March 1, 2025

#258 - The Temple Was Never the End: Finding God Beyond the Building - Acts 7.44-60

***This podcast description was generated by ChatGPT based on the transcript.

In this episode of AL Pastor, Pastor Brian and Noah conclude their deep dive into Acts 7, starting at verse 44 and walking through Stephen's bold and final words. Together, they explore how Stephen transitions from recounting Israel’s history to confronting the Sanhedrin’s hard-hearted rejection of God's plan. They discuss how the temple—originally a God-ordained symbol of His presence—became an idol, and how Stephen’s sermon reveals the danger of clinging to symbols while missing the Savior.
Brian offers a powerful analogy of a bulldog puppy to illustrate Israel’s refusal to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise. The conversation touches on prophetic fulfillment, the danger of religious pride, the biblical theme of hard vs. soft hearts, and the introduction of Saul, who will later become Paul. With humor, heartfelt teaching, and a vivid explanation of Stephen’s martyrdom, this episode invites listeners to consider whether their hearts are open to God's voice—or resisting the Spirit like those in Acts 7.
🎧 A rich and sobering episode that reminds us: the message may be the same, but the condition of the heart makes all the difference.

Show Notes
Transcript

This outline was generated by ChatGPT based on the transcript.

📖 Scripture Focus: Acts 7:44–60

Stephen’s sermon moves from a historical overview to a confrontation with the Sanhedrin about their idolatry of the temple and rejection of God’s messengers—including Jesus. This segment concludes with Stephen’s martyrdom.

🧵 Main Themes & Structure

1. From People to Place: The Tabernacle and Temple (vv. 44–50)

Verse 44: The Tabernacle was God's idea, given to Moses "as He appointed"—a phrase worth highlighting.
The Tabernacle was patterned after the heavenly reality (cf. Hebrews 8:5).
Verse 45–46: Transition through Joshua to David’s desire to build a permanent house for God.
Verse 47: Solomon, David’s son, ultimately builds the Temple.
Verses 48–50: But God clarifies through Isaiah 66 that He does not dwell in temples made with human hands. He is bigger than any building—He created it all.

📌 Key Point: The temple was intended as a signpost pointing to the ultimate fulfillment: God dwelling with His people in Jesus Christ.

🐶 Illustration Used:

Pastor Brian uses an analogy of a bulldog puppy to explain how Israel clung to the symbol (temple) instead of embracing the fulfillment (Jesus).
Key Reflection: It’s foolish to hold onto a picture of the promise when the promise has arrived.

🪟 Transition: From Prophetic Pattern to Personal Rejection (vv. 51–53)

Verse 51: Stephen confronts the Sanhedrin with strong language: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears!”
- "Stiff-necked" = stubborn (Exodus 32:9).
- "Uncircumcised in heart" = lacking true spiritual transformation (see Deut. 10:16; Rom. 2:29).
He accuses them of always resisting the Holy Spirit—just like their ancestors.
Verses 52–53: Stephen charges them with persecuting the prophets, betraying and murdering Jesus, and not keeping the law they received.

📌 Takeaway: The issue isn’t ignorance—it’s willful rejection. Their hearts are hard. They've trusted in religious systemsrather than God Himself.

💔 Comparison of Responses to the Gospel

Acts 2	Acts 7
Peter preaches	Stephen preaches
Audience is cut to the heart and says, “What shall we do?”	Audience is cut to the heart and gnashes their teeth
Leads to repentance and salvation	Leads to rage and murder

Same message. Different response.
➡️ Lesson: The heart condition of the hearer matters. Soft hearts receive. Hard hearts rebel.

💀 Stephen’s Martyrdom (vv. 54–60)

Verse 54: They respond with rage—gnashing teeth (intense fury).
Verses 55–56: Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (a significant departure from the usual "seated" description).
- Standing = welcoming, interceding, ready to receive.
Verses 57–58: They cover their ears and run at him in one accord—violent unity in rebellion. He is cast out of the city (just like Jesus).
Verse 59: Stephen calls out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”—mirroring Jesus on the cross (“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”).
- This statement equates Jesus with God.
Verse 60: He kneels (voluntary submission), prays for his persecutors, and dies.
- “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”

📌 Stephen follows Jesus to the very end: full of grace, forgiveness, and surrender.

👤 Introduction of Saul

The people lay their garments at Saul’s feet—he consents to Stephen’s death.
This subtle detail foreshadows Saul’s transformation into Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

🔄 Takeaways & Application

Beware of idolizing religious structures or traditions—they are signs pointing to Christ, not the end goal.
The gospel hardens or softens—we must guard our hearts from becoming calloused.
True worship is internal and spiritual—God seeks worshippers in spirit and truth (John 4:23).
Stephen models what it looks like to die like Jesus—forgiving enemies, submitting to God’s will, and trusting in Christ.
We don’t control outcomes—we remain faithful. Some plant, others water, but only God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6).

🗣️ Discussion Questions

What are some modern examples of idolizing “temples” instead of trusting in Christ?
How can we discern whether our hearts are resisting or responding to the Holy Spirit?
Why is Stephen’s prayer for his killers so powerful? How does it challenge our faith?
What lessons can we learn about obedience when the outcome isn’t "success"?

0:07

You're listening to Al Pastor, the show that helps you love God, love your neighbor and eat more

tacos.

0:15

I'm your host, Pastor Brian, welcome to the show.

Hey friends, I want to welcome you to today's podcast.

0:24

We are going to finish out Acts Chapter 7 and we're going to pick up in verse 44 right where we left

off from the previous episode.

0:32

I have a course in studio with me.

Noah, know how you doing today?

0:36

I'm doing fine, thank you.

All right.

0:38

Well, are you excited to finish this charter?

I guess, yeah.

0:44

Well, we're going to get into some interesting things in the next charter, Charter 8.

I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it might be a little bit more interesting for

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for most people because we're going to go into Samaria.

So we're going to leave Jerusalem and Judea and we're going to go to Samaria.

1:02

And in Samaria, guess what?

They encounter a guy that is a sorcerer, a guy that practices the dark arts of witchcraft.

1:13

Does that sound interesting?

His name's Simon the Sorcerer.

1:18

So that's what we're going to dig into next week.

Not just him, but also the activity of what's going on.

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Phillip.

Phillip goes to Samaria and then he goes and preaches to an Ethiopian.

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So it's going to be, it's going to be exciting, but we've got to finish out Chapter 7.

Now.

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I have a little bit of a challenge for, you know it.

Can you, can you give us the context up to this point?

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Like, in other words, what's been happening, what's going on before we jump into verse 44.

It's been Stephen referencing the Old Testament with different people who are a type of Jesus in

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order to try to defend everything he said.

Yeah, you know what?

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That's a, that's a, that's a pretty good summary.

And so who did he start with?

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Abraham.

Yeah, he started with Abraham because he's the father of the faith, and then he moves from Abraham

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to who?

Moses.

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Well, before he gets to Moses, to Joseph, remember, yeah, Joseph, then he goes to Moses.

And so now we have transitioned.

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He's going to go from people to a place which is going to be the temple.

So the point in all of this is that each point along the way in God's plan in history for for his

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people, God has brought about great things and the people have either rejected or they have been

blinding to the fullness of truth.

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And so this is where we're at.

So now he transitions.

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Go ahead and read for us verse 44.

Our fathers had the Tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He as he appointed, instructing

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Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen all.

Right.

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The first thing that I want to draw your attention to is the phrase as he appointed.

And if you don't have that highlighted, I want to encourage you highlight that phrase.

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It says as he appointed.

In other words, this was God's idea and this is reflecting back to the wilderness and it not only

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was it appointed, Moses was obedient.

He made it according to the pattern that he had what seen.

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So there's a lot we can get into in the Tabernacle that we don't have time for.

But the Tabernacle is pattern after something that was in heaven and so beautiful, beautiful thing,

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verse 45 says, which our fathers having received it in turn also brought with Joseph into the into

the possession by the Gentiles whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of

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David.

Now we just covered well over 500 years in one verse.

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I mean, that's like more actually more than that, but it's like, wow, think about all the history

that was here, the conquest of of Canaan and he's going all the way up until the day of of David,

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King David verse 46, Speaking of David, it says who found favor before God and asked to find a

dwelling for the God of Jacob.

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Now, do you know what's what he's referencing here in verse 46?

I don't think so, no.

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Well, it tells us in verse 47, but Solomon built him in how a house, in other words, the Tabernacle

was the was the temporary mode of worship for the Israelites to approach God in the Old Testament as

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they traveled.

So they would tear it down, they would set it up.

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And then once they got settled into the land, which was part of the promise that God had gave them,

David, King David had it in his heart to build a permanent place for God, which is known as the

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temple.

Now that didn't come about, but it came about through his son, his son Solomon, because it says

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Solomon built him a house.

Now in verse 48, what does it say?

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Go ahead and read it for us.

However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the Prophet says.

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Keep going.

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool.

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What house will you build for me?

Says the Lord, Or what is the place of my rest?

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Has my hands?

Has my hand not made all these, made all these things?

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Now, at first glance, what this is saying is let's let's summarize.

It was God's idea, right?

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He gave it to Moses.

There was a Tabernacle.

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King David built him a temple.

And now what's God saying here?

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Like in other words, put in your own words for me, Noah.

Well, I'm actually.

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I don't.

I can't really, honestly.

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OK, that's fine.

Here's the thing, there is a kicker.

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Even though they made a temple for God, he says in verse 14, the Most High doesn't dwell in temples

made with hands as the prophet says.

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And then he quotes the prophet.

Now when he says the Prophet, do you know who he's quoting?

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No.

It says heaven is my throne.

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This comes this comes out of Isaiah chapter 66 and earth is my footstool.

And then God, this is the words of God.

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What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

Has my hand not made all of these things?

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So God's trying to get them to understand that even though He has ordained the temple and the

Tabernacle, it always had the intention of pointing to something greater.

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All the temple in the Tabernacle was were signs pointing to the promise of God that He Himself would

one day walk among their midst.

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Once again, you can find this.

This is in all throughout the Old Testament.

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If I was to give you a scripture in particular, Leviticus 26 even talks about this.

It's God's intention for him to commune with man himself.

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So the temple and the Tabernacle was a reminder.

Now what has happened to them?

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Do you know Stevens audience who he's talking to?

They have turned the temple into an idol.

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And what I mean by that is imagine that you, if you had a goal in mind, and this might not be the

best illustration, I'm just thinking of this on the fly.

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Imagine that you you have something you really want.

Can you tell me something you really would like to have?

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A dog.

OK, so imagine that you you have a promise of a dog.

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What kind of dog do you want?

English Bulldog.

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You want an English bulldog.

And so imagine you've got a picture of a English bulldog puppy up there because of a promise.

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I made you a promise and I said, hey, when you turn, I don't know such and such age or sometime in

the future, I'm going to give you this and you've got that picture up there.

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And that is what?

What is that picture doing for you?

9:24

It's what's that picture doing to you?

Yeah, what's it doing for you?

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Why would you put a picture up?

To be, to like, remember, like.

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Yeah, to be not just to remember, but to remind you of what's to come, right.

Like one day that that that puppy, that English bulldog puppy is going to get here.

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And in many ways, This is why God.

It was God's idea for the temple in the Tabernacle.

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It was God's way of saying, because every aspect of the Tabernacle in the temple reminded them of

how God would come and redeem them, forgive them, come into relationship with them and walk among

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them.

And this was all fulfilled through the person of Jesus Christ.

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Now, it would be kind of silly if one day I showed up and I had this puppy in my arms and you refuse

you.

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I mean, think about this.

You refuse to even acknowledge that puppy because you're stuck on that picture.

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You've grown so accustomed to that picture on your wall, and it's like, no, that's not.

That's not what it is.

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Would that be silly to you?

Yeah.

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This is what's going on with the temple.

Their faith was so attached to the temple that they forgot what God's intention was.

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And I could say forgot, but probably a better way of saying it is, is understanding.

Now for you, Noah, I don't know how much you remember because you were younger as we went through

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the temple in the Tabernacle.

Well, actually you probably do on tour.

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Do you remember like everything in the Tabernacle would remind them?

Like what were some things that would point to Jesus?

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The curtains.

Yeah, that's actually one of them.

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The lamps.

Yeah, the Lam stand.

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And then trying to think what else was in there.

There's a lot of stuff.

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Here's the point.

Everything in there was a different aspect of God from the time you were the outside coming in.

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Like even the curtains, curtains from the outside and curtains from the inside.

Like think about this when you entered into the temple or the Tabernacle.

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I'm just going to use the Tabernacle right now.

You would enter in through the East and there would be emblems on there of two of cherubim guarding

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the way.

It was to remind them of the Garden of Eden, of the fellowship that was broken with mankind as a

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result of sin.

But God's redemptive plan through the process of sacrifice and confession and repentance would bring

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them nearer to God every step of the way.

So you'd start on the outer court, and you would bring an offering.

12:24

And that offering, there would be someone to take your offering, to make that offering for you on

your behalf, and to pronounce your your sacrifice and your forgiveness of sins.

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They would slaughter an animal, and then they would go and they would take a coal from the fire of

the altar of the sacrifice that you brought in.

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And then they would go a step further and they would take it into this altar of incense, and they

would pour it onto this little thing, and that smoke would ascend.

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And it was a representation of your prayers that you've offered reaching God.

Now, although this was all ceremony and all those things, the intention is that one day this promise

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would come to pass, and it is all come as a result of who Jesus is.

So again, the temple is God's idea.

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There's nothing evil about the temple.

It's just the fulfillment of the promise had come to pass, just like Abraham and Moses and Joseph.

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All those examples along the way.

Do you have, do you have some thoughts or some questions on this?

13:38

Why?

What's going on here?

13:41

So basically from what you were like saying you were using like the the demonstration of like the

picture of the puppy.

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And then once you like hold it and it's not the same thing.

I would is that like like, for example, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, they were picturing the

14:02

Messiah going to be this like war hero, hero or something.

So, so they wouldn't like, they recognize Jesus as well.

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They wouldn't have recognized Jesus as the Messiah after everything that happened.

But yeah, but yeah, they, they still didn't like, accept him.

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So would that be you?

Yeah, you know what I like?

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I like the way your your mind's thinking.

Because even though I use this example and believe me, it's on the fly about the bulldog puppy,

14:30

right?

We can take it a step further.

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Imagine you're so fixated on this picture and you're like, well, I, I always imagined that this

bulldog would be black and have some white spots and wait, wait, wait.

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You brought that wasn't what I was expecting.

You brought in a.

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You've got a brown bullet.

Yeah.

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That is what I was trying to like, say kind of, yeah.

Actually, it's a really good way to think of it.

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So I I like that that's, that's a good illustration there.

And they're like no, no, because Jesus did not meet their expectations.

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It's kind of like, it's kind of like they had a checklist of what they were expecting And, and, and

even though he is the Messiah in their eyes, he wasn't what they were wanting.

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And so they rejected.

Correct, correct.

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And what's also interesting is as Jesus came and he taught, he gave.

In this sense, Jesus is a prophet, priest, king, all these different titles he began to expound upon

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God's Word.

And because people were so fixated on the way that they had learned, they couldn't get past those

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things.

And the ones that did, like the disciples and those that followed him, they would have their eyes

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opened.

And so they begin to understand, I get it now, right?

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This is this is what God had in mind.

This is why the Old Testament is so, so, so important to our understanding of of God's Word.

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And what's also interesting is because their faith was attached so much to the temple, they would

also take pride in it as well.

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Like look at this, How, how dare you speak against the temple, so much so that God had to remove and

destroy that temple.

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Do you know when that happened?

No.

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That that happened not too long after the book of Acts in 70 AD Rome came and destroyed that temple

and Jesus actually had, he did predict that the destruction of the temple and God removed it and

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there is no temple to this day.

But guess what they're going to, they're going to build another one 2000 years later, Can you

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believe it?

They're still fixated on this temple and guess what?

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They don't know we're the temple.

Like this is what God had intended for him to dwell not only with us but in us.

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So they're so fixated that they are going to build a temple.

Again, we call this the third temple.

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This is like a hot button topic of prophecy.

When's the third temple going to be built?

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Everything's ready right now.

Like they're people talk, you know, you'll see some YouTube videos or whatever.

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Oh, it's not built yet.

No.

17:27

Oh, I, I, I thought you said, I thought you were saying like it is built or.

They did.

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No, it's not.

What's there right now is a a Islamic mosque.

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It's called the Dome of the Rock.

I've got pictures standing in front of it.

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That's where the temple is going to be built.

And they already have everything ready to build this temple.

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Excuse me.

So yeah, pretty crazy.

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And just as the temple was destroyed in 70 AD during the time of what we call the Tribulation, and

when Jesus comes back, you know what's going to happen again?

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He's going to destroy that temple.

It's crazy.

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Some people never learn.

Never learn, I guess.

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Well.

We could say it like this, some people, they either never learn or they learn the hard way, right?

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And sometimes we do that too.

We got to learn the hard way.

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So I don't want to be too hard on them because there's a spiritual aspect as well.

The Bible says that he's he has put a veil over their face.

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And specifically we're talking about Israel right now.

They've become heart of heart.

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All right, So I think you've got a decent grasp on this.

Even though we could, as you know, no, we can go into a whole lot of stuff.

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Let's go into now the conclusion of this sermon, OK.

And it starts in verse 51.

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Do you want to read it on?

The server.

19:09

OK.

Read.

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Go for it.

You stiff necked and you sniff.

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You sniff, necked and uncircumcised in the heart and ears.

You always resist the Holy Spirit as your Father did so do.

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You all right now we talked a little bit of Bible study about this.

This is this is the hard hitting punch for them to call them stiff necked.

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Why?

Why are you smiling?

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What do you think?

I'm laugh, You have to.

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I'm circumcised in the heart.

What do you think that means?

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I don't know, it's just funny.

OK, it is funny because it's a huge huge like.

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I'm picturing him saying that to all of them and then they're just and then like on Wednesday we had

went over them being like all childish.

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So this is just.

Yeah, yeah.

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I mean, they get mad now.

I, you know, I was talking, just talking with Memo a little bit because he's going to preach on this

20:11

for tomorrow.

And I told him you got to be careful.

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And the reason you got to be careful is because this is a huge insult.

But it's not an insult for the sake of insulting.

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Do do do you know what I mean?

A little.

20:29

Bit yeah.

For instance, I'm going to tell you just a really quick story.

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Years ago, years ago, when I was much heavier than I am right now.

OK, when I say heavier, I was probably about 60 lbs heavier than I am right now.

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I I'll put it this way, I was, I was fat.

I was fluffy.

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OK, Do you think I'm fluffy right now?

I have to, the Bible says.

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I have to respect my parents.

That's a good answer anyway.

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Heavier.

I went to a function church function with the Assemblies of God, and I had a lady come up to me and

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basically say you're fat.

And I could have taken that as an insult, but you know what she did?

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Or.

She wasn't saying it to insult me.

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She had an answer.

She wanted to encourage me.

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She was saying that in a concerning way.

In a concerning way, in a redemptive way, because her daughter was dating a guy that was on The

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Biggest Loser and his name was Austin.

Biggest Loser.

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Have you ever heard of The Biggest Loser?

No, it's a weight loss show.

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I'll have to show you a clip sometime.

It's where they get these really large and in charge people and they put them in a contest where

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they have to work out and eat and it's called The Biggest Loser.

Anyway, there was an Assembly of God, pastor and his son that were on the Biggest Loser.

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So anyway, her daughter was dating this pastor son named Austin.

And she came, she came home and she's like, listen, you are fat, but you, there's hope for you, it

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sounds like.

Why are you laughing?

22:28

You should you should you.

You should take this advice now.

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Wow.

I mean, all of us should.

22:36

OK, there you go, all of us.

But here, let me get to the point here I in this moment it that it's funny like even this, we're

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laughing, right?

Like Steven saying you stiff necked, uncircumcised heart and ears.

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He's not insulting them for the sake of insult.

He's trying to bring redemption to them, just like this lady was to me.

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She's like, I'm concerned for you.

I want you to be healthy for many years for the ministry.

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And why don't you go and connect with this guy 'cause he had a group that he was trying to help.

He was trying to help my pastors and ministers and and have some faith and fitness and all that kind

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of stuff.

Was this during the time where all this were like because because we were at keto for like a year or

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two.

So, Oh, no, this, this goes back even further, Noah.

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Before you would have.

Not before you were born.

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You might.

I'm trying to Remember Me.

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You might have been four or five years old.

I was like like over a century ago.

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Yeah, and that's what I'm saying.

I like, I haven't been this slim.

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It's been, I've been much larger for for many years.

You've seen old pictures of me.

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I was.

Your peak was during COVID.

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My I know my peak.

Both.

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Both of ours.

I know.

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OK, so enough about that.

I I need to get back in shape right?

24:00

Both of those.

But it's hard when you're hosting al pastor and you like tacos so much.

24:05

Keto Tacos.

Exactly So I let's let's get on topic point here.

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We can laugh at Steven and we can see it as an insult, but he's not insulting them for the sake of

insulting.

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He's going to give them redemption.

Now I'm going to give it to you super quick.

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Stiff necked comes out of the book of Exodus and there's footnotes for those of you that are

listening at home, follow your footnotes in your Bible.

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Stiff neck comes out of Exodus 32 verse 9.

God himself calls the people stiff neck.

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They were stubborn and the phrase uncircumcised in heart.

Although it might sound funny, it's actually redemptive in nature.

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It is the reality of the promise that God is going to bring about the new birth, a new heart, and

he's going to put within us a his spirit and dwell within us.

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He's going to replace this heart of stone with a, a heart of flesh that is directed towards him in

the in the Holy Spirit.

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And so he tells them, listen like it.

It's as if he's pleading with them.

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You always resist the Spirit as your father's did.

So do you.

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He's trying to get them to wake up.

And then he says in verse 52, which of the prophets did your father not persecute?

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Now somebody had asked in in Wednesday which of the prophets?

And the answer was, what do you remember all of them?

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All of them?

25:32

Yeah, they persecuted all the prophets.

And why would they do that?

25:37

Why do you think?

They they didn't like what they were saying.

25:40

They didn't like what they were saying and they didn't want to hear it.

Now the hardest thing you can do is tell somebody that they need to get right with God.

25:49

When they don't think that they do.

This is what we call self righteousness.

25:54

So if I came to, you know, and I said, listen, I have the cure for cancer, what would you do?

If it was real, I want to tell.

26:05

I don't want to like give it to everyone.

Well, of course.

26:08

But if I said I've got the cure and I'm going to give it to you and you would say, hold on a second,

I don't have cancer, right?

26:19

Wouldn't you?

You'd say, well, I don't.

26:20

And I'm like, no, listen, you have cancer and you'd say no I don't, but I've got the cure.

It's like trying to tell somebody you need to get right with God, but they don't see their need for

26:34

repentance.

These people are self-righteous.

26:38

Why are they self-righteous?

Because they've got the temple, they've got their programs, they've got their their rituals, their

26:44

ceremonies, which those things in themselves are not evil.

They were always pointing to the greater reality and they're like, we don't, we're blind, we don't

26:52

need it.

That's how it is today.

26:55

You'll have like one of those big churches put on the show and then everyone thinks watching the

show before, like at the church and not hearing anything is then being a Christian.

27:06

It very well could be I went to church, so I did my good deed, right?

Or I'm a good person.

27:13

I'm a good.

I don't like imagine somebody's like, you know what?

27:16

I'm not evil.

I've never killed anybody.

27:19

I've I've never stolen.

I don't do people wrong most of the time.

27:22

I'm a good person.

What do you mean?

27:25

I need to repent?

What is?

27:27

What is that person doing?

Self-righteous.

27:30

Yeah, they're putting their trust in their in their works and in themselves instead of God.

Whereas God says all have sinned him falling short of the glory of God.

27:42

We have a problem, and that problem is called sin.

And so Stevens just highlighting this, which of the prophets did your father's not persecute?

27:51

And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you have now become the

betrayers and murderers who have received the law by the directions of angels and have not kept it.

28:04

They killed, I mean, think about what?

Who was the last prophet they killed?

28:07

Do you know besides Steve, After Stephen?

Before Stephen, I mean Jesus.

28:13

Well, not, not let's.

Who did they kill before Jesus?

28:20

Who was his cousin?

Oh, John.

28:23

John, right?

John the Baptist has said, man, prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.

28:29

Behold the Lamb of God.

And what did they do?

28:32

They chopped off his head and.

Put it on a pleasure.

28:34

Exactly.

And and he's saying you guys are the recipients.

28:40

He he's, he's, he's focusing in now narrowly on the people of God.

Now, it doesn't mean that everyone has an excuse because the Bible's clear that the whole world

28:53

stands without an excuse.

That's found in Romans chapter 1.

28:58

But what he's saying, he's saying how much more should you who receive the law and have the law have

the oracles, the word of God, and you don't keep it?

29:10

Now read to us the response.

How did they respond in verse 54?

29:14

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

Interesting.

29:21

I was going to ask this at Bible study, but I didn't OK, is there any significant significance

because at like them saying like Nas because I saw that I was like grinding their teeth.

29:33

So it's, it's like what's like the second and I saw the I saw that that it's using like some Old

Testament, I think is what it was.

29:42

But but like but but but like.

What's the significance of like grinding their teeth basically?

29:49

Let me ask you this, what do you think of if you were to picture this image of somebody doing that,

what does that person look like?

30:01

Out like childish.

OK childish could be one but it it it gives the idea of like.

30:08

Mad.

Mad like you're in a in in a moment of rage and anger.

30:16

I, I don't think I've, I don't think I've ever seen someone so mad that's just like them grinding

their teeth at me.

30:22

It's an it's, it's expressing and over the top feeling of of rage.

That's how mad they got.

30:35

Now notice the phrase because it says that they were what in verse 54?

Cut to the heart.

30:42

Cut to the heart.

Does that sound familiar at all?

30:45

Circumcised to the heart.

No.

30:50

When I say does it sound familiar?

It would.

30:52

This phrase was used in the book of Acts.

And if you want to go there, go to Acts chapter 2 and I want you.

31:05

Excuse me, I need more water.

Acts chapter 2.

31:13

Do you remember when Peter preached?

Oh yeah?

31:16

Well, verse is it.

Verse 37.

31:24

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,

men and brother, and what shall we do?

31:31

So I want you to notice there really is no difference what Peter preached and what Stephen preached.

There's no difference in the content of their sermon.

31:40

What I mean by that is the message is the same.

They said it in different ways.

31:45

However, in Acts chapter 2, when they were cut to the heart, their response was what?

Mad.

31:55

No.

In Acts chapter 2, when they were cut to the heart, what did they do?

31:59

I had one that great.

You're all right, I.

32:05

Don't know.

They they cried out, they said, what do we do?

32:10

That means that they're like, we have a problem.

What do we do?

32:15

Is there any hope for us?

In other words, how what do we do?

32:18

And then Peter says, repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins.

You'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit right Now notice when they were cut to the heart here at

32:28

Stephen's sermon, what was their response?

It says they gnashed at him with their teeth.

32:37

Notice the difference?

A soft heart and a hard heart and a hard heart.

32:43

The message is the same.

We we cannot in in other words, you cannot credit none of this can be credited to Steven or Peter.

32:54

And like you can't look at Steve Steven sermons and say, well, if he would have done a little bit

better, maybe he would have got a better response.

33:02

Or if he would have said this in a different way, maybe they would have like, you know, if he would

have hit the the pad in the background and put up a a little kitten up on the board and said bow

33:14

your head and close your eyes.

Maybe they they, maybe they wouldn't have.

33:18

No, no, no, no.

The idea is that the Holy Spirit is the one that's in charge.

33:23

It is the difference is, is in the vessel.

God can harden and he can soften the heart at the same time, God's word never comes back void.

33:34

So this is what's being highlighted.

How Now I want to teach you this.

33:38

How do we know that that's what's being highlighted?

The way that we know is because you and I are invited in to make this comparison through the phrase

33:54

they were cut to the heart in Acts Chapter 7, verse 54.

I'm I'm encouraging Noah highlight that phrase.

34:04

They were cut to the heart.

And then in Acts 237, Luke uses the same phrase.

34:13

They were cut to the heart.

This is what we would call a literary breadcrumb or connection.

34:20

I call that's my words breadcrumb that because those two phrases are there.

It invites us to compare and contrast and then extract.

34:30

What is the lesson?

The lesson is don't have a hard heart.

34:36

Be open, be soft to what God is doing.

So they gnashed at their teeth.

34:41

Verse 54, verse 55, it tells us he being full of the Holy Spirit.

Notice he was full before.

34:51

OK, if we highlight Stephen's life, he was full of grace, full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing changed.

34:58

He's still full of the Holy Spirit.

He gazes into heaven and he sees the glory of God.

35:06

This is up at the beginning of the chapter as well, 'cause Stephen says the God of glory, now he

sees the God of glory and he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

35:18

The right hand of God is where all power and authority flows right?

And he says, look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

35:31

I'm not going to be repetitive from Bible study because we went over that, but the significance of

Jesus standing up when he had been seated, the idea is that he is receiving one of his own.

35:46

Yeah, that will call an evil brother.

Yeah, yeah, really, really beautiful.

35:51

And then verse 57, they cried out with a loud voice.

Notice that they cried out and then Stevens going to cry out as well.

36:00

They stopped their ears and they ran with him in one accord.

Notice the significance.

36:07

I know you're laughing.

Why are you laughing?

36:09

Because you have a picture, right?

Tell us.

36:11

I'm just picturing a bunch of like men in their little outfits covering their ears in this ring at

him like a little army.

36:19

Yeah, yeah, they ran with him.

Notice the phrase.

36:23

There's three phrases in here, Noah, that you could really highlight.

They cried out and then they ran at him with one accord.

36:33

Luke's favorite phrase, 1 accord, could be good or bad.

Verse 58 And then it says that they cast him out of the city.

36:44

Now this is highly significant.

Do you know where Jesus was crucified?

36:52

On the mountain of I forgot the name.

It's called Calvary or Golgotha, right?

36:59

But the point is, is that he was outside the city gate.

And so the idea is that they're on the outside having this.

37:07

But now, now they need to cast him out.

And in fact, Jesus gives a parable and I made myself a little note.

37:15

We're not going to go and read it.

But for those of you that listen to home, let me let me find it here.

37:23

There is a parable in Luke chapter 20 about being cast out.

And so Jesus had already talked about this so highly significant that they cast him out of the city.

0:00

They stone him in illegal action.

37:38

It's the it's the result of a mob.

They did not have the authority to do this.

37:44

And then the witnesses laid down their clothes at a feet of a young man named Saul.

So here we have an introduction.

37:51

We're not told anything about him yet.

We will.

37:55

We're going to get more into that.

But why would they take off their clothes?

37:58

We talked a little bit about that on Wednesday.

Now, a couple of couple of reasons for that.

38:04

One, it gives the idea like let's say you had on when it says they lay down their clothes, it's sort

of like an outer garment.

38:12

It would be as if you were wearing a robe or a jacket.

And let's say you were going to go outside and throw a football around.

38:20

You'd probably take off your jacket, right?

Why?

38:24

So you could be a little more loose so that that that's part of it.

There's another thing about they didn't want to defile themselves with the dust of a blasphemer, but

38:37

they're all blast.

I said a weird blasphemer.

38:39

Blasphemer.

New word.

38:42

A new word, right?

I'm speaking like, well, I shouldn't say it doesn't say.

38:45

I'm talking like your mom now, blasphemer.

No lunch for us.

38:50

I know, I know.

But what's highly significant is that we have this appearance of Saul and they're laying, they're

38:59

laying their coats at his feet to kind of show that he's the one spearheading this.

And then it says that they stoned Stephen verse 59 as he was calling on God.

39:13

Now I want you to notice this, Noah.

Who was he calling on?

39:17

God.

And if he's calling on God, what did he say?

39:22

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

So if he's calling on God, why would he say Lord Jesus?

39:28

Because Jesus is God.

Exactly.

39:31

You know what's amazing?

We showed.

39:32

We showed on Wednesday.

Do you remember the parallel between Stephen and Jesus?

39:38

I think so, yeah.

And we looked at all those different points.

39:43

Now Jesus did this very same thing on the cross.

He cried out with a loud voice.

39:50

And you know what Jesus said?

God received me.

39:53

Yeah, he said, Father, receive my spirit.

But notice that here Steven says Lord Jesus receive my spirit.

40:05

So you picked up on this.

Jesus is God and and I've got several I, I can't remember, I think I might have posted it almighty,

40:14

but this is a really beautiful example showing the the oneness of God in Jesus right here.

So beautiful.

40:22

Verse 60 Then he noticed the phrase, he knelt down and he cried out with a loud voice.

Notice the loud voice, right?

40:35

Verse 57 they cried out with a loud voice and Steven cried out with a loud voice and he says, Lord,

don't charge them with this sin.

40:43

And when he said this, he fell asleep.

Two things here.

40:48

I don't want to get too technical with you, Noah, but there's some beautiful things.

When it says that he knelt down.

40:59

It's a beautiful expression.

What?

41:03

What do you think about them?

Would that have been then in his like final like strength he knelt down?

41:10

Or would that have been like like the force of like him getting stoned to force him to meltdown?

Well, I like the way you're thinking because commentators have noticed that if he knelt down, he

41:22

would have fell down like backwards or whatever.

But the idea here from the original language is that he did it in his own strength, meaning he chose

41:32

to kneel down.

And what do you think that means if you take a knee in front of somebody?

41:38

They are like, they're like.

I don't search surrendering or or.

41:47

It's an act is 2 acts.

There's biblical and I've got tons of verses on this.

41:52

It's an act of submission, surrender and of commissioning.

So what Steven is doing is he saying just as Jesus allowed himself to be crucified.

42:05

Remember he says no man can take my life like I'm I willingly lay it down.

He said that in front of Pilot, right?

42:12

Pilot says, don't you know I can take your life?

Yeah.

42:17

Jesus willingly surrendered it.

And that's the idea of Steven here.

42:21

He's kneeling down to say do what you will.

And the idea of being kneeling down to be commissioned, If you were a king or a priest or a prophet,

42:32

you would kneel to be anointed.

Steven is following Jesus's life to a tee.

42:39

He's laying down his life and then he cries out with the ultimate act and he he does some really

unexpected.

42:48

He does something really unexpected.

He says, Lord, don't charge them, forgive them.

42:57

And do you remember, remember Wednesday I said this?

This led to the conversion of the Apostle Paul.

43:06

Who's who's standing there?

Saul.

43:08

Saul.

Yeah.

43:09

Who later is exclusively known as Paul?

Yeah.

43:14

OK.

Do you remember what I had told you?

43:16

His name wasn't changed.

It was a matter of him using his Gentile name, correct?

43:22

And which one is his Gentile name?

Do you remember that?

43:26

Paul, correct.

Gentile name is Paul, his Hebrew name is Saul.

43:33

Now the way we remember this is think of King Saul, right?

Who came before David?

43:40

Yeah, that's Hebrew.

Paul is Gentile, and Paul is called to be an apostle.

43:45

To who?

The Gentiles.

43:47

Exactly.

So his name wasn't changed.

43:50

The only reason I'm telling you that is just because it always gets thrown around there.

Oh, you know, before, before Saul met the Lord and the Lord changed his name.

43:58

No he didn't.

He didn't have a change, a name change like Abram to Abraham right now.

44:05

That was a name change.

God said you won't be called Abraham anymore.

44:09

You will be Abraham, father of many nations, just like Jacob had his name changed to Israel.

Jacob went from a deceiver, that's what his name means to a Prince of God, Israel.

44:25

So all right, any, any thoughts, any other thoughts out of this Noah?

I don't know.

44:31

You don't know, we could, we could go, we could go all day on this, but it is really, really

beautiful.

44:40

So couple of takeaways that I want you to have.

Just just just a couple.

44:46

The gospel message is the Bible says that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are

perishing.

44:56

And it can be taken in two ways.

It can either harden a heart or it can soften it.

45:04

That's a take away.

We have to always remember that and we cannot control the response that people have.

45:14

Just because Peter was successful in his sermon on Acts chapter 2 and Steven is stoned, you need to

remember the content was the same.

45:25

It's always up to God.

God is the one and what?

45:28

And I know that we could back away and we can say, well, why God?

Why would you?

45:32

Why would you save Peter or why would you?

See, we want to look at things in the natural and we can't because God is sovereign.

45:38

He's in control.

And Steven is, is a beautiful example of laying your life down.

45:45

He is he is the first witness of the church, the martyr.

So I think we'll leave it at that.

45:53

I'm excited for chapter 8.

If you want, we'll, we'll do a deep dive on this sorcerer, Simon, this Harry Potter of Samaria,

46:04

right?

This is going to be a interesting podcast if we're getting to Harry Potter.

46:10

Already we might as well let's, I think we should go there, right?

This little this little Harry Potter fanatic of Acts chapter 8, right?

46:21

Well, you're going to be, you're going to be really riled up then.

No, no, it's actually it's it's, it'll be fun.

46:28

All right, well, thank you guys so much for tuning in.

And if you've got any thoughts, if you've got any questions whatsoever, I'm happy to hear them.

46:37

Just send something in and we can always address it on future episode or come back and revisit some

of these points.

46:45

And looking forward to Church.

Thank you for listening to Al Pastor with Brian Overturn.

46:58

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47:04

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47:14

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