Alright, go back with me to Acts
22 to remind us of what's going
on here in our text. Paul took a vow. And to fulfill
that vow, he was in the temple. He was going to be in the temple
for seven days. And when the Jews saw him in the temple, they
were furious because they thought he brought some Gentiles in there
with him, which would, in their eyes, pollute their holy place.
So they drug him out, and they beat him with the intent of killing
him. They didn't just flog him. Every
blow was with the intent of killing him. And when the chief captain
of the Roman soldiers saw all this commotion, he came in and
he broke it up and he started carrying Paul up into the castle. And when they made it to the
steps, Paul said, Can I speak to the people? And he told them,
he preached a message to them. And he told them who he was. And this is preacher school.
He told them who he was. He told them what he was. And he told them how God saved
him. Who he was. what he was and how God saved
him. And we are still in his message. This is the third Wednesday night
that we are going through his message that he is speaking to
these Jews. He told them about this man Ananias
coming to him and saying in verse 16, And now, why tarryest thou? Arise and be baptized, and wash
away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Now he continues
with verse 17. This is where we pick up tonight.
He said, And it came to pass that when I was come again to
Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance
and saw the Lord. saying unto me, Make haste and
get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy
testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that
I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed
on thee. And when the blood of thy martyr
Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting unto
his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him." Paul
is saying back to the Lord. He's telling these Jews, I said
back to the Lord. The Lord said, they are not going
to receive your testimony. And he said back to the Lord,
I believe they will receive my testimony. And the reason is
because all my life, I've been one of them. I beat, I imprisoned, I was right
there with them. But the Lord said, Paul, because
of the message I have now put in you, because of that message,
they're going to do the same thing to you that you did to
Stephen. And it's always this way. It
is always this way. When the Lord, you know, Paul
saw the truth. Like people say, I saw the light.
Paul saw the light. And he said, I'm going to go
back and tell everybody I know this is what I've seen. And the
Lord said, they're not going to receive your testimony. Some
will, thank God, some will. But by and large, they're going
to reject it. They're going to hate this. news
that you have come to know. And that's what the Lord told
him. They're going to hate you. They're going to persecute you.
They're going to do the same thing to you you did to Stephen. Now my question is what is this
true message? What is this true message that
is so offensive to the flesh but is so glorifying to God? I thought about that. We know
this message is offensive to the flesh, but we also need to
say right after that it is so glorifying to God. It is so glorifying
to our God. So what is this message? The
Lord gave Paul the same message He gave Stephen. The Lord has
given us the same message He gave to Paul, the exact same
message. So what is it? Go with me back
to chapter 6. Back in chapter 6, the apostles
chose seven men to be deacons. And those seven men were also
given the gift of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and to preach. And verse 5 says, the first one
they chose was Stephen. The saying pleased the whole
multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost. Verse 8 says, And Stephen, full
of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the
people. Verse 9 says, Then there arose
certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the
Libertines and the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians and of Cilicia
and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist
the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned
men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against
Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people
and the elders and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught
him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, which
said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against
this holy place and the law, for we've heard him say that
this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall
change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat
in the council looking steadfastly on him saw his face as it had
been the face of an angel." I love that. Here they are looking at
this man And while they're accusing him
and speaking blasphemy on him, they got these guys to come in
and lie on him. And Stephen's about to preach
to them. And they're all saying these
things looking at him. And while they're looking on
him, it looked like they were looking at the face of an angel. What that means is God was with
him. That's what it means. God was
with him. The word angel means messenger. They were about to hear God's
messenger. If a man is going to speak the
words of God, we're going to be looking at the words of God
tonight. If a man is going to speak the
words of God and speak on God's behalf as his messenger, then
God must be with him. God must be with him. And God
was with him. Now here's the message Stephen
preached. This is the message Paul was given. This is the message
we're given. This is the message. Chapter
7, verse 1 says, Then said the high priest, Are
these things so? They asked Stephen, What do you
have to say? And he said, Men, brethren, and
fathers, hearken! The God of glory appeared unto
our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt
in Charon. Verse 6 says, And God spake on
this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and
that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil
four hundred years. And the nation to whom they shall
be in bondage will I judge, said God. And after that shall they
come forth and serve me in this place. And he gave him the covenant
of circumcision, And so Abraham begat Isaac and circumcised him
the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve
patriarchs. Stephen said this whole thing
started with a fall into bondage. He told Abraham, your seed is
going to fall into bondage 400 years. It all started with a
fall into bondage and a covenant being made. God said, they're
going to fall and I'm going to make a covenant. And that's what
happened. We all fell into sin. It's all
started with our sin, but it started with God's covenant.
Verse 17 says, but when the time of the promise drew nigh, which
God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in
Egypt till another King arose, which knew not Joseph. The same
dealt subtly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers,
so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might
not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair,
and nourished up in his father's house three months. And when
he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him
for her own son, and Moses was learned in all the wisdom of
the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." Moses
represents the law. And if these souls that were
in bondage were going to be delivered, it had to be according to the
law. It had to be by the law, by way of the law. Verse 23 says,
And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to
visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of
them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him that was
oppressed and smote the Egyptians. Moses killed that man. The law
is strict. The law is strict. The law judges. He saw this one being wronged
and he killed him. The law is just. It punishes every wrong, every
single one. And sinful man rejects God's
law, totally hates God's law. Look at verse 26. And the next
day he showed himself unto them as they strove and would have
set them at one against, saying, Sirs, you're brethren. Why do
you wrong one another? But he that did his neighbor
wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge
over us? Man does not want God's law. Man does not love God's law.
He hates it. He rejects it. But God had mercy on man. God
had mercy on man. And this is what's so amazing
to me. Man didn't deserve it. Man didn't
want it. You know that? Man did not want
it, but God had mercy on man anyway. He made a covenant for
man, and he sent the one who is the perfect fulfillment of
this law to deliver these sinners, these rebels. Look at verse 30.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the
wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame
of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered
at the sight, and as he drew near to behold it, the voice
of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers,
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord
to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where
thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the
affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard
their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come,
I will send thee into Egypt. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
didn't come to put the law away. I came to fulfill it. I didn't
come to destroy it. I came to fulfill it. Verse 35,
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler
and a judge? Our Deliverer came to His own,
and His own received Him not. And that's His people. You know
it. That's His people. That's us.
If we're His people, He came unto His own. They said, We will
not have this man reign over us. We will not have this man reign
over us. But here's the thing. They didn't have a choice. They
did not have a choice. Thank God they didn't have a
choice. The thing that man hates most
about the gospel is the thing I love most about the gospel.
Man doesn't have a say in the matter. Man doesn't have a say
in the matter. Verse 35 goes on to say, the
same did God send, they said we don't want him, but the same
did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the
angel which appeared to him in the bush. God sent him to rule
over them. God sent Christ to rule over
me. He didn't send him to ask me
if I wanted Christ to rule over me. I was never asked that question. He didn't. I was never asked would I let
Him rule over me. God said, I will be their God
and they shall be my people. Thank God. He delivered them
in spite of them. Verse 36, He brought them out. After that, he had showed wonders
and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the
wilderness 40 years. His goodness, his grace, his
deliverance, every bit of it was irresistible. Verse 37, this
is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, a prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren,
like unto me, him shall you hear. Stephen said everything we know
from God's word is pointing us to Jesus Christ. That's what
he said. Everything we know in this Word,
everything we can read in God's Word is pointing us to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 51. Now this
is... Sometimes when I'm studying,
the Lord lets me enter into these things. And buddy, I entered
into this. If He will let us, This is just
wonderful. Verse 51, Stephen said, You stiffed-necked
and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You do always resist the
Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye. You know, God's ways are not
our ways. God's ways are mysterious ways,
aren't they? And one of those ways is in this
right here. There was a preacher years ago
that made this statement. This is an eye-opening statement. This is an eye-opening statement.
He said, I'm not trying to get men saved. That's not what I'm trying to
do. That is not what I'm trying to do. He said, I'm trying to
get them lost. I'm trying to get them lost.
Everybody believes they're saved. I was always saved. I was born
saved. I was always saved. I am saved. But that's not so, is it? He
said, I'm not trying to get anybody saved. I'm trying to get them
lost. Because if they ever become lost, Christ will find them.
If I ever become lost, Christ will find me. He said, I came to seek and to
save that which was lost. Verse 51, He told them, you stiff-necked
and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the
Holy Ghost as your fathers did, so do ye. which of the prophets
have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which
showed before of the coming of the just one of whom you have
now been the betrayers and murderers." Stephen said, you're about to
kill me. You're about to kill me. You're about to kill every
servant of God you can get your hands on. And the reason you're
going to do that is because we're telling you the truth about the
just one. We're just telling you the truth about the just.
Your fathers killed the prophets who said the Messiah is coming.
You and your brethren killed the Messiah when he came. He
was just here. And you by wicked hands have
crucified and slain. And he said now you're going
to kill me because I'm declaring that he did indeed come. And
salvation and eternal life is only found in him. in that blood
that he shed. And he said, it's not in your
good deeds, is it? It's not in your will. It's not in your hands.
It's only there. Verse 54, he said, they said,
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and
they gnashed on him with their teeth. He told them the truth.
And when they heard it, they were so mad, they gnashed on
him with their teeth, But he being full of the Holy Ghost. Now here's a man who's dying. This is the process of a dying
believer. People talk about dying grace.
None of us know what dying grace is. Here's a believer who is
in the process of dying. They gnashed on him with their
teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly
into heaven and saw the glory of God. And Jesus, standing on
the right hand of God, He looked straight into heaven and he saw
the glory of God and he saw Jesus Christ standing on the right
hand of God. Now this word is always talking
about our Lord seated, being seated. He is seated in the heavens,
seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. But this says
in verse 55, He being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly
into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on
the right hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened. and the Son of Man standing on
the right hand of God." I see Him. Why was He standing? He was ready to receive His own
to Himself. Ready and waiting. As Stephen
was being stoned, God stood up there at His throne. God let
Stephen look straight into heaven to see God at His throne. That's all I want to see. That's
all I want to see. I just want to see God at His
throne. You talk about give a man faith. You talk about give a
man faith and assurance. Hope. If all of a sudden God
in all of His glory appeared. standing and ready. Verse 55
says, But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly
into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on
the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened,
and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they
cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran
upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and
stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their
clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling
upon God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled
down. and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he said this,
he fell asleep. Isn't that something? Poor Saul, after that, after
seeing what he'd done, he cried, woe is me. I think for the rest
of his days, he cried, woe is me. Oh, this is a thorn in, would
you let that memory leave? This thorn in the flesh. I am
such a sinner against God. He said, but men and brethren,
God had mercy on me. God had mercy on me. That's the
only thing any of us can say is God had mercy on me. God had
mercy on me. He looked down from his throne.
He saw that I was the chief of sinners and he had mercy on me. Go with me back to Acts 22. Acts 22, he said in verse 4,
I persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prison
men and women. He said in verse 6, I came to
pass as I made my journey. Suddenly there shone from heaven
a great light. I fell to the ground. God revealed
himself to me. Verse 10, I said, What shall
I do, Lord? He told me, It will be told you
what it has been appointed for you to do. Verse 12, And one
Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report
of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me and stood and said,
Brother Saul, Brother Saul, Brother Saul, How on this earth could
I be called a brother? How could I be called a brother? A wicked, this is what he's telling
these men, a wicked, rebellious, self-righteous, religious Pharisee
who did nothing but sin against God. Persecuted his way, persecuted
his people. How could I be called a brother? Verse 14, that man Ananias said,
ìThe God of our fathers chose you,î thatís how, ìthat you should
know His will,î not your own, His, ìand see the just one and
hear the voice of His mouth.î Verse 17, He said, ìIt came to
pass that when I was come again to Jerusalem,î Even while I prayed
in the temple, I was in a trance, and saw him saying unto me, Make
haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not
receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know
that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed
on thee. And when the blood of thy martyr
Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting unto
his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he
said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the
Gentiles." Paul, I allowed you to see and hear every bit of
that so you could go to all the world and tell them how great
things the Lord has done for you. And that was the end of
his message. That's all they would let him
say. Verse 22, they gave him audience unto this word. They
listened that far. And then they lifted up their
voices and they said, Away with such a fellow from the earth,
it's not fit that he should live. And as they cried out and cast
off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the chief captain
commanded him to be brought into the castle. and bade that he
should be examined by scourging, that he might know wherefore
they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs,
Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for
you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned? When
the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain,
saying, Take heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman. Then
the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a
Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered,
With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I
was free born. Then straightway they departed
from him which should have examined him. And the chief captain also
was afraid after he knew that he was a Roman and because he'd
bound him. On the morrow, because he would
have known the certainty whereof he was accused of the Jews, he
loosed him from his bands and commanded the chief priest and
all their council to appear and brought Paul down and set him
before them." Now let me tell you this about that and then
I'll close. The reason Paul was set free
was because he was a Roman. That's what that whole section
is about. The reason they let him go and set him free is because
he was a Roman. In our concordance, we look these
words up, we find the meaning of these words, and as we dig
into these words, we get to the heart of what our Lord was saying.
and listen to the definition of the word Roman. They let him
go because he was a Roman. Here's what the word means. It
means strength, to strengthen, to have health, to rescue, to
deliver in a flux or flow of blood. That's what it means. The law laid hold of this man
Saul. What a wicked, evil man he was.
Now called Paul. The law laid hold of him and
he said, you have to let me go. You have to let me go. Is it
lawful for you to scourge, for you to torture a man who has
been given strengthened health by being delivered through a
flow of blood? Can the law keep that? There
was a law back then that a stranger could purchase with money some
of the privileges of being a Roman. An outsider could come in and
live there and purchase with money some of those privileges.
But that didn't make him a Roman. That did not make him a Roman.
He was a stranger. Verse 28, the chief captain answered,
With a great sum obtained I this freedom. I've been working toward
this and working toward this. I've been trying to pay for this,
buy my way into this. Paul said, I was born this way. And that's the only way a man
can truly be set free. He has to be born that way. Our Lord said, that which is
born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Whosoever is born of God does
not commit sin. I'll just put Selah there for
a minute. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin. I don't
understand that. I believe it. Whosoever is born of God, the
law has nothing on him. The law cannot hold him, scourge
him. His seed remains in him, and
he cannot sin because he's born of God. Paul said, I was born
to be this. I am what I am by birth. If you
can't take credit for one thing on this earth in particular,
it's being born, I'll tell you that. That's the one thing you
cannot take any credit for. I was just born into this. Our Lord said, Lazarus, come
forth. And he came forth bound in all his grave clothes. The
Lord said, loose him and let him go. Set him free. Deliver him from going down to
the pit. I found a ransom. You have to
let him go. I found a flux of blood. God allowed every bit of this
to happen to Paul to show us that this is what he's done for
us. Now, I do close with this. Verse 30 says, On the morrow,
because he would have known the certainty whereof he was accused
of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the
chief priest and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down
and set him before them. He is still going to be persecuted
by these men. He is still going to be tried,
afflicted, persecuted, but he is sitting there a free man.
And the rest of our days, we're going to go through persecutions
and trials and afflictions and all these things. But we're sitting
here free men and women. We are sitting here free men
and women. God chose us. to deliver us through a flux
of blood. And now the law cannot hold us.
No man can hold us. We are free. The truth sets men
and women free. And when the truth does that,
they are free indeed. Free at last. Free at last. I
love that. Praise God Almighty. We're free
at last. Let's stand together.