Famous last words

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:59-60

Famous last words. They do not necessarily reveal a person’s entire outlook on life—but they certainly may reveal something of that outlook. The last words of famous actress, Joan Crawford, “reportedly” were her yelling at her housekeeper, who was praying as Crawford died, “Damn it! Don’t you dare ask God to help me!” (I say “reportedly” because I wasn’t there and didn’t hear Crawford’s last words for myself.)

How different were Stephen’s last words in Acts seven! Immediately before he died (at the hands of an angry mob that was murdering him), Stephen prayed that God would forgive those responsible for his wrongful execution.

Crawford didn’t want anything from God. Stephen wanted something—but not for himself. Rather, he pleaded for God’s mercy for those who were his enemies.

We do not know what our last words will be, mostly because we do not know when, where, or how we will die. We can cultivate a heart like Stephen’s, rather than one like Crawford’s, however. First, may our lives never be characterized by not wanting God’s help. Second, may we spend our lives praying for others—especially for God’s forgiveness of sin.

Voting may seem futile, but God...

The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:33

The upcoming election may in some ways seem rather futile. There are serious questions about how corruption (especially because of universal mail-in balloting) may result in no one ever knowing who got the most popular or electoral votes. For a simple explanation of that, you may want to view this video: Click Here.

As much as it may seem like the voting will determine less than the corruption and fraud, God’s Word encourages us that God is still in control. The voting may seem like nothing more than rolling the dice—but God determines the outcome.

Vote. Vote biblically. And trust the Lord that we will have the government He decrees. But pray that we do not get the government we deserve.

We must vote based on a biblical worldview

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Many Americans, including a great numbers of Christians, get burned up when it comes to politics and politicians. Many more are tired of being burned up and are now burned out.

Many Christians either do not know how to vote in November, or see no point in voting at all. After all, it is not difficult to find serious fault with both presidential candidates and with both parties. I received an encouraging word from a dear friend about this dilemma. He said, “Take the names and personas of Donald Trump and Joseph Biden out of the equation. Examine your own values and world view, and vote for the persons and party that most closely resembles those values.”

Dear Christian friends, I pray that I am “preaching to the choir” by what I am abut to say, but if not, as followers of Christ, by voting we have an opportunity to make a difference as salt in this rotting and putrefying world by voting. And how shall we vote? How can we as believers vote for people or for the party that vehemently affirms the following:

• The exclusion of God and the Bible from public discourse.

• The affirmation and even promotion of murdering millions of babies while in their mothers’ wombs?

• The promotion and even celebration of the LGBTQ+ agenda?

• Politics based on race which divide rather than unite our nation?

• Affirmation of atheistic Marxism that is responsible for the persecution of untold numbers of Christians, and for 100 million deaths in the 20th Century? (Socialism is touted by the leaders of that party, and Marxism is what BLM is actually about.)

Politics aside, these are moral issues that are biblically indefensible. Don’t worry about the fact that neither candidate or party is less than godly. Vote for candidates and the party that more closely resembled a biblical worldview.

We need to look past the candidates. We are not voting for people as much as we are voting for policies.

What about the fear that our votes do not matter? Next time…

The God of the unexpected

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:57-58

Saul of Tarsus was present when Stephen was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus. And as time went on, Saul’s participation—and in fact, leading role—in the persecution of believers escalated. He became the chief persecutor. Not content to persecute the faithful in Jerusalem, he ventured as far as Damascus Syria to hunt down those of The Way for arrest, imprisonment, and even death.

How should we pray for the persecuted Church? That the persecution would cease? That the saints would have strength, courage, and boldness in their sufferings? For the persecutors? What should we pray for regarding persecutors? That they would stop? Of course, but what about for their salvation? I wonder how many believers prayed for Saul’s salvation—much less that he would one day become an Apostle?

But that is what happened. Saul of Tarsus was converted and he became the Apostle Paul, writer of thirteen books of the New Testament.

We never know what God may be pleased to do—no matter how unexpected and dramatic.

Pray for the persecuted Church—and don’t forget to pray for the persecutors.

He died praying like Christ

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

A few days ago we considered the subject of dying well. Stephen certainly did die well. But note his last prayer. He prayed that the Lord would forgive those who stoned him to death for his faith in Christ. That is certainly contrary to what might be the cry of the flesh. The flesh cries out for deliverance, justice, and maybe even vengeance. Stephen cried out to God for grace—not for himself but for those bent on extinguishing his life.

Stephen not only lived for Christ (though possibly only for a short time preceding his death), he also died praying like Christ. No, Stephen was not crucified, he was stoned. But like Christ he pled with Heaven, even as he died, for God’s forgiveness to be granted to his Christ-hating executioners.

Jesus prayed, “Father forgiven them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Stephen in Christ-like manner prayed, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (v.60). May we likewise have words of prayer for the salvation of the lost on our lips when we die—especially if we should be called to persecution and martyrdom.

The opposition we appear to be heading into…

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:57-58

Jesus warned His disciples that we will be hated by the world, even as the world hated Him (John 15:18). Stephen experienced that reality in a most absolute sense. He was brutally martyred.

We have had the incredible privilege of living in a time and place in which Christianity has not only been accepted, but respected—even by the unbelieving world around us. That is rapidly changing, my friends. Our culture is revving up its engine of hatred for Christ, the gospel—and yes, for Christ’s people, the Church. While we are not delighted by this development, we ought not be surprised by it. And we must not let it shake our faith. Jesus said it would be so. The acceptance we are used to is the exception. The opposition we appear to be heading into is the norm.

And don’t miss that even though Stephen’s defense of Christ and the gospel was brilliantly compelling, they “stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.” Understand that the lost and those Christ-haters on “the Left” hate the truth so much that they not only refuse to hear it, they are incapable of understanding it! (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So let us speak the truth of Christ and the gospel, and rather than being surprised at the reaction of the world, let us pray for them (especially our lost loved ones). For unless the Holy Spirit regenerates them, they can only “stop their ears,” and hate Jesus and those who love Him.

Those who are ready to be with Jesus

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Acts 7:55-56

Teaching about the Christian life is about—well, living. And well it should be. But there is an important aspect of the Christian life that we all will experience that is of no less significance. Dying. May we live well that we may die well.

Stephen, “being full of the Holy Spirit” died well. It certainly was not pleasant, being stoned to death as a martyr by an angry mob, but spiritually, he was ready to be with Jesus. I pray that none reading this will drink from the bitter cup of martyrdom, but I pray that we will all die, “full of the Holy Spirit,” fully ready to be with Jesus.

The key, of course is “being full of the Holy Spirit,” and I mean that in two senses. First, being born again, at which point all of God’s children are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Second, following the Holy Spirit’s lead in daily living. May the Spirit not only be present in our lives, but may we be submitted to Him as the President of our lives.

Being a Christian does not guarantee that the dying experience will be easy for all. In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, when the two main characters cross the river—symbolizing their deaths—their crossings were different. Christian was arguably stronger in life than was Hopeful. But in death (at their crossing), Christian had a more difficult time than Hopeful. Yet though their deaths were not the same, their destinations were.

Let us seek to live well. And let us pray that we will die well—regardless of the ease or difficulty with which we cross over. May we be “full of the Holy Spirit,” ready to be with Jesus at last!

Gnashing of teeth indicates anger, and even hatred

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
Acts 7:54

We pointed out last time that the religious leaders’ gnashing of teeth was due not to sorrow, but to anger, and even hatred. This is evident because they didn’t release Stephen and receive Christ. They murdered Stephen.

We also pointed out that when Bible speaks of people in Hell gnashing their teeth, they aren’t doing so because of sorrow, but because of anger, and even hatred. To understand this, consider the following.

The Bible says those who do not believe in God, or oppose God, actually hate God! If that sounds too harsh, consider the verses in the footnote at the end of this article. Those who oppose God hate Him in this life, and it stands to reason that in Hell they will not only continue to hate God, but their hatred will reach it’s zenith. Why?

Those who are lost insist that they are not that bad and therefore do not need forgiveness by a Savior. When they are condemned to Hell for eternity, they will hate God all the more for condemning them when they were actually “good people.”

And hatred of God in Hell may even be more vehement for religious people when they are condemned in spite of their religion. “How dare God not acknowledge all the religious rituals and deeds I performed!”

Add to that the fact that in this life everyone—including the most evil—experiences the common grace of God, which includes a measure of God’s restraining grace. That’s right, even the most sinful are not as sinful as they could be because God mercifully restricts us from unbridled sin. Remember that in Job, even the devil could do no more harm to Job than God allowed! In Hell God’s restraining grace is removed. The only aspect of God that anyone will experience in Hell is God’s unmitigated wrath. With no restraint on sin in Hell, those who are there will hate God completely and forever. That, my friends, may be the worst reality that anyone will experience in Hell. After all, we were created to love and worship God. Those in Hell will experience the antithesis of their reason for being. Forever.

No wonder those in Hell will gnash their teeth in anger and hatred.

Verses about non-believers hating God:
John 3:20, John 7:7, John 15:24, Romans 1:28-30, Psalm 83:2, Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 32:41, Deuteronomy 5:9, Psalm 68:1, Psalm 81:15, Proverbs 8:32 These are only examples. There are more.

Gnashing of teeth means what?

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
Acts 7:54

If you are familiar with the seventh chapter of Acts, you know why the religious leaders “gnashed” their teeth as Stephen. They had leveled false accusations at Stephen, that he answered with scripture. More specifically, he answered their accusations with a scriptural history of Israel rejecting God and His prophets at every turn throughout their history. He was pointing out that their persecution of Christ and His followers was nothing new.

Their reaction to Stephen’s words was first that they were cut to the heart. They knew that Stephen’s words were true. They weren’t about to confess their sin and repent, but they were “cut to the heart”! Don’t miss that conviction does not always result in repentance. It often results is further hardening of the heart.

The mixture of their conviction and hard-heartedness resulted in the gnashing of their teeth. The Bible speaks of people in Hell gnashing their teeth (Luke 13:28, Matthew 8:12). Most think this is due to sorrowful anguish as people realize that they didn’t receive Christ, should have received Christ, and are sorrowful, wishing they had received Christ.

That is not the case. The religious leaders in Acts 7:54 were gnashing their teeth not in sorrow, but in anger. This is obvious since they proceeded not to embrace Christ but to murder Stephen.

Likewise the gnashing of teeth in Hell is not due to sorrow, but to anger—and even hatred.

Read tomorrows blog post for more on gnashing of teeth in Hell…

What can we possibly do for God?

But Solomon built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?  Has My hand not made all these things?' 
Acts 7:47-50

Stephen was quoting Isaiah 66:1-2, in which God chides us for thinking He needs anything from us, or that we can we can do anything for Him. God is completely self-existent and self-sufficient. That means He owes His existence to no one, and that He needs nothing from anyone. In fact, if we think we can do anything for God, it only reveals that we do not understand God.

David wanted to build a temple for God (2 Samuel 7). God disallowed him to do so. God did allow David to make the plans and gather the materials, but the temple was to be build by David’s son, Solomon, once David was deceased.

Isaiah’s words about not needing anything built by human hands, certainly applies to the building of the Jerusalem temple, but the spiritual implications go even further. God doesn’t need anything from our hand. In 127:1, the psalmist said, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” And in John 15:5 Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

Let us do what God wants us to do, rather than suggesting to Him what we would like to do for Him. And let us only and always do for God in His strength, whether building our lives, our families, or Christ’s Church.

A tale of two prophets

"This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'the LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren, Him you shall hear.’”
Acts 7:37

What is a prophet? People commonly think that prophets only foretell the future, but that is not so. A prophet is one who speaks for God, often with little or no mention of future events.

Moses was a great prophet. Through him, God gave His people His Law—and so much more.

Moses did foretell that God would one day raise up another Prophet. An even greater prophet who would be the Messiah, who would save His people from their sins. That greatest Prophet is none other than Jesus Himself.

The Apostle John wrote of the prophet Moses and the greater Prophet Jesus with these words: “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

The great prophet, Moses, gave us God’s Law that condemns, and cannot save (Romans 3:20). The greatest Prophet, Jesus, gave us “grace and truth” (John 1:17), by which we are delivered from the condemnation of the Law and given both the desire and the ability to obey God’s Law (Philippians 2:12-13).

Moses and the Law point to the Prophet, Savior, and Lord, Jesus. Let us “hear Him!”

Are leaders right about everything?

"This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.
Acts 7:35

It is all too common for people to resist, and even rebel against, those in authority over them. The reason is that we are sinners, and as such, are born in rebellion against our Creator. As fallen sinners who resist the authority of God, who is surprised that we also tend to resist those He ordains to have delegated authority over us? Whether children throwing tantrums, declaring hatred toward parents; or teenagers who insist they know more than their parents; or students who hate their teachers; or adults who disrespect their bosses, civil authorities, and even church leaders—we hate being told what to do. By anybody.

God’s Word (Romans 13:1-8) commands us to be subject to governing authorities because God has ordained them to have authority over us. Are we to submit ourselves to to human authorities because they are right about everything? Heavens no! None of us are right about everything. But God is right about everything—including His ordination of those in authority.

Why does God appoints those He ordains to such positions? God ordains good leaders as His blessing, and He ordains bad leaders as His judgment.

Here are two takeaways:

First, if God ordains bad leaders in our country, it is likely the judgement we deserve for our collective corporate sin. If we want good leaders, which are a sign of God’s blessing, let us cry out for a spiritual revival and repent of our sin. If we don’t, the bad leaders are not the only ones to blame. We are all complicit.

Second, Moses was a good leader, yet those God called him to lead rebelled against Him. In addition to subjecting ourselves to God, let us subject ourselves to those He ordains as leaders—especially the good leaders that are God’s blessing.

The presence of the Almighty on that dirt, made even the dirt holy.

"And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS--THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. 'Then the LORD said to him, "TAKE YOUR SANDALS OFF YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE WHERE YOU STAND IS HOLY GROUND. Acts 7:30-33

Having been the adopted grandson of the Pharaoh, Moses worked for forty years as a lowly shepherd—and shepherds were despised by Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). Talk about a humbling. No one likes to be humbled. But as A.W. Tozer once quipped, “God uses no man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” Why must this be so? Because when God uses any of us, God demands the glory be His, not ours! So He humbles those He uses. (Pride is the biggest downfall of those God uses.)

Having been humbled, God revealed Himself and spoke to the lowly shepherd from the midst of a burning bush that burned, but was not consumed. That is not something one sees every day. Or ever!

Moses drew near to see what see was seeing. And as he did, God warned Moses to take his shoes off. Why? Because the ground on which Moses was standing was holy. Was the dirt any different than the dirt five feet away? Or even five miles away? Not intrinsically. Dirt is dirt. But the presence of the Almighty on that dirt, made even the dirt holy.

May we humble ourselves that God may be pleased to lift us up for His service (James 4:10). And then may we who were made originally from the dirt (Genesis 2:7), be holy, as God is pleased to dwell in and uses us for His glory.

It was all a part of God’s sovereign plan

"But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt till another king arose who did not know Joseph. This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. Acts 7:17-21

In His providence, the Lord moves people, raises up nations, and raises up leaders of nations—both good and bad. The family of Israel, that moved to Egypt to survive a famine, multiplied and became a mighty number.

A Pharaoh of Egypt arose who turned against God’s people, enslaving and abusing them. Though this was horrible, it was all a part of God’s sovereign plan—a plan, by the way, that included the birth of a deliverer named, Moses—who was a type of the Deliverer named, Jesus.

Moses, born a slave, became the adopted grandson of the evil Pharaoh to save his people, the Israelites. Jesus, the eternally begotten Son of God and King of kings from eternity past, willingly became a servant to save His people (Philippians 2:5-8).

In Acts 7:22-36, Stephen told of how Moses couldn’t deliver the Israelites by the hand of a great man. Instead, God had to strip Moses of all his greatness, remaking him a humble servant before he could be Israel’s deliverer. Similarly, in God’s providence, Jesus, the eternal Prince of Heaven, had to humble Himself and become obedient, even to death on a cross to save His people (Philippians 2:5-8).

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

All of history is the story of God's providence

…and said to him, 'GET OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY AND FROM YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO A LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.' Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. Acts 7:3-4

God saved Abraham out of pagan idolatry in Babylon (“the land of the Chaldeans”).

And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. Acts 7:5

God promised to give Abraham a land and to bring forth a nation from him—even though Abraham had no child. God’s promises are sure even when they appear to be impossible from our perspective.

But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 'AND THE NATION TO WHOM THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY SHALL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.' Acts 7:6-7

God foretold of Abraham’s people going out from their land to be enslaved for 400 years by the Egyptians, but also that after that time, God would judge the Egyptians and deliver His people back into their land to worship Him.

"And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him Acts 7:9

God ordained that Joseph’s brothers would sell him off as a slave, but as verses 10-23 record, God used Joseph to get the Israelites to Egypt, and Moses to get the Israelites out of Egypt.

The history of Israel is truly a history of God’s providence. His providence in our lives may not be as dramatic, but we are who we are, and are where we are, because of God’s providence.

What happened to Stephen? And what happened as a result?

Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?" And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen…
Acts 7:1-2

The High Priest asked Stephen if the charges against him were true. What Charges? Blasphemy regarding the temple and the Law—and that Jesus would destroy the temple and the customs the religious leaders taught (Acts 6:13-14).

Of course the charges were not true. Stephen taught nothing contrary to the teachings of Christ, and Jesus clearly taught in the Sermon on the Mount that He did not come to destroy the law (Matthew 5:17-19).

Interestingly, Stephen did not answer their question about the charges. Instead, from Acts 7:2-50, Stephen gave them a biblical history lesson. What was the crux of the lesson? The faithfulness of God to Abraham (v.2-8). To Joseph (v.9-19). To Israel and Moses (v.17-34).

Then in (v.35-43), Stephan explained how Israel rejected Moses, whom God ordained to be their Law giver and deliverer. In (v.44-50) Stephen spoke of God’s faithfulness to raise up David, and then Solomon who built the temple—even though God does not dwell in a temple made of human hands.

Stephen turned his history lesson into an indictment against Israel saying:

"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." Acts 7:51-53

Did these truths melt their hearts? Hardly. They became enraged with anger (v.54). They refused to listen (v.57), cast Stephen out of the city, and stoned Him to death (v.58).

What shall we make of all this? (1) Answer false accusations with truth, especially biblical truth. (2) Pray for those to whom we speak truth, that the Holy Spirit will grant them ears to hear. (3) Do not be surprised if they persist in their sin. (4) But rejoice if God is willing to save even one. Remember Saul of Tarsus was there approving of Stephen’s execution. But God saved Saul and made him the Apostle Paul!

The Church’s first official martyr was welcomed into Heaven that day. And the stage was set for the unveiling of the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Angelic peace than convicts demonic persecutors (and glorifies God!)

And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 6:15

This “angelic” countenance should not be misunderstood to say that Stephen became an angel. Commentator Albert Barnes wrote of this:

“This expression is one evidently denoting that he manifested evidence of sincerity, gravity, fearlessness, confidence in God. It is used in the Old Testament to denote special wisdom, ( 2 Samuel 14:17 & 19:27). In Genesis 33:10, it is used to denote special majesty and glory, as if it were the face of God.”

Two things come to mind:

First, may we be so secure in the grace of God our Savior, that even if we are the targets of persecution for Christ’s sake, we too have faces like angels. May we be so secure in Christ and in His sovereignty that it shows on our faces.

Second, I am reminded that Saul of Tarsus was present at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 8:1). Paul (formerly Saul) freely admits his complicity in Stephan’s death in Acts 22:20. I’m sure that Paul saw that “angelic” face of Stephen as He heard Stephen’ s eloquent reply to the charges leveled against him—a reply that was laced with the gospel. I cannot help but believe that Stephen’s face and words angered him when it was happening. But neither can I help but believe that Stephen’s face and words haunted him until he too was converted by the work of the Holy Spirit. May the faces and words of the martyrs be used by God to convert those who hate His people because they hate Him!

Special Edition: Lies the redeemed must overcome by speaking truth

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

As a follow up on the message I preached on Sunday (9/20/2020), remember that God’s people are to be “overcomers.” And what are we to overcome? The world. We said that the world lies and that we are to overcome those lies. How and with what? By faith in the truth. Jesus is truth (John 14:6), and God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).

Consider some (there are many more) of the lies the world tells, and that so many believe. And consider that even believers sometimes get worn down over time, having heard the lies so much that we either begin to believe them, or at least grow numb and stop speaking truth to overcome them.

• Gender is fluid and there are more than two genders. Basic biology reveals this as a lie, yet the world keeps repeating it, and many believe it! (Genesis 1:27)

• Homosexuality is merely an alternative lifestyle that all must celebrate, or be guilty of hate speech. Homosexuality is evidence of God’s judgment on those who have rejected God. (Romans 1:24-29) Sin and God’s judgment is nothing to celebrate.

• Abortion (killing babies still in their mothers’ wombs) is “a woman’s right to choose,” and a “women’s health” issue. Never mind the issue of the babies’ health. Human beings are created in the image of God. Murder is a capital offence not only because it takes a life, but because it desecrates the image of God, and is therefore a sin against God Himself. This is true regardless of age, size, location, or ability to care for oneself—including babies in the womb. (Jeremiah 1:5, Deuteronomy 18:10)

• Every problem is due to racism—and if you even think you are not a racist, that proves that you are a racist. The Bible knows only one race: the human race, created in the image of God, from which all descended from Adam. (Romans 2:9-11) And the redeemed of the Lord are made up of people from “every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9-11)

• Police in America are the enemy, while criminals who resist and even attack police are heroes. God ordained civil authorities to maintain law and order (Romans 13:1-5) God condemns lawlessness as sin (1 John 3:4), and those who call good evil and evil good. (Isaiah 5:20)

• Education and healthcare are basic human rights and must be free for all. Never mind who will pay for these “free” human rights. The Bible commands all to work to support themselves, and condemns those who expect others to support them. (2 Thessalonians 3:7-12)

• Science is right about everything. Really? Then why are science books constantly being rewritten—not merely because we have discovered new things, but because science was wrong about the previous things. (1 Corinthians 8:2) Ironically, the Bible hasn’t changed in thousands of years.

• Evolution is scientific fact. Those who believe this lie do not understand what science is. Evolution cannot be demonstrated (much less proven) by the scientific method. Neither can creation, but the scientific method disproves evolution and cannot disprove creationism. Evolution is a religion about the origins of everything that people believe because they have rejected the belief in God who created all things. (Romans 1:19-25)

• Traditional families are patriarchal and must be done away with. (One of the stated tenets of BLM—though they recently removed that a few weeks ago, along with their statement of what their website said they believed.) God ordained marriage and family. Those who oppose the family as God ordained it, oppose God. (Genesis 2:18-25, Ephesians 5:22-33)

• Socialism and Communism (Marxism) work and are good. Anyone who believes this lie knows nothing of the history of the 20th Century, in which communism was responsible for killing nearly 100 million people (20 million in Russia and 65 million in China, the other 15 million in Cambodia, N. Korea, Africa, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, and elsewhere). Christians are persecuted in virtually every one of the places where Communism is found. While people are to share with those in need (2 Corinthians 9:7), no one is to share by coercion (Acts 5:4), including by the redistribution of wealth by oppressive governments. (Matthew 20:25-28).

Brothers and sisters, these are not merely political and social issues. They are issues that the biblically informed realize are biblical. Let us know and stand for the truth. Yes, God is Sovereign, but He sovereignly charges His people to overcome the world and stand against the lies of the devil by thinking and speaking truth.

As long as the liars are the only ones to speak, who is surprised when their lies are believed? Let us speak the truth—in love.

Let us never stoop to the tactics of the godless and the lawless

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” Acts 6:8-14

The most common reason people do not like the truth is that they prefer the lies they have chosen to believe. Acts 6:8-14 is a turning point. Not only was persecution no longer aimed only at the Apostles, but the opposition was coming from more people than just the Jewish religious leaders. Persecution was expanding!

Note two strategies employed by those who oppose truth:

First, the persecutors accuse those who speak the truth of doing things they have not done. In other words, they press false charges by lying. They did it with Jesus in His trials. They did it again with Stephen, accusing him of saying things he never said. And they continue to to do so this day—not only where Christians are persecuted, but politically, those on the left have no conscience about lying to defame their foes. (Let those on the right be warned that this tactic is wrong no matter who does it!)

Second, the persecutors “stir up the people.” There is theory that if a crowd can be stirred into a frenzy, then the cause must be right. This is simply not true. In fact, when crowds are stirred up, and especially if violence (and destruction of property) takes place, the cause is nearly always wrong. We have been watching this in the streets of many American cities—since May! Rioting (violence and the destruction of property) is never right. It is never right to do the wrong thing.

Let us be on the side of what is right. Let us be as active in standing against error and lawlessness as the Lord would have us to be—but let us never stoop to the tactics of the godless and the lawless.

A “Martin Luther moment”

Then the Word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7

The Jewish religious leaders were great antagonizers of Christ and His Church. But God was pleased to save “many of the priests.” Here are a couple of observations of how and why God does this:

People can sincerely desire to serve God, but be ignorant of the gospel. Many priests (and other religious people) evidently fall into this category. They are “all in,” but misguided until…

They hear the Word of God. When they hear the truth of Christ and the gospel, what they had hoped they were doing to serve God is revealed as false, and they get converted. I call this a “Martin Luther moment.” Martin Luther was devout and as religious a priests as they come! He was teaching the Bible in a Roman Catholic seminary. As he studied the Bible, by God’s revelatory grace, he realized two things:

1. He realized that the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the Roman church were contrary to the Bible.

2. He realized that his religion could do nothing to make him acceptable to God. He came to understand that the only way to be acceptable to God is through faith in Jesus Christ, alone!

The result: Luther was converted, and the Protestant Reformation began! And among the first converts of the Reformation who followed Luther were many Roman Catholic priests and nuns—just like Acts 6:7.

Pray for your religious, but as yet unsaved, family and friends. Pray that each of them would also have a “Martin Luther moment” as a result of exposure to the Word of God!