Book of Acts - Ch. 7, Vs. 1-60 (02/23/2003)

Park Meadows Church

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Acts, excuse me, I've got Romans on my mind.

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The seventh chapter, verse one. Then said the high priest, are these things so?

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David, what things was he referring to? Well, it was concerning what subject?

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All right. Now, Stephen is standing here before the council.

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Virge, does he offer any kind of excuse like I would have been?

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He makes no attempt to clear himself. Joy, that seems rather serious to me.

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In fact, he doesn't even mention the charge. He calls them brethren.

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How come? I don't know who is here. Dennis, are you here? OK. He calls them brethren.

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Why? Not because they were saved, but because they were related.

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This man, Stephen, and later Paul, had a lot to do with shaping the church.

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Now, the only time they ever met that which we know about was at the stoning of Stephen.

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That's where he's headed. If you can imagine being stoned, that's something we've never observed in this country, to my knowledge.

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But Virge, they would throw stones at you until you were dead. Now, he's going to use

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Abraham, or that's where he's going to start. He's going to give them a brief history. So I must ask the question, did

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Abraham do what he did because he was called of God, or did God call him because he knew what

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Abraham would do? Greg? All right.

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David, did Adam sin because he... Well, let me hold that one.

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Yes. Well, what about sin?

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Where'd sin come from? What is sin? We say sin come from the devil, but where did he get it?

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John? Well, since God is

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God and nothing else, we conclude that sin is a place where God is not.

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Can you go with that? In our way of thinking, we have to have an opposite in order to have the affirmative.

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So God could not have good unless he had bad for us.

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How else would we know good except by bad? God did not have to create sin, for it was there the other side of righteousness.

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When you shut a door and you shut some or something in, you automatically shut something or others out.

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You don't shut the door to keep them out. You shut them to keep these in. So sin is where God is not.

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Second verse. And he said,

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Why didn't God spell it all out for him right then? All right, that's exactly why.

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God called him out not because he knew what he would do, but he did what he did because God called him.

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In fact, Abraham was the very first called -out man, the first one to receive a call from God and move out on it.

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Now, faith always leads to obedience. Is that right, John? David, how can you have faith and not have obedience?

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True. True faith is what we're talking about. So, John, you're wrong.

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Anytime he didn't, he was operating by sight. God called him away from the land of idol worship and human sacrifice.

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Can you imagine Abraham living in a country where they had human sacrifices?

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He later in his life was subjected to the same thing. But he knew it was wrong.

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Now we go into quite a lengthy study.

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Okay. 7 and 4. Acts 7 and 4. Then came he out of the land of the

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Chaldeans and dwelt in Sharan. And from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein you now dwell.

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Moved him right here. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on, yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no children.

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So God made him a promise in the beginning that it would be to him and his seed.

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But Abraham owned no real estate save the land where he was buried.

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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 for a hundred years.

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Who's he talking about? And the nation in whom they shall be in bondage will

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I judge, said God. Now he raises up a nation to come and take

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Israel and put them in bondage. Then he's going to judge that nation that is controlling them for controlling them.

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Now in man's view, that's not right. But in God's, it is. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so Abraham beget

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Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day, and Isaac beget

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Jacob, Jacob beget the twelve patriarchs.

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And the patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him.

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Joy, how do we know God was with him? How do we know?

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All right. And delivered him out of all of his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all of his house.

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Now what makes this account given by Stephen so remarkable is that we have the spirit's interpretation of this scripture.

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Eleven. Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Sharan and great affliction, and our fathers found no substance.

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But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

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And at the second time, Joseph was made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred was made known unto

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Pharaoh. Long story short. Then sent

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Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all of his kindred, three score and fifteen souls.

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Dennis, how many people is that? So Jacob went down into Egypt and died there and our fathers, and were carried over into Shechem, and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money, of the sons of Emar, the father of Shechem.

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But when the time of the promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew more and multiplied in Egypt.

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Now God knows when he's going to lead them out. The people didn't, but they were building a nation, and it grew and grew, till another king arose which knew not

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Joseph. The same dealt suddenly with our kindred, and evilly entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children to the end that they might not live.

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You remember he had them bash the heads in of all the children. To the end they might not live or continue to grow a strong nation.

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Twenty. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months.

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And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

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And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deed.

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What about these Egyptians? David, were they very intelligent? The most intelligent people on the face of the earth.

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And still in some ways. But they were best instructed.

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And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.

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Moses was forty years in Pharaoh's court, forty years in Midian, and forty years in serving

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God. Just divided into forty year segments. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, now this,

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Moses went out one day, and saw a Jew suffering wrong. He defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the

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Egyptian. In fact, he smote him to death. And hid him in the sand.

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So Moses knows, at this time, that he is a

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Jew. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not.

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That is a great truth. Every time we suppose that others understand that which is on our mind, we can get disappointed.

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You cannot suppose anything. Just because God has revealed one thing to you, and does not mean that others know what it is, this is the reason for teaching.

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Because it reveals to me, it reveals to you, things as you study, and this is why we meet together.

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And the next day he showed himself unto them, as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying,

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Sirs, you are brethren, why do you wrong one another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying,

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Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Now, can you see

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God working in this, Debbie? If this man had not accused

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Moses, Moses would not have run away. Wilt thou kill me, and thou didst as I didst the

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Egyptian yesterday? So Moses fled the country, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

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He went to Midian, married, had two sons, and when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel of the

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Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. Now, you can turn back to Exodus 3 -2, turn there, if you will,

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Greg, and read that for us. Exodus 3 -2. David, have you ever seen a bush burn and not be consumed?

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That's strange, isn't it? It caught Moses' attention. The bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

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He remembered that incident clear until he went his dying breath.

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When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight, and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the

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Lord came unto him. Now, Verge, who is this the angel?

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Anybody say something? Any time in the

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Old Testament where you see the words the angel, it's a reference to our

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Lord. Now, we know he's lived forever, and the

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Lord spoke to him. This was Jesus Christ pre -incarnate. Well, he saw the bush and he wondered, and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the

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Lord came unto him out of the bush, saying, I am

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God of thy fathers. Now, David, he says, I am

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God of thy fathers. Thy fathers are dead. The God of Abraham is dead, and the

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God of Isaac is dead, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled and durst not behold.

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What's that mean, David? He couldn't look at it.

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But now, I want to touch on God is the Father, or is the

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God of the fathers that are dead. How can that be, Adonis? All right, that's right, good point.

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Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

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Now, what's the significance here, David? Why couldn't he wear his shoes?

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Well, they could. Did I see Roger come in? What do you think the significance is of having to remove his shoes?

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All right. All right, what John, can you today work for the

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Lord and have something between you and the

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Lord? Okay, you can work for the

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Lord, but you're working in some place that profits you, just you.

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In other words, he had Moses remove his shoes because there can be nothing between the

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Lord and man. There cannot even be a sandal.

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He has to go barefoot, sandals and all. He has to be in the

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Lord. I have a question at the close of class that I want you to think about.

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All right. I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groanings, and I have come down to deliver them, and now come,

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I will send thee into Egypt. Maybe this is the first time

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Moses has heard that. I will send you into Egypt, send you back. This Moses, whom they refused, saying,

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Who made thee a ruler and a judge the same? Did God send thee a ruler and deliver by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush?

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He brought them out after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the

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Red Sea and in the wilderness forty years. We condense it all down to a verse or two.

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He performed miracles and the devil copied the first two or three, but that was all.

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This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the

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Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, him shall you hear.

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Now he's talking about something that was coming. It had at Stephen's time.

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This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the

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Mount Sinai and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us to whom our fathers would not obey but thrust him from them and in their hearts turned back again to Egypt.

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It's not easy to point the finger at someone else.

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It is easy to point it at someone else. But the question is would

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I like to be doing the same thing as they?

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Can you imagine these Pharisees, Sadducees all listening,

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I'm sure they're talking among themselves by now and Stephen is speaking in a loud voice.

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He's not timid and he's speaking out for our Lord and they're getting more angry by the moment.

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Saying unto Aaron make us gods to go before us for as for this

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Moses which brought us out of the land of Egypt we want not what is become of him.

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Where was he at this time, David? Right.

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They didn't know what had happened to him and they didn't care. And they made a calf in those days and offered sacrifice unto the idol and rejoiced at the works of their own hands.

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Stephen is showing them that Israel had always been a rebellious people even now.

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Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven as it is written in the book of the prophets.

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Oh ye house of Israel have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness.

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They went into idolatry is what they did. Yea ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your

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God and the referendum figures which you made to worship them and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

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Our fathers had the tabernacle a witness in the wilderness that was the one

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Moses built as he had appointed speaking unto Moses that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

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Now what is he talking about Greg? According to the fashion he has seen.

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Right. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the

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Gentiles whom God drove out before the face of our fathers into the days of David who found favor before God and desired to find a tabernacle for the

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God of Jacob. By the way why was David not allowed to build the temple?

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That's right. But Solomon built the house, David's son.

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Howbeit the most high dwelleth not in temples made with hands as saith the prophets.

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Now he's jumped the track again. In this, and I'm speaking of in Stephen's time

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God will not dwell in that man -made tabernacle.

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It was before the cross when he did dwell there and after the cross he didn't dwell there.

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Why David? Well that's true but can you expand that any?

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Yes. When that dispensation was finished it closed with the cross.

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No longer would he dwell in a place. Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool.

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

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Hath not my hand made all of these things? Hath not my hand made all of these things?

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What's he talking about? That's right.

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He made it all. Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the

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Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do you. Now the

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Jews can hardly restrain themselves. They're getting very angry.

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He just told them they resist the Holy Ghost. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?

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And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of just one of whom you have been now the betrayer and murderer who have received the law by the dispensation of angels and have not kept it.

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These men would not hear God anymore than their ancestors did.

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I fear that we today do not. When God heard these things they were cut to the heart.

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When they heard these things they were cut to the heart. And they gnashed on him with their teeth.

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Now the very descriptive of the word gnash just said the jaw firmly to clamp tight and shut.

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So did they each one let us go take a bite of him? Just as angry as they could be.

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But he being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing.

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Underline the word standing. Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

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David, why is that so much different? That's right.

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Or who else did he stand? Roger? I can't see to the back.

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Clarence, are you back there? Okay, who else did the

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Lord stand for? Here he stood. Stephen saw him standing.

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Who else could say that? Well, I'm not sure.

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Jesus had not returned then to heaven so he couldn't stand in heaven. But no one else.

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Stephen's the only one for which he stood. What an honor. Since God is spirit, then how can there be a right hand of God, Joey?

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Well, it represents that he does not mean that he's a man sitting there and on his right, not as we would think of it.

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And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and a son of man standing on the right hand of God.

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Now he said this. He saw this. Then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord.

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Now they have come, Debbie, to the boiling over point. They cannot stand what he's saying.

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They're very angry at Stephen. Why? They were guilty and they could not stand that.

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And they cast him out of the city and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the young man's feet whose name was

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Saul. Who's this, John? Saul.

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Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen. I think that's something he never, never forgot.

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And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, Stephen calling upon God, saying,

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Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, cried with a loud voice,

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Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he died.

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Fell asleep. Stephen falls asleep.

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Jesus puts his body in a grave to wait for the rapture.

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Stephen goes into the presence of Christ who is standing to meet him.

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Stephen is the first martyr of the church. In what way did

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God use Stephen to prepare Paul for his Damascus Road event?

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Burge? How did he use this episode of Stephen all the way through to the end?

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Well, that's true, but he didn't realize it right then. Roger? How did the

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Lord use this? In what way did he use it for Paul on the

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Damascus Road? All right, let me ask you all a question or two.

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Have you ever, in your life, experienced something and then later, maybe years later, it helped you understand?

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You were able to open your eyes and see what actually happened years before?

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I'm sure we have. We may not recall it. Is there any questions or statements concerning this lesson?

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Yes. That's true.

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That's true. Yes. Joy?

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You want to ask a question? I thought I saw you waving.

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All right, let me ask you a question and I want you to think about it. Don't answer.

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Do you live in the Word each day or does the

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Word live in you each day? Think about it.

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And if I can remember it next week, we'll come back to it. If I can't, we won't.