09/2/2026

Wednesday Night Service

How does Abraham’s story challenge the idea that God’s plan should always make sense to us while we are living through it?

Joseph experienced betrayal, slavery, false accusation, and prison, yet Scripture says, “God was with him.” What does Joseph’s story teach us about the difference between God being with us and life going well?

Moses had walked that wilderness for years before realizing God was meeting him there. What ordinary places or routines in our lives are we most likely to overlook as places where God may be working?

Stephen says Israel “turned back to Egypt in their hearts.” What are some things we tend to run back to when trusting God becomes difficult or uncomfortable?

Israel began treating the temple as though God could be contained there. What are some ways Christians today can try to put God in a box through our traditions, preferences, expectations, or routines?

These religious leaders knew Scripture, valued the Law, and were deeply religious, yet Stephen said they were resisting the Holy Spirit. How can someone be very religious and still resist what God is trying to do in their life?

tonight, we are going to pray the way we normally do.

We are going to begin Upward, looking at God.

Then Downward, allowing what we see in God to bring us into surrender and confession.

Then Inward, bringing our personal needs before Him.

Then Outward, praying for others, our church, our community, and those who need Christ.

And then we will finish with Thanksgiving, remembering what God has already done.

And Acts 7 gives us plenty to pray about.

UPWARD — REVERENCE

Listen to how Stephen begins.

Acts 7:2 says:

“The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…”

I love that Stephen starts there.

Before Abraham.

Before Israel.

Before Moses.

Before the Law.

Before the tabernacle.

Before the temple.

There was the God of glory.

And church, before we start talking about our problems tonight, we need to remember who we are talking to.

We are not praying to a God who is scrambling to figure out what happens next.

God was not nervous when Abraham left home without knowing where he was going.

God was not nervous when Joseph was thrown into a pit.

He was not nervous when Joseph went to prison.

He was not nervous when Pharaoh enslaved Israel.

He was not nervous when Moses ran into the wilderness.

And He is not nervous about whatever is happening in your life tonight.

Stephen keeps showing us a God who appears, speaks, promises, sends, rescues, judges, leads, and fulfills His purposes.

God is not reacting to history.

God is Lord over history.

Acts 7:9–10 says that Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and sold him into Egypt.

And then comes this little phrase:

“But God was with him.”

That might be one of the most important phrases in the entire chapter.

Joseph's circumstances changed.

God's presence did not.

Joseph went from the pit, to slavery, to Potiphar's house, to prison.

But God was with him.

And sometimes we make the mistake of believing that if God is with us, everything ought to be going well.

Joseph's life destroys that theology.

Sometimes God is with you in the prison.

Sometimes God is with you in the wilderness.

Sometimes God is with you when you have absolutely no idea what He is doing.

And tonight, before we ask Him for anything, we are simply going to worship Him for who He is.

He is the God of glory.

He is sovereign.

He is faithful.

He is present.

He keeps His promises.

He cannot be confined to a building.

He cannot be controlled by our plans.

He does not need our permission to be God.

So for the next few moments, do not ask Him for anything.

Just worship Him.

Thank Him for who He is.

Praise Him for His character.

You may pray:

“God, You are faithful.”

“God, You are sovereign.”

“God, You are holy.”

“God, You are good.”

“God, You are present.”

“God, You keep Your promises.”

And as God puts something on your heart, pray it aloud.

Let's fill this room with prayers of worship.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Father, You are the God of glory.

Before there was a temple, You were God.

Before there was Israel, You were God.

Before Abraham ever took one step of faith, You were God.

Before Joseph ever entered Egypt, You were God.

Before Moses ever saw the burning bush, You were God.

And long after every kingdom of this world has disappeared, You will still be God.

You are not anxious.

You are not confused.

You are not overwhelmed.

Nothing catches You off guard.

Nothing threatens Your throne.

You are sovereign over history, sovereign over nations, sovereign over our church, sovereign over our families, and sovereign over every detail of our lives.

Tonight, we worship You simply because You are worthy.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

DOWNWARD — RESPONSE

Once we see who God is, the natural response is to look honestly at ourselves.

And Acts 7 gets uncomfortable here.

Stephen tells the story of Moses going up the mountain and receiving the Word of God.

And while Moses is receiving the commandments, the people are already breaking them.

Acts 7:39 says:

“Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt.”

Notice that phrase.

“In their hearts they turned to Egypt.”

Their bodies were out of Egypt.

Their hearts were not.

God had delivered them physically, but their hearts were still attracted to what He had rescued them from.

And that is still possible.

You can be sitting in church with your heart in Egypt.

You can sing worship songs with your heart in Egypt.

You can know Scripture with your heart in Egypt.

You can have been saved for forty years and still discover places in your heart that keep trying to go back to the very things Jesus has delivered you from.

Then Stephen gets even more direct.

Acts 7:51:

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.”

That is not exactly how you win friends and influence people.

Stephen doesn't soften it.

Their problem was not a lack of religious activity.

These men were incredibly religious.

Their problem was that they knew about God while resisting God.

And that ought to sober every one of us.

Because tonight the question is not, “Do I go to church?”

The question is:

Where am I resisting the Holy Spirit?

Where has God spoken and I have pushed back?

Where has God convicted me and I have made an excuse?

Where has God told me to forgive and I have chosen bitterness?

Where has God told me to obey and I have said, “Tomorrow”?

Where have I decided that my plan is better than His?

Where have I taken something good, maybe a tradition, preference, possession, relationship, career, comfort, or even ministry, and allowed it to become an idol?

So we are going to spend some time in confession.

And I want us to begin quietly.

Ask God:

“Lord, where am I resisting You?”

Don't ask Him to show you what's wrong with the person beside you.

We are all very gifted at that.

Ask Him to search you.

Where is my heart turning back toward Egypt?

Where am I trying to control You?

Where am I refusing to obey?

Where have I heard Your Word but failed to do what it says?

Take a moment quietly before the Lord.

[ALLOW TIME FOR SILENT CONFESSION]

Now, as you feel led, begin praying aloud.

Confess sin.

Ask God to soften your heart.

Ask Him to remove idols.

Ask Him to give you an obedient spirit.

Ask Him to make you sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Father, forgive us.

We confess that we often want You to be Lord as long as You follow our script.

We want Your will until Your will becomes uncomfortable.

We want Your direction until You lead somewhere we did not want to go.

We want Your Word until Your Word confronts something we do not want to surrender.

Forgive us for resisting You.

Forgive us for returning in our hearts to things You have already delivered us from.

Forgive us for the idols we create with our own hands.

Forgive us for hearing Your Word without obeying it.

Give us soft hearts.

Give us listening ears.

Give us the courage to say yes before we know every detail.

And where Your Spirit is convicting us tonight, don't let us walk out of here making excuses.

Bring us to repentance.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

INWARD — REQUESTS

Now we bring our own needs before the Lord.

And Acts 7 gives us an incredible picture of God's care for His people.

When Stephen tells the story of Israel suffering in Egypt, he quotes what God said to Moses.

Acts 7:34:

“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning.”

I want you to hear that tonight.

I have seen.

I have heard.

Israel had been suffering so long that it probably felt like God had forgotten them.

But God had not missed one second of it.

He saw.

He heard.

And He was working.

Somebody tonight needs to remember that.

God has seen.

God has heard.

He sees the diagnosis.

He sees what is happening in your marriage.

He sees the child you are worried about.

He sees the financial pressure.

He sees the loneliness.

He sees the decision you have to make.

He sees the thing keeping you awake at night.

He sees the grief that everybody else thinks you should be over by now.

He hears the prayers you have prayed so many times that you're tired of hearing yourself pray them.

And the fact that God has not answered according to your timetable does not mean God has not heard you.

Think about Moses.

Moses was eighty years old before the burning bush.

Forty years in Egypt.

Forty years in Midian.

And then God said, “Now.”

We usually want God to work somewhere around forty minutes.

Forty years seems a little excessive.

But God was not late.

God had been preparing Moses while Moses thought he was just watching sheep.

And maybe some of what feels like waiting in your life is actually preparation.

Maybe some of the ground you think is ordinary ground is holy ground and you just haven't recognized what God is doing yet.

So now we are going to bring our needs before Him.

Not demanding.

Not controlling.

Not telling God how He has to answer.

We are going to bring them to the God who sees, the God who hears, and the God who knows exactly what He is doing.

Pray for your family.

Pray for your health.

Pray for your marriage.

Pray for your children.

Pray for wisdom.

Pray for provision.

Pray for whatever burden you carried into this room tonight.

But as you pray, add this:

“Lord, I trust You with the outcome.”

That's the hard part.

“Lord, here's what I want.”

“Here's what I need.”

“Here's what I'm asking.”

“But I trust You.”

Let's pray.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Father, You see.

You hear.

You know.

Nothing represented in this room tonight is hidden from You.

You know every medical need.

You know every financial burden.

You know every struggling marriage.

You know every parent worried about a child.

You know every person carrying grief.

You know every decision that needs wisdom.

You know every prayer that has been prayed for months or even years without the answer we hoped would come.

And tonight we bring those things to You.

Not because You need the information.

But because we need You.

Give us what we need.

Heal where it is Your will to heal.

Provide where provision is needed.

Restore what is broken.

Give wisdom where the path is unclear.

Give strength where someone is exhausted.

But above all, teach us to trust You.

When we cannot see Your hand, help us trust Your heart.

When life looks completely out of control from where we are standing, remind us that heaven is not panicking.

You are still God.

We place ourselves and our needs into Your hands.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

OUTWARD — READINESS

Now we turn our attention away from ourselves.

One of the repeated patterns in Acts 7 is that God sends people.

God sent Joseph ahead into Egypt.

God sent Moses back to Egypt.

Acts 7:35 says of Moses:

“This man God sent as both ruler and redeemer.”

God works through people He sends.

And church, that has not changed.

The gospel came to us because somebody carried it to us.

Somebody taught you.

Somebody invited you.

Somebody prayed for you.

Somebody opened the Bible with you.

Somebody told you about Jesus.

And now God has sent us.

The story does not terminate here.

Cedar Bay is not supposed to be a place where we gather, enjoy one another, hear the Word, and then hide from the world for another seven days.

We have been sent into Jacksonville.

We have been sent into our neighborhoods.

We have been sent into our workplaces.

We have been sent into our schools.

We have been sent into San Mateo.

We have been sent into homes filled with people who desperately need Jesus.

And Acts 7 reminds us that some people will resist.

Stephen preached the truth, and the people hearing him resisted the Holy Spirit.

That means our responsibility is not to control the response.

Our responsibility is to faithfully witness.

So let's pray outward.

First, think of somebody you know who does not know Christ.

One person.

Picture their face.

Ask God to soften their heart.

Ask God to give you an opportunity to speak.

Ask God to give you courage when the opportunity comes.

And ask God to save them.

Let's pray for the lost.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Now let's pray for Cedar Bay.

Pray that we would never become a church that simply loves our building, our routines, or our preferences.

Stephen reminded them in Acts 7:48:

“The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.”

This building is a tool.

It is not the mission.

The church leaves this building every time you do.

So pray that God would make us useful.

Pray that He would make us bold.

Pray that He would make us compassionate.

Pray that people in this community would meet Jesus because this church is here.

Pray for our ministries.

Pray for our students.

Pray for our children.

Pray for those who serve.

Pray for those being discipled.

Pray for future leaders.

Pray that God would continue raising up ordinary people and using them in extraordinary ways.

Let's pray for our church.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Now pray for our community.

Pray for Jacksonville.

Pray for San Mateo.

Pray for our schools.

Pray for teachers and administrators.

Pray for first responders.

Pray for families around us who are hurting.

Pray for people who are far from God.

Pray for gospel-preaching churches throughout this city.

Pray that the kingdom of God would advance.

[ALLOW TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Father, You are a sending God.

You sent Joseph.

You sent Moses.

You sent the prophets.

And ultimately You sent Your Son.

And Jesus has now sent us.

Don't let us become comfortable Christians who know the story but never participate in the mission.

Give us eyes to see people.

Give us courage to speak the gospel.

Give us compassion for those who are hurting.

Give us patience with those who resist.

Use Cedar Bay to make strong disciples who know Your Word, live Your way, and advance Your mission.

Use us in this community.

Use us in our homes.

Use us in our workplaces.

Use us in our schools.

Use ordinary people in this church to accomplish things that can only be explained by Your power.

And for the people we have prayed for tonight who do not know Christ, pursue them.

Soften their hearts.

Open their eyes.

Bring them to repentance and faith.

And if You want to use us to do it, make us ready.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

THANKSGIVING — REMEMBERING GOD'S FAITHFULNESS

We finish with thanksgiving.

And really, Acts 7 is one long exercise in remembering.

Stephen looks backward.

Abraham.

Joseph.

Moses.

The wilderness.

Joshua.

David.

Solomon.

The prophets.

And what do you see when you look backward?

You see people failing.

You see sin.

You see suffering.

You see rejection.

You see things that looked completely out of control.

But woven through every one of those stories, you also see the faithfulness of God.

God kept His promise to Abraham.

God was with Joseph.

God heard Israel.

God called Moses.

God delivered His people.

God gave His Word.

God remained faithful even when His people were faithless.

And ultimately, all of it pointed forward to what Stephen calls in Acts 7:52 “the Righteous One.”

Jesus.

That's where this whole story was going.

The greatest evidence that God is sovereign over the mess is the cross.

Because if you had been standing there on Friday, watching Jesus crucified, everything would have looked completely out of control.

The Messiah is dead.

The disciples are scattered.

The religious leaders have won.

Rome is still in charge.

It looks like the whole thing has fallen apart.

But heaven knew Sunday was coming.

What looked like the greatest defeat in history became the greatest victory in history.

God took the cross and made it the means of our salvation.

So tonight, we finish by thanking Him.

Some of you can look backward now and see places where God was working even though you could not see Him at the time.

Thank Him for that.

Thank Him for prayers He answered.

Thank Him for prayers He did not answer the way you wanted.

Thank Him for protecting you.

Thank Him for providing for you.

Thank Him for carrying you.

Thank Him for people He placed in your life.

Thank Him for salvation.

Thank Him for Jesus.

And I want us to do this one aloud.

Don't ask for anything.

Just thank Him.

Finish this sentence:

“God, thank You for…”

And let's fill this room with thanksgiving.

[ALLOW EXTENDED TIME FOR CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER]

Father, thank You.

Thank You that when we look back, we can see evidence of Your faithfulness everywhere.

Thank You for the prayers You answered exactly as we asked.

Thank You for the prayers You answered differently because You knew better than we did.

Thank You for doors You opened.

Thank You for doors You closed.

Thank You for carrying us through seasons we did not think we would survive.

Thank You for Your Word.

Thank You for this church.

Thank You for brothers and sisters who walk beside us.

Thank You that You have never abandoned Your people.

But most of all, thank You for Jesus.

Thank You for the Righteous One.

Thank You that when we were sinners, Christ died for us.

Thank You that what looked like defeat at the cross was actually Your plan of redemption.

Thank You that the tomb is empty.

Thank You that Jesus is alive.

Thank You that our salvation does not depend on our ability to control our lives, but on Christ's finished work.

And Lord, as we leave tonight, help us remember what Stephen's sermon has shown us from beginning to end:

You are still God.

You are still faithful.

You are still working.

You are still present.

And even when life looks like a mess from where we are standing, You have never once lost control.

So we trust You.

We surrender to You.

We worship You.

And we thank You.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Amen.