Stiff Necks & Hearts of Stone
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We have been going through the book of Acts.
Before we get into today’s sermon, we must look and see the backstory that leads up to it.
Last week we looked at the calling of the first deacons within the church.
One of those men was named Stephen.
Stephen was described as “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.”
Right after the passage we read last week we begin to see more about Stephen.
Stephen was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
Some of the Jews who were opposed to those following Christ began to argue with Stephen, but he was consistently winning the arguments.
Because of this they began to spread rumors and convinced others to do the same that he was speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.
This got everyone stirred up and he was taken before the Sanhedrin.
The same people that had been arresting and dealing with Peter and John.
They said that he was speaking against the temple and that Jesus was going to destroy the temple and change the customs of Moses.
They looked at him and his face was like an angel.
The Sanhedrin asks him if this is true.
Stephen then preaches to all in attendance a powerful sermon.
He basically goes through a crash course of the Old Testament up until where they are.
He speaks of:
God’s Promises to Abraham to give him a land and a people.
That his people would be enslaved for 400 years and then recieve their promise.
The sign of circumcision.
His son Isaac whose son was Jacob whose son was Joseph through whom they found provision in Egypt.
Their enslavement in Egypt.
Moses being saved from the genocide.
Moses murder of the Egyptian and exile
His leading them out through signs and wonders.
The people unfaithfulness to God.
Joshua to David.
Solomons building of the temple.
Stephen then asserts that the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands.
It is at the end of this long sermon that we pick up.
“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”
When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him.
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him.
They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.
Identifying Sin
Identifying Sin
This passage starts with him calling those listening “stiff-necked people.”
This was not a new thing for those hearing.
God used this phrase to describe the people of Israel many time throughout the Old Testament.
At its core it means “stubborn.”
It invokes the image of an ox that refuses to be led and is “stiff-necked.”
That ox is not living into its purpose and is not useful for work.
In the same way the people of Israel refused to live into their purpose.
When oxen will not cooperate they must be disciplined and trained to follow instructions to meet their task.
This is why we often see God discipline his people so that they will remember what they are supposed to be doing.
Probably the most relatable example for many of us to this idea of “stiff-necked” is a dog that will not walk calmly on a leash. It is always pulling and refuses to be led, but insists on its own way.
He then says that they have uncircumcised hearts and ears.
In his sermon, Stephen mentioned the covenant of circumcision that God made with Abraham. That Abraham would be God’s people and He would be their God.
What Stephen is saying here is that while they may outwardly appear to follow God, their hearts are far from them, because they have not listened to His Word.
He says they are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just like their ancestors.
This is the evidenced that they are truly far from God. They are resisting the things that God is doing.
This was why Stephen led with the history of Israel. To show the disobedience of their ancestors.
How they resisted what God was doing, time and time again.
They would not have disagreed with this. They, however, would have seen themselves as distinct from their ancestors.
Stephen’s point is that they are just like them.
Their ancestors persecuted the prophets and killed the prophets who spoke about the Messiah, and they themselves have killed the messiah!
He tells them that they have had they law, but they have not kept it.
They knew what the law said.
They knew the law foretold of the Messiah.
They knew all of this, but rather than obeying the law and receiving the Messiah, they murdered him.
All of Stephen’s Sermon up to this point is a clear explanation and indictment of the sin of all those who were hearing.
His sermon and its accusations levied against the listeners was very similar to the one that Peter preached at Pentecost.
He is explaining to them, the sin that they have committed, and thus explaining that they are guilty before God.
This is a message that all of us must understand.
We were not there at the time.
We did not oppose his ministry.
We did not offer money for his betrayal.
We did not hand him over to Pontious Pilate
We did not shout “Crucify Him!”
We did mock him while he was on the cross.
However… We are just as guilty of his death as the ones who did.
The Magnificent Work of God
The Magnificent Work of God
Thorough explanation of the Gospel
The Bible makes it very clear that the death of Jesus was not a tragedy in the traditional sense. It is tragic that mankind is so sinful that they crucified Him.
BUT this was not some accidental thing that happened. It was the Will of God that Jesus died on the cross. Jesus went willingly to the cross.
This was the work of God, planned and established from the beginning, to redeem mankind so that all who believe might be saved.
Because there was a problem...
Our sin
From the time when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the inclination of people has been toward evil. The image of God remains, but it is marred and hard to see through the sin.
At the time of the flood the Bible said that man was so evil that God regretted making mankind.
All throughout history countless evils have been done. Even in “civil” societies, sin persists, often times it becomes integrated into the culture and celebrated as we see all around us.
All it takes is a cursory glance at the 10 commandments to see how we fall short. Beyond that, examining all of God’s statutes will show that we are very far from the standard God has set.
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.
For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.
This sin separates us from God. God is holy and righteous, and because of that, he punishes evil and sin.
Because we are evil and sinful we are deserving of punishment. Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 (CSB)
For the wages of sin is death,
“wages” is a word most commonly used to express that which we have earned. You work all week, and get paid the “wages” that you earned from that work.
What we have earned from our sin, is death.
That could be the end of it for us. God would be just to punish us for our sin… But notice the coma. The coma says that this sentence isn’t finshed yet. This isn’t the end of our story. and its not the end of that verse. Because next we see...
God’s Love
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of God’s love for us. He decided to make a way for us to be forgiven. To be made right with him.
He made a way for the “wages” that we have earned to be forgiven. The debt we owe to be paid.
This is the fullest meaning of that favorite verse. John 3:16
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
He did not do this because we deserved it. He did not do this because he had to. He did this because of his love for us, and so that we might enjoy and glorify Him. In fact:
For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This comes back to the heart of the message...
Jesus Sacrifice
Jesus took the punishment we deserved.
In the Old Testament, there was a sacrificial system. We know the reality of this system well. When there is wrong committed, there is a price to be paid. If you break a law, you go to jail.
God made a way for people to atone for their sin, through the sacrifice of an animal. Each year on the day of atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the the animal’s blood on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. This was the physical symbol of God’s presence with his people. The lid was called “the mercy seat.” This was supposed to be where God sat, and from where he would show mercy to the people when the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the seat.
They showed the gravity and weight of their sin, as there was blood that would be shed. And the grace and mercy of God, as it was not their own blood, as they deserved.
Though the Bible is clear that these sacrifices could never really take away sin, and that this is why Christ came...
God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Some translations use the word “propitiation” in verse 25. These words really are interchangeable. The word used is the greek word for the Hebrew concept of the “mercy seat” the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The word propitiation essentially means “atonement” which is the payment of that which is owed to God.
Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, provided by God, for our sin. This is why he came. To be our high priest, mediating between God and man, atoning for, or paying the price for, our sin by his blood. So that once and for all, the sins of all mankind can be paid for and we can have peace with God through the blood and work of Christ.
But that is not even the end of it! On the third day, Jesus rose again. Demonstrating God’s victory over sin and death.
Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. We serve a living savior! This is why death has lost its sting. Just as Christ was raised, we will live eternally with Him!
The death and resurrection of Jesus are inseparable. His death was to atone for our sin, but it is through his resurrection that we know that this work has been accomplished.
This is all the work of God, and we have had nothing to do with it other than being the one’s whom God loved.
The result of the work of Christ is...
Our Salvation
It is important that we understand that this salvation is a free gift that is available to all who believe.
But it is a gift that must be received by faith in Jesus Christ.
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,
since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
All who respond in faith, will be saved.
But apart from responding in faith to Jesus, there is no salvation.
This is why responding to the work of God is so important.
Responding to the Work of God
Responding to the Work of God
The Wrong Reaction to Our Sin.
Those listening to Stephen’s sermon were extremely unhappy with what is being said about them.
Enraged and gnashed their teeth.
When Stephen said that he saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right had of God. The rushed Stephen, dragged him out of the city and stoned him.
They doubled down on their sin. They refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing.
Stephen becomes the First Martyr.
It takes less fortitude to kill for something than it does to die for it.
The Right Reaction to Our Sin
When Peter preached a very similar message on pentecost.
When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Stephen’s message to them is the same message we must face today.
How have you responded to your sin?
Have you responded in faith to the work of Christ?
This is something that only you can do. Your salvation is based solely upon how you have responded to your own sinfulness, and what Christ has done for you.
It is not based upon your family.
It is not based upon your outward appearance.
It is not based on outward things that you do.
This is how those who heard Stephen’s sermon based their relationship with God.
It must be based upon the work and blood of Christ and nothing else.
This means that you have been confronted by and understood your sinfulness and need of a savior.
You have believed in his death and resurrection.
You have believed in your heart that God raised Christ from the dead, and confessed with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord.”
This is the most important decision that you can ever make in your life.
If you have...
From there you should follow in obedience in baptism.
And then join the church body to follow Christ together and grow in your faith.
Should be living and active in your faith.
If you have not...
I implore you to turn to God today.
He loves you, I would urge you to respond to and be saved by the work of his love for you.
Jesus died for you. Personally. Not just as a concept. He knows you. He loves you. And he desires that you would turn to him.
The altar will be open and I will be down front as well.
Wherever you are whatever is going on in your life… Take the next step of following God in obedience.
3 Things:
Church Picnic tonight.
Choir is resuming this week with rehearsal on Wednesdays at 5:30. New singers are welcome.
Pay attention to the Upcoming dates in the bulletin.