Reformation Sunday: The Five Solas of the Reformation (Rom 1:16-17)

The Five Solas of the Reformation

Rom 1:16-17

 

Introduction

On October 31, 1517 the world changed forever. That was day when Martin Luther, an Augustinian Monk nailed his 95 theses on the Church door at Wittenburg, calling for a debate on the legitimacy of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church of his day.

His students swiped that document and had it printed up on the newly invented Gutenberg movable type printing press. Those 95 theses swept through Germany like hotcakes and ignited a firestorm of controversy within the Church.

Luther had come to a true, saving knowledge of Christ through the gospel and believed that many of the Church’s practices in his day had deviated from the teaching of the Bible and undermined the gospel.

What really set him off was the selling of indulgences. An indulgence was a substitute for penance. For example, if you sinned, you may have to fast as penance. But if you could not fast, you gave money to the church instead.

This system was originally established for the elderly who were unable to do things like fasting, but it grew to be abused over time. But then Pope Sixtus IV opened it up for those both living and dead. You could buy an indulgence for deceased loved ones who were supposedly still struggling in purgatory. Luther was a good catholic in the sense that he saw there was no biblical or historical precedent for these things and sought to reform the Catholic Church.

Things got worse when the Pope decided to finish building St. Peter’s cathedral. To do this, he authorized a special indulgence that would provide forgiveness for all sin. This could be bought for your dead relatives in purgatory. A man by the name of John Tetzel was given the task of selling these indulgences.

This enraged Luther because it cheapened the death of Christ. Instead of acquiring salvation by repentant faith in Christ’s work, it was simply a matter of buying forgiveness from the Church.

But when Luther called for a debate on the issues, it was not allowed. Instead, Luther was branded a heretic, and in a very public trial they demanded that Luther recant from his heresies,

after hours of deep prayer and consideration, he said this:

“unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I can do no other.”

With those words, Luther set his course – though wanting to reform the RCC church, he was forced to leave the church and essentially begin his own. From his actions, came a larger movement of godly men and women seeing the errors of the Catholic Church and coming back to a truer understanding of the gospel – led by people like Zwingli in Switzerland, Calvin in France, Knox in Scotland.

We as Baptists stand firmly in this Protestant tradition, tracing our roots back directly to Luther and the other Reformers. Their actions were vital to our understanding the Bible and existence as a church today.

Out of the Reformation came five central truths – Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. These five truths that would rock Western civilization and help shape the world as we know it today. From economics to politics, to the freedoms you enjoy as citizens of this country – all of these things were effected by the theological convictions of the reformers.

This morning, we want to look at these five truths. We want to understand them and how they relate to the gospel. And I hope that they will serve as the foundation for all that we do and believe as a church in the 21st century.

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

1. Christ Alone

Paul says, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.’

That begs the question – what is the gospel? A dozen or more times, the New Testament writers call the gospel, “the gospel of Christ.” The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. As the God-man, he lived a perfect life and was unjustly condemned to die by crucifixion by the Romans at the demand of the Jews. And yet, the Bible says that Jesus willingly went to the cross.

Why? What happened on the cross? What makes what happened to Christ on the cross ‘good news’? The New Testament tells us –

Mark 10:45 – “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2 Cor 5:21 – “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

This is what Christ has done for us. He has willingly laid down his life so that sinners might be brought to God. He died on the cross, bearing God’s righteous wrath against our sins.

What Christ accomplished is incredible. It’s almost unimaginable. And yet today, it is largely ignored. Today, it is very fashionable to say that all religions are simply different paths up the same mountain. That if you just believe in something, if you are a good person, or whatever, you will get to heaven or whatever awaits good people after death.

The Bible will simply not allow this as an option. God’s word will not allow us to make provision for salvation of anyone apart from a knowledge of Jesus Christ and his work for sinners on the cross.

In the Bible we read things like, Acts 4:12 – “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

And John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

And why Christ himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ and no one else. It is Christ alone that brings salvation to sinners. It’s not Buddha, or Mohammed, the endless cycling of reincarnation, or the vibrations of crystals.

2. Grace Alone

In Ephesians 2, Paul says before anyone comes to Christ, they are “dead in the trespasses and sins.” What does this mean? He goes on in the next verse to say that everyone is “by nature children of wrath.”

Spiritually speaking, it’s like “Night of the Living Dead.” You’ve got people walking around like they’re alive, but they’re not. They’re stone, cold dead. You can try to take their spiritual pulse and all you get is a flat-line.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

The word salvation has become shorthand for all that God does to redeem his people. But the word speaks to a rescue. Watch any of the classic adventure movies and what do you find? A damsel in distress! And finding herself in some deadly predicament, what does she say to the hero? ‘Help me! Save me!’ She’s unable to help herself and needs someone else to save her.

And we see the same thing in the Bible. The imagery of the word salvation comes from the story of the Exodus. The people of Israel was enslaved in Egypt and treated harshly. Moses writes, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God” (Ex 2:23).

What does God do? He sends them a savior, a deliverer – Moses.

Likewise with us, we are in dire need of a divine rescue. In fact, our need is considerably greater than that of the Egyptians because we are by nature sinners and spiritually blind. We don’t even know that we need help.

How many times have you tried to explain the gospel to people only to have them shrug their shoulders? Imagine seeing a group of a million people all blindfolded running towards hell. You try yelling to one of them – ‘hey, be careful, you’re going right towards hell!’

And they say, ‘No, we’re all going to the beach.’ And you say, ‘No, come back, you’re headed for hell.’ They say, ‘I know it the beach, I can feel it getting warmer.’ They’re blind to their situation. This is why Paul says in Romans 3, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” (3:10-11).

And the reality that the Bible presents to us is that God is under no obligation to save sinners. God is perfectly just to leave us to our fate and condemn us to hell for our sins. And yet, in spite of our sins, God sent us a savior. Though we don’t deserve it, God – in his grace – reaches out to save us from our sins.

God looks at us, sees nothing good or honorable or worthy of his love, but chooses – out of his grace – to save anyway.

This is why John Newton could write – “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.”

3. Faith Alone

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes

Not everyone will be saved. For salvation comes by faith. You have to receive the salvation God offers by putting your faith in Christ. Trusting that he is the savior he claims to be, believing that he died for your sins and was raised for your justification, treasuring him more than anything in your life, worshipping him as Lord.

Thus, ‘faith alone’ is the answer to the question, what must I do to be saved?

In every other religion in the world, answer is ‘do this.’ For some it is [good works]. Many today want to say Mormonism and the Jehovah Witnesses are just like any other Christian denomination. But what allow you to know that they are no Christian religions is that in thinking, salvation does not come by faith alone.

One of my favorite book series is the Chronicles of Narnia. They provide an incredible allegory of Christian truths. But C. S. Lewis – the author – blows it in the end.

After the final battle between good and evil – between the Christ-figure, the Lion King Aslan and the evil, false god Tash, one of the servants of Tash whose name is Emeth somehow stumbles into Aslan’s country – the allegorical heaven.

He sees Aslan and believes he will be struck down for serving Tash. But then Aslan says to him, “Son, thou art welcome. . . . All the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.”

Lewis goes on to essentially say that Emeth was so sincere in his loyalty to Tash that something that good could not be acceptable to that evil false, god. Therefore, though Emeth thought he ws serving Tash, he was really serving Aslan.

What has Lewis done? He’s given the store away! Christ is no longer unique. What counts is one’s goodness and devotion to some god.

The truth could not be further from Lewis’ bungled ending.

4. For the Glory of God Alone

Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed.”

Paul tells us that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. Do you find that surprising?

Think about how many of us may have written that verse –

“I am not ashamed of the gospel … For in it the grace of God is revealed.”

“I am not ashamed of the gospel … For in it the love of God is revealed.”

“I am not ashamed of the gospel … For in it the mercy of God is revealed.”

All of those are true – in the gospel we see the grace, love, and mercy of God displayed.

But that’s not what Paul says here. Instead, he says, the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. What’s he talking about?

Paul is saying that God has brought about salvation in a way that allows God to be God, and shows him to be the righteous God that he is. God has accomplished salvation in a way that maintains and reveals his righteousness. He didn’t just sweep our sins under the rug like dirt on the floor; he didn’t wink at our sins like an elderly grandparent; he didn’t just hit delete on a some cosmic computer somewhere.

God dealt with our sins by judging them. He condemned our sins in Christ.

You see, despite what many believe today, God is more than a gracious, loving, merciful God.

He is those things, but he is so much more. He is also holy and just – he is a righteous God.

That kind of a God cannot just forget sin. Sin is an offence to his very being; his very nature requires that he deal with that sin. If God has just said, ‘don’t worry about it – try better next time’ every time we sinned, he wouldn’t be a righteous God.

But Paul says the gospel brings a salvation that reveals the righteousness of God. God is righteous because he has caused the penalty for my sin to fall on his Son so that justice is served.

Why is this important? Rev 15:4 says, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

I recently received an email forward that featured our service personnel in Iraq with the people of Iraq. Our soldiers were playing with Iraqi children, handing out food, helping the elderly; one was even weeping over the body of a dead Iraqi child.

And it was the humanity of those photos in contrast to the horrors of war that brought out the real courage and sacrifice of our troops.

Likewise, it is in the bold relief of the righteousness of God against the sinfulness of humanity that God’s glory is made manifest to us. It reveals to us just how much all that God does is for his won glory. From creating the world, to saving sinners, Paul can say, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).

5. Scripture Alone

All that Paul has said about salvation – that it is based on the work of Christ alone, comes by God’s grace alone, and is acquired through faith alone, all for the glory of God alone –

All of this is not new. In fact, he says the truths of the gospel come from the Scriptures themselves. He says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

One of the errors that the Reformers fought against was the notion that tradition was equal to that of God’s word. Were the words of councils, priest, or even popes equal to God’s own words? Of course the answer was and should still be ‘no.’

The same goes for me or any man who stand behind this sacred desk as pastor and preach, or those you would hear on the radio or television. What we say is only profitable, it is only worth while and helpful in so far as we are simply explaining God’s word. My words will never do much of anything.

Nevertheless, that does not eliminate the need for the church. If you decide to believe something that Christians have never believed, then you are less than Christian. Even if you think the Bible teaches. Thus, tradition becomes a control. This is why we recite the creeds, appreciate history, even form our own doctrinal statement – to show that we stand firmly stand in the Christian tradition, holding the same essential theology as the earliest believers.

This is why Luther believed he was right in the debate with Rome. He pointed not only to the Scriptures themselves, but with years of church tradition to make his case. He showed, convincingly, that the Church of his day was not the historic church. There was no precedent for their teaching and practices that denied that salvation came by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Thus we are not saying that we should be a “just-me-and-my-Bible” group and to repudiate all other books on theology or Bible teaching. We are saying that the Scriptures are our final authority and that they are infallible – because they are the very words of God. All other authorities, though helpful, are subordinate to the Scriptures and are fallible.

What this means is that everything we do and believe – from our understanding of the gospel, to how we raise our kids, to how we order and live together as a church, everything should be shaped by the Word of God.

Conclusion

_______________

More Reformation Resources

Free resources

• The Protestant Reformation: Turning the World Upside Down by Steven Lawson (5 mp3s)
• Martin Luther by Steven Lawson (mp3)
• Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustin, Luther, and Calvin by John Piper (online book)
• Five Solas of the Reformation Resources (online articles, sermons, mp3)

Books for Sale 

• Foundations of Grace by Steve Lawson
• Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace by James Boice (study of the five Solas)
• The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

Sermon Notes: Dying for the Faith (Acts 7:51-8:4)

Dying for the Faith

Acts 7:51-8:4

 

Introduction

Acts 7:54-8:4 (ESV)

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. [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.” [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. [59] And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” [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.  [8:1] 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. [2] Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. [3] But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. [4] Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

1. Persecution Results from Faithful Christianity (7:54)

Luke tells us that after Stephen has made his case – after he has shown that he is not teaching anything new, but simply teaching what was always there, and what Jesus himself taught, the Jewish leaders get angry.

[54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.

Notice, what brought the anger from these guys – Stephen teaching about Jesus. Stephen isn’t leading an armed rebellion, he’s not storming the gates of the Sanhedrin, he’s simply doing what every Christian is called to do – share Christ.

And it is this faithfulness of life that brings about persecution. As we finish looking at the book of Acts in the coming months, we will see the same thing over and over again. And it is something that we should expect today as well. The New Testament is clear that persecution and suffering are normal parts of the Christian life. We worship and follow a King who himself experienced suffering and persecution, so why should we expect anything different?

The other day, I read another pastor talking about a book called, The Heavenly Man. It’s about a Christian man named Brother Yun – he’s one of the leaders of the Chinese house churches. He’s suffered terribly for his faith. Yun is a young man (he’s in his forties) but has been greatly used by God over the years.

Over the years, he’s been imprisoned on a number of occasions and tortured. Currently he is in exile. But just before he left China, Yun along with other house church leaders, tried to organize a program to raise up 100,000 missionaries from China to go to some of the most needy countries around — all Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim lands. Very few have gone, but they’re praying God would send them out in mission.

Being a missionary to the kinds of places they want to go is difficult. But some have and they are being used by God. And it’s interesting the kind of training they have. Their training material says they teach –

1. How to suffer and die for the Lord. We examine what the Bible says about suffering and look at how the Lord’s people have laid down their lives for the advance of the gospel throughout history.
2. How to witness for the Lord. We teach how to witness to the Lord under any circumstance: on trains or buses, or even in the back of a police van on the way to the execution ground.
3. How to escape for the Lord. We teach the missionaries special skills such as how to free themselves from handcuffs, and how to jump from second story windows without injuring themselves.
   
   

I know it’s been almost five years since graduated from seminary, but that’s not the kind of things they taught. But as far as these Chinese Christians are concerned, this is part of normal Christian living, and you need to be prepared for it. Suffering from persecution is something they expect.

If we engage in faithful Christian living, we will experience some kind of suffering from persecution. It may be the loss of friends, ridicule at work, or being ostracized from family.

Most of us will never find ourselves jumping from second story windows or experiencing imprisonment and torture for our faith.

Nevertheless, these things hurt and make life difficult. But remember Jesus’ words – take encouragement from them –

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:10-12).

2. Persecution Occurs Under the Sovereign Watch of God (7:55-56)

[54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. [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.”

In these verses Luke presents us with an incredible contrast. On the one hand, there are the religious leaders who are so full of rage to the point of grinding their teeth together as they tried to restrain themselves from going after Stephen.

And then there is Stephen. Luke says that after having preached this wonderful message about the temple and the Law and their fulfillment in Christ, he stood before them full of the Holy Spirit. And in that moment, God gives a vision to Stephen.

And what’s amazing – what was surely the greatest blessing God could have given to Stephen at that moment – Stephen experienced what only a handful of people had experienced before. He experienced what he had just described Abraham and Moses experiences just minutes before. Stephen saw the glory of God.

Just like Abraham in Mesopotamia and Moses in the wilderness, God gives Stephen this vision of his greatness, his majesty. And in this vision of God’s glory, he also sees Jesus himself standing at the right hand of God.

And notice what he says, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Some have wondered why Jesus is seen standing. After all, does not the Scripture say that “when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12)?

The point hinges on this idea of sitting down. But we shouldn’t make it too complicated. It should be kind of intuitive. If we have work to do around the house, most of us want to get it all done before we sit down, because we know we will probably not get up to finish!

It is true that in terms of his work of bringing salvation to sinful people, Jesus’ work is finished. In obedience to the will of God the Father, Jesus willingly took on flesh and lived a righteous life in preparation for a gruesome death as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

Jesus died to fulfill God’s wrath against our sin, so that we might be forgiven. Jesus himself said that by his death this transaction was complete – it was finished. So that when we place our faith in Jesus, God credits his righteousness to us, and reckons our sin as punished on the cross. And so, Hebrews is right. Jesus can sit down at the right hand of God in that his work in bringing salvation to his people is complete.

But that is not all to Jesus. After his death, Jesus was raised back to life as Lord of all creation. And this is the Jesus Stephen sees. It is the same Jesus that Daniel saw. We sometimes think that the phrase Son of Man refers to Jesus’ humanity. But that’s not right. When we look to that vision in Daniel 7, we see that referring to Jesus as the Son of Man is a reference to his deity.

The Son of Man is the one who rules and reigns on high – the sovereign King who stands in triumph over the nations; one who has conquered kingdoms and enemies.

So here is Stephen. He has challenged the religious leaders, he is about to be the first of Jesus’ followers to die for their faith, and in his final moments, God pulls back the heavens and allows Stephen to behold his glory. To see his savior Jesus as the exalted Lord over all things – even those who would murder him – standing, waiting to receive him, fulfilling his promise.

In Luke 12, Jesus promised – “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,” (Luke 12:8).

Brothers and sisters, when you endure suffering of any kind – the loss of loved ones, the pain of terminal illness, or perhaps persecution for the sake of Christ – do not forget who stands in heaven on your behalf.

It is not a powerless god who is stands sorrowful and helpless. No, it is the sovereign Lord. It is the Son of Man who himself has triumphed over sin and the grave and is even now putting his enemies under his feet. It is that reigning Christ who does not simply see your situation, but – as we will see in a few minutes – has ordained it to happen for his glory and the furtherance of his kingdom.

3. Persecution Reveals True Christianity (7:57-60)

[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. [59] And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” [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.

Some of you have heard me speak of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He was a Welshman who was on his way to being one of the Queen’s personal physicians when he felt God calling him to preach. God went on to use him mightily in the United Kingdom. Even today he is thought of as one of this century’s greatest preachers.

Dr. Lloyd-Jones went home to be with the Lord around 1980, but left decades of sermons on tape. His daughter listens to them and edits them for publication. Right now they are publishing his sermon on the book of Acts. And, amazing preacher that he was, he preached 38 sermons on Acts chapter 7 alone! I’ve only done three – I hope you don’t feel short-changed!

My point is, he gets to this part of chapter 7 and he says, this is what real Christianity is all about. When you look at Stephen in these final moments, you see the power of the gospel. You see that Christianity is not about do’s and don’ts, it’s about God transforming you from the inside – giving you a new heart.

Think about the scene. Stephen has declared that he has seen God in heaven and the men snapped. They lost it. They gave up all dignity in a blind, murderous rage.

They grab Stephen and drag him from the council, drag him out of the city itself. Leave him laying in the dust, and as he gets up, they begin to pelt him with rocks. Some hit him in the leg. Others the abdomen.

He can’t dodge or avoid the rocks – there are too many and they’re coming too fast. And then they begin to find his head. The first stone staggers him. The second and third daze him as Stephen feels the warmth of his run down his face and onto his robe. He is losing consciousness and falls to his knees.

Even in hazing thinking of being stoned to death, Stephen calls out to same Lord he has just seen standing at the Father’s right hand – ““Lord Jesus, receive my spirit . . . Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

[illus] Last night Melinda and I were watching a 48 hours mystery. It was about this nice Christian family that appeared to have everything together, and they did except for one thing – their oldest son plotted the family’s murder. He succeeded in killing his mother and brother, but his father survived.

Even after his own son tried to kill him, however, the father forgave him. And lobbied for him not to get the death penalty. When asked about this, he said that his son was clearly guilty of this terrible crime, but he knew that his soul was at stake. He said, ‘I believe that if anyone humbles himself and seeks God’s forgiveness, God will forgive them. I know my wife and younger son are in heaven and I will see them again one day. I want to make sure that see my other son as well.’

That flies in the face of our culture’s thinking. Your own son tried to have this murdered just for money. He wasn’t mistreated, he wasn’t abused, he just wanted money. But the father forgave him. How? God had changed him.

Furthermore, Stephen could have died angry at this ignorant mob. He could have died asking the Lord to judge them for their sin. Instead, he dies much like his savior Jesus died, asking for their sins to not be held against them.

What is revealed about you when you undergo suffering and persecution? There is something to be said about difficulty bringing out our real selves. That’s why I always ask couples in pre-marital counseling if they have seen their fiancée in stressful situations. Have they seen them around crying babies? Have they seen them in rush-hour traffic? Have they seen them after a truly horrid day at work?

What does persecution and suffering reveal about you? It should reveal the heart of true Christian. If it doesn’t then pray and ask that God continue his work of transformation in your life. Yield yourself to God’s Spirit as he tries to cut out the sin from your life and replace it with godliness.

4. Persecution Fulfills the Purposes of God (8:1-4)

What was – and continues to be – God’s plan for his people and what they do with the treasure of the gospel? Well, of course, it’s what we see at the end of Matthew and the beginning of Acts –

That God’s people are to take the gospel and be “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Thus, God doesn’t want the church to stay in some kind of a holy huddle and keep to themselves, letting the world come to them to hear the gospel. No – it’s the opposite! He wants, expects, commands, that his people intentionally go, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. God desires us to tell all people of his saving grace through Jesus Christ.

And up to this point, the church has just been in Jerusalem. It has been growing, God has been blessings, but they hadn’t yet began to plan, or really think about their worldwide mission. And then look at what happens –

Stephen is killed and in 8:1, we see that, “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. [2] Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. [3] But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. [4] Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”

We read this and think, God aren’t you upset that your people are being killed? Why don’t you stop it? Why don’t you do something? But the truth is, he is doing something. He is using the persecution that has come upon his people to grow his church and move it forward.

One of the great leaders in the early years of the church was a man from North Africa, named Tertullian. To give you some idea of when he is living, he died around 230AD. And in one of his many writings, as he is defending Christianity, he ends by speaking about the persecution of the church during his day. Then Christians were imprisoned, killed, some were thrown into Roman amphitheaters and fed to wild animals.

And he kind of says, ‘Do you really think this will stop us? Do you really believe that all of this will cause to stop worshipping and telling other of Jesus Christ?’ He writes, “You sacrifice the Christians at their wish. Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust. The oftener we are mown down by you the more in number we grow. For the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

That was certainly true in Stephen’s day. What happens when persecution breaks out and the Christians are driven from their homes and families and forced to move out into other parts of the region? Luke says, “those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”

And notice, this isn’t the professionals as it were. It’s not the pastors, the elders, the church leaders – it’s the lay people who are doing this. The apostles stayed to endure the persecution and coordinate the church. It’s the common Christians that go out and tell others about Christ, fulfilling the great commission.

So, this morning, when persecution happens – when it gets bad for our brothers and sisters around the world, or we have to struggle here in small ways – don’t think for a minute that God fell asleep, or stepped off the throne. Instead, take comfort and realize that a good and sovereign Lord is still alive and well, shaping history and the events of our lives to fulfill his purposes and grow his Church to the ends of the earth.

Conclusion

Sermon Notes: The Centrality of God’s Word (Acts 7, pt 2)

The Centrality of God’s Word

Acts 7:17-43, 51-53

 

Introduction

Acts 7:17-43 (ESV)

“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, [21] and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. [22] And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds. [23] “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. [24] And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. [25] He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. [26] And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ [27] But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? [28] Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ [29] At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. [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. [31] When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: [32] ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. [33] Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. [34] I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’ [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. [37] This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ [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, [40] saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ [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. [42] But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

” ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? [43] You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

[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 not your fathers 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.”

1. Accept God by Accepting God’s Word

Or to state this truth the way Stephen does, ‘reject God’s Word and you are rejecting God himself.’ Where does he get this from? Surely, we are not to worship the Bible? No, but we ought to take it seriously.

It’s not just another book from a comparative religions class. Despite the insane amount of Bible translations, Bible covers, Bibles with varying study notes, and even the somewhat blasphemous – at least, waste of time Biblezine; the Bible in a magazine format – we can come dangerously close to taking lightly God’s word.

Consider the difference it would make if we were like our Chinese brothers and sisters around the world, who have to hide their Bible and read it in secret. I guarantee you there is no lightness to God’s word there.

And Stephen’s point to his listeners – these religious leaders – is that if you take the Word lightly, you have taken God lightly. If you have rejected his word, then you have rejected God himself.

And he uses their own charge against him to flip the tables on them. He says, you want to talk about Moses? Okay, let’s talk about Moses –

He was rescued from death as a baby. He was given the best education in the world, living in Pharaoh’s court. He was then given further education in the fields as a shepherd. Then God revealed himself to Moses –

Stephen says after he was shepherd for forty years, “an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. [31] When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: [32] ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. [33] Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” [34] I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

God called Moses to be the deliverer! And then, verse 38 – “[Moses was] 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.”

God gave his Law to his people through Moses. Over and over again, Stephen demonstrates that God is with Moses. In a very special way, Moses serves as God’s representative. He speaks God’s word to his people.

But how to the people respond? They say, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?’ Then why he is receiving the Law – the living oracles, them, Stephen reminds us, “Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, [40] saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us.’”

Here is Moses – the bearer of God’s word – and the people reject him. And in doing so, Stephen is clear, they reject God. Moreover, he says, every prophet who spoke God’s word rejected. He says, you and your kind you reject God and his word, have killed them all – he even Jesus, the final prophet from God.

And so this wasn’t just a kind of blah, blah, blah, complacent, drifting away – no it was raw idolatry. They tell Aaron, make a god for us to worship!

Do not deceive yourself, brothers and sister, this is not simply part of Jewish history. This is human nature. From the very beginning until today, we create for ourselves idols and worship them. And the quickest way that happens is when we reject God’s word.

In construction, he you have something called a plumbline. It is simply a think piece of strong with a short of large, bullet-shaped anchor on the end. The point of this thing is that serves as an indicator of the rightness of what you are building. You hold up the plumbline and it shows you very clearly, whether the wall is straight or if the angle is wrong.

God has ordained that his Word serve as the plumbline of our lives. That is indicator of where we stand in our walk with him. If we throw it out, reject – then we reject God and his rule over our lives. We reject his influence and his presence. And we will quickly begin worshipping an idol fashioned with our won hands.

Therefore, accept God by accepting his word. Receive his power and influence, his wisdom and his grace. Receive the forgiveness and salvation he freely offers through Christ, by taking up his word.

If there is no desire for his word, you should seriously question your salvation. Listen closely. Many will have a desire, but never make the time or discipline themselves to read it with any habit or regularity.

If that’s you, the rejoice in the promise of Isaiah 42:3 – “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;” if there is barely a faint-burning ember to your spiritual life, God will snuff it out. If you ask him, he will fan your heart with the fresh breezes of his Spirit and revive you.

But if there is nothing that even comes close to longing for God’s word. If you’re kind who thinks you can make it on your own, or you’ve heard it all before, then you should not have any assurance of your salvation. Instead, you should humble yourself today and ask God to forgive your sins and impart spiritual life to your dead heart.

2. Understand that Christ is the Fulfillment of God’s Word

We mentioned last week, that we do not really know what Stephen was teaching. We know that he was accused of blaspheming God and his temple, and denigrating Moses and Law he received from God for the people.

Nevertheless, from what Stephen says here in Acts 7, we have a pretty idea of what he was teaching. We also made the point that it would have been very much in line with that Jesus himself taught.

And of the things Jesus taught was that he came to fulfill the Law, and more than that, the totality of God’s word.

One of my favorite stories comes in Luke 24. There are these two guys – two disciples – people who had believed that Jesus was the Christ. And they have just come from Jerusalem and seen him crucified. And then they have heard from the women were at the tomb on Sunday and saw it empty and heard the angel say Christ had risen.

And they just don’t what to think. They think it is probably some kind of hoax, but they want to believe. And they are walking to a little village called Emmaus. And suddenly, the risen Christ appears and begins walking along behind them. But Luke says, Jesus kept them from recognizing him. Christ says, ‘what are you guys talking about?’ And of course its about him! and whether or not he is really alive.

And Jesus says to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Now that would have been a Bible study! I hope Jesus teaches that one again in heaven. The point is, he says, come on guys, you should have seen this – all of the Scriptures point to me. From Genesis to Malachi, these are books about me.

Stephen understands this. And he has likely been teaching it. Not just in regards to the Law’s teaching about the temple and the sacrifices, but about the very nature of God’s word. And again, he says don’t you know our own history? Haven’t you yourselves read the word? Don’t you even understand it?

This is what Moses himself said would happen? He quotes Deuteronomy 18, reminding them that “God [said he would] send another prophet like Moses” (7:37). And more than just Moses, he says “the prophets . . . announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One” (7:52).

All of these guys – guys you say you know and understand said that one day another Prophet would come and give new law to God’s people. And it wouldn’t just be written on stone tablets, but on the very hearts of God’s people.

And all I am saying is that this man Jesus was that prophet. He was the one who came and gave new law. And as Hebrews says in chapter 7, the new law of Christ must replace the old Law for God’s people. The old law is now read through the person and work of Christ.

Therefore, Christian, you cannot nor should not simply go the Old Testament and read some law in Exodus or Leviticus and try to keep it. First of all, you will drive yourself insane. Or you will create a massive double-standard, somehow thinking this one applies to me but this one doesn’t. That won’t work either. Paul says if you’re going to keep even one law, you have to keep them all.

Instead, begin with the word of Jesus like the sermon on the mount. Read the word of his disciples, like James and Paul. Then go back and try to see how these laws can be applied through the lens of the gospel.

Otherwise, you will become a legalist. You will be so caught up in certain behaviors and whether or no you and others keep them, that you will miss Christ and grace he offers. You will be worried about the externals, but neglect the changing of your heart.

That doesn’t mean Christians can live however they want; quite the contrary. The standard under grace is much higher than the law for this very reason – God’s word is complete, the presence of his Spirit more pronounced, and his grace more clearly manifest.

The Bible itself said that everything would change when Christ had come. Christ has come, and everything has changed. Read the Bible, relate to God, live for God in light of the coming of Christ and good news of the gospel.

3. Give Evidence of Spiritual Life by Keeping God’s Word

Stephen describes these people as “stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears, always resist the Holy Spirit.”

Stephen describes these men as if they are unbelievers – they have no spiritual life. Remember what Paul said? He said spiritual life doesn’t come from being physically circumcised. It comes from a circumcision of the heart – something God does to us.

Thus, he told the Colossians ““In [Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,” (Col 2:11).

And in Romans he said that a true Jew – one who is truly part of God’s people, not just ethnically Jewish – Paul says, “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Rom 2:29).

And so when Stephen says their hearts are uncircumcised, he is saying they are not really part of God’s people. They have the right birth certificate, they look the part, the act the part, but ultimately, there is no spiritual life there.

In fact, Stephen says, they are no better than the unbelieving generation who died in the wilderness under Moses. They are a stiff-necked people. The same expression used to describe the wilderness generation.

Even today, we see the same thing. From the pulpit to the pew – people who have deceived themselves and others into thinking they are truly God’s people, when they are not. Many of the indicators are the same as well –

A birth certificate – they have a piece of paper that says they were baptized. They look and act the part – the dress up on Sundays and put on a smiling face, and act like its great to be with everyone; they give their tithe and contribute to special offerings.

Although there some who do much less and are still deceived. They come whenever they want, putting virtually anything above the fellowship of God’s people in worship. Just the other day, I was hearing about a lady who supposed to taking her 13 year old daughter for medical tests and possible treatment. But she told the doctor that her daughter had sports practice every night and she couldn’t miss. So here was a mom who valued her daughter’s sports involvement quite possibly more than her daughter very life.

That story is not far off the mark for man Christians. We often value comforts and pleasures above spiritual life. We want the fire-insurance of calling ourselves a Christian, we do not want the hassle of living like it.

Stephen drives this point home to the religious leaders he is talking to. They have accused him of bashing Moses and the Law he gave. But Stephen turns the tables and says, I’m not the one trashing the Law! Verse 53 – you received the law as delivered by angels but did not keep it.

Interestingly enough, Jesus said the same thing about the Pharisees. Matthew 23 is Jesus’ last, impassioned call for them to repent, listen to some of what he says –

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. [24] You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! [25] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. [26] You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

[27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. [28] So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

They stood over God’s Word and used it for their own ends, instead of being transformed by it. Stephen is saying the same thing that Jesus said – if you don’t keep the Word of God, if you do not read it, and take it into you like spiritual food, then you no evidence of spiritual life. For many of us this morning, that should be a wake-up call.

It is not enough to read it and know it. No, you must pray to God and ask him, by his grace and his Spirit, to empower you to live it. If you are a Christian, the Spirit is calling to you, trying to guide you. Without spending time in the word, you will never be able to follow his lead. You will be like these unbelievers who resisted the Holy Spirit.

How many times can God say, read his Word – and keep it by his grace.

Conclusion