Peace Under Pressure (Acts 6:8-7:60)

The Book of Acts - Power For You - Week 18 - 5.19.24

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City Hills, have I told you lately that I love you!? I am so glad you are here. Maybe everything is going great for you today, or maybe you are in a difficult place. If so, I pray you are encouraged today!

Turn with me to Acts 6 & 7 - (You can follow along with the digital message notes) This year we are studying the Book of Acts

Today I want to share about having Peace Under Pressure - Acts 6:8-7:60.

What is peace?

Peace is not the absence of problems.When we think of peace we often have a picture in our mind. Peace is sitting at the beach relaxing or listening to a gentle mountain stream. Peace is vacation. Peace is escape from the problems and troubles of life. The problem is that you can be in the most beautiful place and still be filled with worry, fear, and anxiety.

Peace is not everything always working out the way we want it to. You can live in a new home, drive a brand new car, just stepped into a new promotion at work and still have no peace.

Peace is not the absence of problems… Peace is the presence of God.

You can have everything going wrong in the natural and still be experiencing peace. You can be in a trial and still have hope. David said, (Psalm 23:5) “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” He can have peace and provision even though the was surrounded by enemies.

That is how life can feel at times. We can feel that we are surrounded by opposition that wants to cause you to be

upset

offended

worried

fearful

unexpected bills

family in the hospital

betrayal

injustice

life will always have uncertainty

In the midst of that There's a table… At the table is peace.

God never promised that life would not have difficulties. He never said that we would not have trials or that everything would be fair. God never promised that we would understand every trial.

My son is in preschool. On the way to school last week… Dad, what is 2+5. I don’t understand.

If we understood the reason for every trial in the moment we would never have to have faith. So God allows things that are confusing in the moment so that our faith has a chance to grow!

1 Peter 4:12 don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice…

God is doing something good. Even in the fiery trial.

In trials, your faith grows.

In trials, we learn that we can stand even when we don’t understand.

In trials, we learn that God has a gift for us that is better than understanding: Peace.

Philippians 4:7 NKJV says: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Here’s the key. When you rest God goes to work, when you work God rests.

When you try to be God and do everything in your own power God will just sit back and let you try to do it yourself.

But if you will rest in God and decide to keep giving your troubles to the Lord, keep trusting that God is up to something good in spite of what I don’t understand.

God will do two things: 1) God will step into the situation and do what only he can do. 2) He will give you peace under pressure.

Stephen

That is what we see in Acts 6-7 with a man named Stephen. Two weeks ago I shared the passage from Acts 6 of how the Apostles chose seven men to help serve the widows that were in need. Stephen was chosen as one of those leaders. He would go on to be one of the most important people in the life of the early church.

Stephen was described as being full of God’s power, grace, wisdom, Holy Spirit. What fills you defines you. He did signs and miracles. You would assume everyone would be happy about that but they were not. One day there were some men from a local synagogue that tried to debate him but could not contend with his wisdom and his excellent spirit.

Acts 6:11–12 says “So they persuaded (With money) some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.”

They went on to arrest him and accuse him in court. Watch Stephen’s response:

15 …everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.”

In the middle of the situation, he had peace that passed understanding. He had peace under pressure and others saw it.

The enemy can’t stand it when you keep your peace in the midst of pressure! He wants you worried and fearful… but if you will keep your peace, it will affect everyone that is watching you!

He went on to preach a message the rest of chapter 6-7. You should read it for yourself. It is a powerful sermon all about how God has always had a small group of people who believed His promise despite the majority that rejected him… he turned the message to them at the end and said that they had resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected the Messiah; Jesus.

Acts 7:54–60 “54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.”

Reading that passages like standing on hallowed ground. Stephen would be the first of many to give his life for the cause of Jesus Christ.

The apostles would go on to follow his example.

In our day, Christianity can be focused on our comfort instead of our calling

The early church was built, not buy the latest fads. Number trying to tickle peoples ears. The church was built by people who were sold out and willing to give everything for the Gospel.

There was so much peace that came from trusting God with their very lives!

Dr. Martin Luther King said… “If You've Got Nothing Worth Dying For, You've Got Nothing Worth Living For.”

This describes Stephen! I pray it describes us!

I pray is more than just a message. I pray his life becomes each of our example of how to stand no matter what we face.

#1 Turn your “what ifs” into “even ifs”

You never see a time in his story where he had worry. When he was falsely accused you don’t see him trying to defend himself or go into self-preservation mode. He stayed filled with peace.

Worry is a thief.

It will rob you of your sleep,

rob you of your joy,

rob you of your creativity.

You don’t make good decisions when you are worried.

The scripture says that we can’t by worrying add one inch to our lives. If that were so I would be 50 feet tall!

What are you worried about? What is stealing your joy?

When we worry we are making our problem bigger than our God - Or - To take it further, we are making what we are worried about our God. What you see as the biggest thing in your life is your God.

If you worry about your health night and day, you are making that sickness your God.

If you are worried about the uncertainty before you, you are making that uncertainty your God.

If you are worried about that financial situation, you are making that financial problem your God.

Take the sickness of the throne.

Take the financial difficulty off the throne.

Take that fear of the unknown off the throne.

Put God on the throne! God is in control.

Every time you are tempted to worry, let that be a trigger for you to worship! Let that be a trigger for you to fill your mind with Truth and your mouth with praise.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Another translation says: We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Our thoughts are naturally rebellious. In other words, don’t be surprised if your first thoughts are negative when you are going through something.

Your failure is final.

You will never find the right relationship

You will never get past this bad break, all the odds are against you.

You will never have the child that you desire.”

It is easy for us to believe those lies.

It is easy for us to live in the “What if’s”

What if I don’t get well?

What if the report is not good?

The tide of the battle changes when we turn our what if’s into even if’s.

Instead of, “What if the report is bad, what am I going to do?”

Turn it into: “Even if the report is bad, you are still God and you are working it all for Good.”

My personality does not process negative emotions. I will do anything to not face bad things. At times I can over-spiritualize things and try to just throw Bible verses at them. That is not always faith. Faith is going to the depths of the negative and realizing that God is there.

This is turning your worry into worship. Thank God that He is fighting your battles.

I was asked recently what I wish I would have done differently with the church? I would have worried less and trusted God more. I would not have worried about the budgets, the building, if I would be able to minister.

I remember when the church only had $6,000 in the bank our second Christmas here and we received a bill for more than what we had in the bank. I was so worried. My theme song was the old country song, “If we can make it through December.” I was discouraged. Looking back I wish I could have told myself, “Brandon, this is God’s church and he’s got this.” We had an unexpected gift given and God made a way at just the right time. God is in control.

Most of the things we spend our lives worrying about never happens:

What if I get laid off next year? What if you don’t, but you allow worry to rob you of your peace.

What if this pain is something serious? Go to the doctor and get checked out, but don’t spend 5 years worrying to find out it is nothing. Sure, we should plan and have common sense, but after we have done what we can do we have to turn it all over to God.

Maybe you are thinking, “Brandon, what if a what if comes to pass in my life?” If that happens,

God will give you the grace to handle it!

It will not be as bad as you are imagining it to be today.

The peace that passes understanding will be waiting for you.

God will arm you with strength for that battle even if it comes. We don’t know what the future holds but we know who holds the future!

I think another thing Stephen would say to us if he were he would be to:

#2 Let go of what you can’t control

Stephen’s last words were, “Don’t charge them with this sin.” Wow! What a response. He had people who had falsely accused him for money. These were people who claimed to be followers of God.

I think he would say to us today, There will always be adversaries!

Would be great if after God gave us the dream, it would just magically come to pass immediately while we sit back and relax.

If that happened we would never have to grow and trust.

You can’t reach the fullness of your potential without delays, setbacks, and betrayals along the way

Don’t let their poor choices sour your life.

You can’t make other people do what is right.

Don’t let them cause you to live bitter for the next 20 years.

Protect your peace.

Turn them over to God.

Stephen prayed realizing that God was the judge not him.

Here’s the key, if God is not changing them yet, what makes you think that you can change them in your own strength and power?

It would be easy for Stephen to get discouraged. He could have thought, “I was doing the right thing and I don’t deserve what has happened to me.” Instead he realized that everything is serving God’s plan. He stayed on the high road!

Our unwillingness to forgive does not hurt them it hurts us!

Jesus said, “if we don’t forgive we can’t be forgiven

You can’t control what they did to you, but you can control your response.

Forgiveness does not mean that you are reconciled. (They may need to rebuild trust.

Forgiveness does not mean what they did was right.

Forgiveness does not mean it did not hurt.

Forgiveness does not mean that you feel good.

Forgiveness means that you are free!

Forgiveness means that you are at peace.

Forgiveness means that you have given them to the Lord and you are, like Stephen, refusing to be the judge.

This is what Jesus did. The scripture says, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)

God is the judge. I am living at peace in the midst of the pressure! God is in control!

There are times when you have to dig your heels in and stand your ground. There are other times when you have to be the bigger person and let someone else be right, even though you know they are wrong. Let it go. God sees when you are taken advantage of, when people are manipulative. Choose to move on, knowing that God is your defender. God will vindicate you better than you could vindicate yourself.

David said, “God will prepare a table in the presence of your enemies. This is a public display! If you will let them go and live in peace. There will be a time when all those that were against you will see you living a blessed, favored life.

#3 Look Up. The Best Is Yet To Come!

Acts 7:55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

He had a lot that he could have focused on. He could have hung his head and looked down at the ground in despair…poor me. He could have looked out at the people in anger…fighting back. He choose to look up at the heavens. When he did, he saw Jesus!

If you look up! You will see Jesus!

Stephen’s story could be discouraging at face value. He died. I think today we want to only hear stories about how our faith in Jesus is good for us in the here and now. Stories like Stephen’s shake me to my core. I had to stop many times while putting this message together to get down on my face and surrender to the Lord. I think sometimes I am so guilty of wanting to have a faith that is all self-focused on the benefits that I experience here and now. I want God to be a cosmic vending machine where I pray, serve, and give and he fulfills every dream that I have in life. Passages like this are sobering. They remind us that a life lived all for this life is not life at all. A faith that is focused on myself is not faith at all. I am simply using God to get what I want.

I believe if Stephen were here today he would say, “Death is not the end. We win! I saw Jesus. It was worth it.” The pain was worth it. The betrayal was worth it. The suffering was worth it. The heartache was worth it. Just keep your eyes on Jesus!

For you, looking up may mean:

Investing in some new relationships. Joining or leading a small group this Summer.

Being part of a church family. Serving and getting involved beyond the surface. Using your gifs for the Lord.

Reaching out for help.

It may mean to have someone pray with you today.

It may mean to take communion and remember what Jesus has done for you.

Look forward to the future with hope! The best is yet to come.

Two powerful things happened from Stephen’s death: 1) The church was persecuted which caused them to go around the world and spread the Gospel. 2) Saul, the young man holding the people’s coats (Some believe he could have been the prosecutor in the case) was watching. he would go on to become the Apostle Paul who would write 2/3 of the books of the New Testament. There would be no Apostle Paul without Stephen’s sacrifice. When Paul got to heaven, after first seeing Jesus… I’m sure there was one man he wanted to talk to again… Stephen. I would have loved to see that meeting. I’m sure it was Paul saying, “Thank You.” We never know who is watching us stand for the Lord and how it is affecting them.

Acts 7:55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

Usually the scripture says that Jesus is “Seated at the right hand of God.” Here Stephen saw him standing. Why?

It could have been a standing ovation! “Well done Stephen.”

It could have been to plead Stephen’s case before the Father. “Guilty on Earth, innocent in heaven.”

It could have been for Christ to confess Stephen before the Father. Stephen has been confessing Christ before men. Christ is confessing Stephen before the Father.

Whatever it was, the truth is when you stand for Jesus… in the pain, in the pressure, in the fire… He stands with you!

Let’s pray.