famous story involving David and Bathsheba. 271 00:14:03,033 --> 00:14:06,033 Maybe you know this story, but David is king. 272 00:14:06,433 --> 00:14:10,516 He has all the power, authority, status, riches that he wants. 273 00:14:10,550 --> 00:14:13,550 He notices Bathsheba one day, a married woman. 274 00:14:13,550 --> 00:14:14,833 He uses his power. 275 00:14:14,833 --> 00:14:18,516 He uses his status to have an affair with her. 276 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:19,866 And then he likes her. 277 00:14:19,866 --> 00:14:24,400 And then he has her husband actually taken out Uriah and murdered. 278 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,600 He commits adultery and then murder. 279 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:31,150 And what's interesting is he doesn't actually realize his sin. 280 00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:32,516 He doesn't own up to his sin. 281 00:14:32,516 --> 00:14:36,266 He has a hard time saying his sin until God sends 282 00:14:36,266 --> 00:14:39,266 someone like Steven to him. 283 00:14:39,433 --> 00:14:43,150 Let me show you in second Samuel chapter 12. 284 00:14:43,266 --> 00:14:45,916 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. 285 00:14:45,916 --> 00:14:47,600 He came to him and said to him, 286 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:51,316 there are two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 287 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,116 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man 288 00:14:55,116 --> 00:14:58,833 had nothing but one little ulam which he had bought. 289 00:14:58,833 --> 00:15:02,233 And he brought it up, and he grew up with him and with his children. 290 00:15:02,266 --> 00:15:05,266 It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup, and lie in 291 00:15:05,266 --> 00:15:07,066 his arms was like a daughter to him. 292 00:15:07,066 --> 00:15:11,433 Now there was a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one 293 00:15:11,433 --> 00:15:15,633 of his own flock or her to prepare it for the guest who had come to him. 294 00:15:15,633 --> 00:15:18,666 So he took the poor man's land, and he prepared it 295 00:15:18,666 --> 00:15:20,516 for the man who would come to him. 296 00:15:20,516 --> 00:15:22,750 Then day with anger was greatly kindled against the man. 297 00:15:22,750 --> 00:15:23,716 And he said to Nathan, 298 00:15:23,716 --> 00:15:26,833 as the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 299 00:15:26,866 --> 00:15:30,666 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, 300 00:15:30,666 --> 00:15:33,666 and because he had no pity. 301 00:15:33,750 --> 00:15:38,116 And Nathan turns to David, this is the line, he says, you are that man. 302 00:15:39,833 --> 00:15:43,000 Stories about you write a rich man 303 00:15:43,033 --> 00:15:47,716 who had everything decided to steal from one poor, vulnerable man. 304 00:15:48,466 --> 00:15:51,466 David, that is that is you. 305 00:15:52,150 --> 00:15:54,716 What's so interesting is David's anger was kindled 306 00:15:54,716 --> 00:15:58,716 where not to his sin, but to the man in the story. 307 00:15:58,950 --> 00:16:02,633 David's outrage was not his sin, but to the other man sin. 308 00:16:03,150 --> 00:16:07,550 And doesn't that sound like our culture so upset, 309 00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:11,916 so outraged at everybody else except ourselves? 310 00:16:12,833 --> 00:16:14,666 Does it sound like you? 311 00:16:14,666 --> 00:16:17,066 Sounds like me sometimes. 312 00:16:17,066 --> 00:16:20,066 When was the last time your anger was kindled? 313 00:16:20,433 --> 00:16:24,916 Was it kindle towards your sin or is it kindled towards somebody else's sin? 314 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,150 And it is really hard sometimes for us to say, 315 00:16:29,150 --> 00:16:32,600 I am the man, I am the woman. 316 00:16:33,233 --> 00:16:34,233 It's me. 317 00:16:34,233 --> 00:16:36,833 I'm the stiff necked person. 318 00:16:36,833 --> 00:16:38,833 I'm the problem. 319 00:16:38,833 --> 00:16:42,066 But church, we have to have the courage to tell them. 320 00:16:42,150 --> 00:16:44,000 People need to know it. 321 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,000 They need help to embrace it. 322 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:51,716 We need to have the courage to tell them, to tell ourselves, to tell our kids, 323 00:16:52,350 --> 00:16:56,750 and to tell yourself, lest we get a little puffed with pride. 324 00:16:56,750 --> 00:17:00,800 Because where does bad news about us lead? 325 00:17:01,316 --> 00:17:06,350 Bad news about us leads to really, really good news about God. 326 00:17:07,116 --> 00:17:11,433 This was a few months back and my five year old was in timeout, 327 00:17:11,666 --> 00:17:15,400 probably for talking about my plaque again, but that's different. 328 00:17:16,150 --> 00:17:18,266 And as I was leaving the room, he asked me this question. 329 00:17:18,266 --> 00:17:23,116 He said, he said, dad, do you love me even when I sin? 330 00:17:24,466 --> 00:17:28,066 Do you love me even when I sin? 331 00:17:28,233 --> 00:17:29,516 What was he asking? 332 00:17:29,516 --> 00:17:34,000 Hey, dad, when I am honest about the hard things about myself, 333 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,583 what are you going to do? 334 00:17:35,583 --> 00:17:37,266 What are you going to say? 335 00:17:37,266 --> 00:17:39,666 How are you going to respond? 336 00:17:39,666 --> 00:17:41,516 Isn't that our question about God? 337 00:17:41,516 --> 00:17:46,466 God, if I am honest about the bad news about myself, what are you going to do? 338 00:17:46,466 --> 00:17:48,400 How are you going to respond? 339 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,400 What are you going to say? 340 00:17:52,150 --> 00:17:52,466 Right? 341 00:17:52,466 --> 00:17:58,150 God, do you love me in my sin, in my anger, 342 00:17:58,316 --> 00:18:01,400 in my adultery and my bitterness 343 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,400 and my selfishness and my 344 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:06,066 greed? 345 00:18:06,066 --> 00:18:09,583 God, do you love stiff necked, uncircumcised, 346 00:18:09,583 --> 00:18:12,583 stubborn, resistant to the Holy Spirit people? 347 00:18:13,866 --> 00:18:16,950 One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 51. 348 00:18:17,950 --> 00:18:19,716 Let me read to you a few verses 349 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:22,316 says, have mercy 350 00:18:22,316 --> 00:18:25,916 on me, oh God, according to your unfailing love, 351 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,550 according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. 352 00:18:29,550 --> 00:18:33,516 Wash away all my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 353 00:18:33,716 --> 00:18:38,400 For I know my transgressions and my sin. 354 00:18:38,550 --> 00:18:41,550 My sin is always before me. 355 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,600 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean. 356 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,916 Wash me and I'll be whiter than snow. 357 00:18:45,916 --> 00:18:48,316 Do you know who wrote this song? 358 00:18:48,316 --> 00:18:49,716 It was David. 359 00:18:49,716 --> 00:18:51,950 Do you know when he wrote this song? 360 00:18:51,950 --> 00:18:55,150 After Nathan came to him and confronted him? 361 00:18:55,150 --> 00:18:57,800 And do you know what David discovered? 362 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,033 That when he admitted the really hard news about himself, 363 00:19:01,033 --> 00:19:05,233 he found really, really good news about God. 364 00:19:05,633 --> 00:19:08,033 You see, God is not like us. 365 00:19:08,033 --> 00:19:11,516 God sent his son and Jesus was not stiff necked. 366 00:19:11,633 --> 00:19:15,116 He was not stubborn. He was not rebellious. 367 00:19:15,233 --> 00:19:18,000 He did not do what he wanted to do. 368 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000 He was perfect in every single way. 369 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:26,150 Full of love and of grace and of humility and obedience. 370 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,433 Jesus was no coward. 371 00:19:28,433 --> 00:19:29,950 He was king. 372 00:19:29,950 --> 00:19:30,866 He was king. 373 00:19:30,866 --> 00:19:33,516 And his defining moment of the cross. 374 00:19:33,516 --> 00:19:37,666 He showed the courage to say, yes, I will head to the cross. 375 00:19:37,716 --> 00:19:39,033 Yes, I will die. 376 00:19:39,033 --> 00:19:44,000 Yes, I will take all the anger kindled up by sin upon myself. 377 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,833 And three days later I will rise again. 378 00:19:48,433 --> 00:19:51,266 Church, you don't need to be confused. 379 00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:54,433 The world does not need to be confused. 380 00:19:54,466 --> 00:19:58,233 The answer to the question, what will God do when I send guz? 381 00:19:58,233 --> 00:20:01,550 God love me when I sin is yes. 382 00:20:02,466 --> 00:20:04,550 Will God forgive me when I sin? 383 00:20:04,550 --> 00:20:07,150 The answer is yes. Will he cleanse me from my sin? 384 00:20:07,150 --> 00:20:08,000 The answer is yes. 385 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,800 Will he have mercy on be in my sin? 386 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,000 The answer is yes. 387 00:20:12,150 --> 00:20:12,633 When we 388 00:20:12,633 --> 00:20:16,716 are honest of the hard news of ourself, it will lead us 389 00:20:16,716 --> 00:20:20,800 to the most wonderful news of Jesus and church. 390 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:25,233 We have to have the courage to tell a confused culture 391 00:20:25,266 --> 00:20:28,266 the truth about Christ, 392 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,000 confusion, courage and finally challenge. 393 00:20:34,633 --> 00:20:35,750 Challenge, right? 394 00:20:35,750 --> 00:20:38,916 This this story is meant to challenge us, right? 395 00:20:38,950 --> 00:20:42,266 Such an amazing act of bravery and of courage. 396 00:20:42,266 --> 00:20:44,033 Willing to give his life. 397 00:20:44,033 --> 00:20:47,466 Stephen, for the sake of God and His truth. 398 00:20:47,516 --> 00:20:50,466 Right? It is an amazing story. 399 00:20:50,466 --> 00:20:55,266 But what's interesting to me is Stephen is a powerhouse in the face, right? 400 00:20:55,316 --> 00:20:58,400 The text goes out of his way to say he is full of the spirit. 401 00:20:58,433 --> 00:20:59,833 He is full of power. 402 00:20:59,833 --> 00:21:00,950 He is full of grace. 403 00:21:00,950 --> 00:21:03,633 He even says his face is like an angel. 404 00:21:03,633 --> 00:21:06,150 Not sure what that means, but that sounds pretty good. 405 00:21:06,150 --> 00:21:09,400 He has this vision of Jesus in heaven 406 00:21:09,666 --> 00:21:14,550 standing up in his throne, powerhouse in the faith, courageous speech. 407 00:21:14,550 --> 00:21:16,716 And guess what happens at the end of his speech? 408 00:21:17,716 --> 00:21:20,666 Nothing good, 409 00:21:20,666 --> 00:21:21,633 nothing good. 410 00:21:21,633 --> 00:21:23,633 It's remarkably bad. 411 00:21:23,633 --> 00:21:25,516 He gives his speech. 412 00:21:25,516 --> 00:21:29,800 They chase him out of the city, they stone him and he dies. 413 00:21:30,550 --> 00:21:31,916 He loses his life. 414 00:21:31,916 --> 00:21:36,916 And no one in that moment finds their life in Jesus. 415 00:21:37,516 --> 00:21:39,516 Challenges us in two ways. 416 00:21:39,516 --> 00:21:42,866 First, by what we're willing to lose, and second, 417 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:49,350 by what we gain, what we lose, and what we gain first by what we we lose. 418 00:21:49,916 --> 00:21:52,316 Some breaking news, perhaps. 419 00:21:52,316 --> 00:21:55,316 People don't like hard news about themselves. 420 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,633 No one at your workplace is saying, hey, you know what? 421 00:21:58,633 --> 00:22:02,350 I really hope you come to office tomorrow and look me in the eye and say, hey you, 422 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:08,800 you're a stiff necked, uncircumcised, stinky, Holy Spirit resisting. 423 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,550 And oh, by the way, there's plaque on your teeth, right? 424 00:22:11,550 --> 00:22:16,400 Nobody is wanting you to do that when you correct confused people. 425 00:22:16,666 --> 00:22:18,800 There could be a cost. 426 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,200 There could be a cost. Stephen. 427 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,950 It cost him everything. 428 00:22:22,950 --> 00:22:26,200 It has to cost us at least something. 429 00:22:26,950 --> 00:22:29,066 What are we willing to lose? Second. 430 00:22:29,066 --> 00:22:31,633 What are we willing to gain? 431 00:22:31,633 --> 00:22:32,550 Very little. 432 00:22:32,550 --> 00:22:34,750 Are we willing to gain very little. 433 00:22:34,750 --> 00:22:37,433 This is the most striking thing about this story. 434 00:22:37,433 --> 00:22:42,716 So acts chapter two, Peter stands up famous Peter. 435 00:22:42,716 --> 00:22:44,350 He delivers a courageous sermon. 436 00:22:44,350 --> 00:22:47,916 And 3000 people, 3000 people 437 00:22:48,433 --> 00:22:51,316 repent, have faith and are baptized. 438 00:22:51,316 --> 00:22:54,466 He sees it all right there, right in the moment. 439 00:22:54,633 --> 00:22:56,800 Stephen stands up. Acts chapter seven. 440 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,350 Courageous speech. 441 00:22:58,350 --> 00:23:01,000 Not 3000, not 300. 442 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,666 Not 30, not three. 443 00:23:03,666 --> 00:23:07,716 You know how many people respond to Jesus in the moment of Stephen's speech? 444 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,916 Zero. 445 00:23:10,916 --> 00:23:14,433 The most faithful display of courage 446 00:23:14,466 --> 00:23:17,516 is seemingly the most fruitless, 447 00:23:18,116 --> 00:23:20,716 except for this verse. 448 00:23:20,716 --> 00:23:22,716 Acts seven, verse 58. 449 00:23:22,716 --> 00:23:26,350 Then they cast him out of the city, and they stoned him. 450 00:23:26,350 --> 00:23:32,066 And the witnesses laid down their garments at a young man named Saul. 451 00:23:32,550 --> 00:23:34,516 Saul is an important name. 452 00:23:34,516 --> 00:23:36,716 He was overseeing Stephen's death. 453 00:23:36,716 --> 00:23:40,266 He oversaw a lot of persecution in the early church. 454 00:23:40,266 --> 00:23:45,633 But then in acts chapter nine, Saul becomes Paul, and Paul becomes 455 00:23:45,633 --> 00:23:50,750 one of the most effective evangelist and church planners in the entire world. 456 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:52,716 Entire history of the world. 457 00:23:52,716 --> 00:23:55,600 He wrote two thirds of the New Testament. 458 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,550 And notice how Paul talks about his story of faith, 459 00:23:59,550 --> 00:24:01,833 who is included in Paul's story. 460 00:24:01,833 --> 00:24:05,516 Acts 2219 to 21 and I 461 00:24:05,550 --> 00:24:09,033 said, Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue 462 00:24:09,033 --> 00:24:12,550 after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 463 00:24:12,550 --> 00:24:17,516 And when the blood of Stephen, your witness, was being shed, 464 00:24:17,550 --> 00:24:22,316 I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those 465 00:24:22,316 --> 00:24:23,166 who killed him. 466 00:24:23,166 --> 00:24:28,116 And he said to me, go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles. 467 00:24:28,516 --> 00:24:31,516 Paul came to faith because of Jesus. 468 00:24:31,750 --> 00:24:34,916 The starting point of his faith was Stephen, 469 00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:39,033 and Stephen had no idea he was courageous. 470 00:24:39,033 --> 00:24:42,150 He was faithful, and seemingly nothing happened. 471 00:24:42,266 --> 00:24:45,400 But he never knew that his life, 472 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,400 his message, and his death 473 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:51,600 was the beginning point of Paul's story. 474 00:24:52,233 --> 00:24:57,233 You see, God works in two ways Peter ways and Stephen ways. 475 00:24:57,866 --> 00:24:59,550 We all want Peter's way. 476 00:24:59,550 --> 00:25:01,350 Peter's way. You get to see it. 477 00:25:01,350 --> 00:25:02,466 You're courageous. 478 00:25:02,466 --> 00:25:03,466 You speak the truth. 479 00:25:03,466 --> 00:25:05,400 People respond right away. 480 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,800 More now. 481 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,516 Stephen's is different. 482 00:25:09,516 --> 00:25:10,950 Stephen speaks up. 483 00:25:10,950 --> 00:25:12,000 He's courageous. 484 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,466 And room for more doesn't happen until later. 485 00:25:15,466 --> 00:25:19,433 We all want Peter's story, but I can't help 486 00:25:19,433 --> 00:25:23,266 but wonder if he's calling you and me to be more like Stephen. 487 00:25:24,350 --> 00:25:26,833 We live in a confused culture. 488 00:25:26,833 --> 00:25:29,833 That confusion is more costly than we realize. 489 00:25:30,066 --> 00:25:33,150 And this story calls us to be a courageous church 490 00:25:33,316 --> 00:25:35,800 that tells the truth to a confused culture. 491 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,650 The bad news about them, leading them to the best news about God. 492 00:25:39,666 --> 00:25:41,600 And I'm not sure what's going to cost. 493 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:42,233 I'm not sure 494 00:25:42,233 --> 00:25:45,550 what God's going to do with it, but if we're going to have room for more, 495 00:25:45,633 --> 00:25:48,633 then our courage can't be any less. 496 00:25:48,716 --> 00:25:50,516 Let's pray. 497 00:25:50,516 --> 00:25:53,516 Father in heaven, thank you for the story. 498 00:25:55,550 --> 00:25:57,916 God, thank you that you are such a great God 499 00:25:57,916 --> 00:26:02,000 that you will put a light into the darkness of our hearts and our minds. 500 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,633 You will show us what is not good, but you don't do 501 00:26:05,633 --> 00:26:09,633 is to judge us, to condemn us, but to lead us to yourself. 502 00:26:10,916 --> 00:26:13,316 God, I pray that we would be the kind of church 503 00:26:13,316 --> 00:26:16,916 that first experiences this God, that we would be honest 504 00:26:16,916 --> 00:26:21,400 about our own sin and our own stuff that would then lead us to enjoy 505 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,433 and experience your grace and your mercy and your forgiveness. God. 506 00:26:25,433 --> 00:26:27,550 And then second, that we would be the church 507 00:26:27,550 --> 00:26:31,550 that has the courage to tell the truth, the bad news about who we are 508 00:26:31,833 --> 00:26:36,516 in such a way that it leads people to the best news about your son. 509 00:26:37,116 --> 00:26:40,150 We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.