The Terrible Pattern of Rejecting God

So, you may be like me and every time you’ve come to Acts 7 in your Bible reading plan, if you do a reading plan, you have a knee jerk inward groan saying “oh no, not this long chapter on Old Testament references”. For me I have often looked at this chapter and came away very confused. I got the end of the chapter, like the last 10 verses. I understood that Stephen died for his faith, but the Old Testament part was often confusing for me. I am excited to share some observations from the text that stuck out to me.

So, yes, we are tackling the longest chapter in Acts today, but we’re not going to cover it all in one sermon. In two weeks Pastor David will finish up the second part.

The task in this sermon is to look at the first part of Stephen’s speech and ask the question: “what is Stephen getting at with these examples?” See, Stephen highlights several well-known stories from the Old Testament. And these really get at the heart of the issue between Stephen and these people. I think his speech is brilliant in how he takes on the accusations leveled against him by using relevant stories to show or highlight the areas of their hearts where they are wrong and do not understand.

Let’s look at a summary verse to help guide us through the speech. This verse was really helpful for me to ground me in how to look at Stephen’s speech so that I take what Stephen says the right way. So Acts 7:51 is helps us see what Stephen is getting at with his speech. Let me read it: “You stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” So I think that is what Stephen is getting at when he brings up these Old Testament references.

Ok, so the issue here, the big summary of Acts 7 deals with rejecting God. These people were rejecting God. The very people who were paying lip service to God had no heart for God. They rejected God. All they cared about was their own name.

With this in mind, let’s look at three examples Stephen uses, and let’s see what Stephen is getting at. We are going to go up to verse 29 today.

Example #1 – Abraham (7:2–8)

With his life hanging in thebalance, Stephen starts his speech with Abraham.

Quick note on Abraham to help set the context. Stephen starts at almost the beginning of the Bible. We learn about Abraham starting in Genesis 12. What is before Abraham in the Bible? How do we get to Abraham? Who is Abraham? Well, first, creation happens in Genesis 1-2. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it and everything was good. But then in Genesis 3 after Adam and Eve were created and placed in this beautiful garden, God told them to not eat of some certain fruit, yet they did eat. They essentially said to God “thanks but no thanks, we’ll take care of things on our own. We got this, we don’t need you.” Adam and Eve rejected (that’s a theme) God’s word, this pattern of rejection started, and they did not listen to Him and they set the world into a tail spin because this rebellion was consequently passed on to the next generation, all the way to us. And the human nature to be selfish and be consumed with wanting everyone to praise our name instead of God’s began.

So that’s the beginning. Nine chapters later when the world was pretty messed up already, God breaks in with immense grace and mercy and decides to make a promise to a person named Abram. And God working with Abram began the story of God’s chosen people as the nation of Israel and God displaying unconditional love and grace and mercy with sinful people who didn’t deserve it.

So, Two Observations in this section:

First Observation:

Stephen starts with Abraham and he links Abraham to his listeners by using the second person “you” in verse 4. “Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which YOU are now living.” What’s Stephen getting at? Stephen wants to be crystal clear that his listeners know they are being addressed by Stephen in his examples. When Stephen makes a point about the Old Testament, it has direct application and purpose for his listener’s lives. This set up becomes very important when Stephen himself points out their sin.

Second Observation:

With this foundation that his listeners are the ones he is addressing with his examples, Stephen strategically uses the concept of worship in verse 7, which says, “But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place’.” Stephen explains how the unfolding plan of God for Israel was for them to worship God and not themselves.

What is Stephen getting at? The issue with these leaders was that they were NOT worshipping God. They thought they were, but in reality it was all about them. Remember, we saw this already when these leaders were jealous of the people. Church became all about them and their name. It wasn’t about God. If they truly would have seen God at work in the Old Testament they would have recognized Jesus and worshipped him, but they missed it.

And Stephen strategically references again “this place”. Did you catch that? Stephen quotes God saying that he wanted the people to come out of Egypt and worship Him “in this place”. You can hear the subtle accusation that God wants these leaders to be worshiping Jesus IN THIS PLACE. But they weren’t.

What about us? What would it look like for you to worship God wherever you are? Instead of rejecting Him at home, or at work, or at the grocery store, or at the gym… instead of rejecting him, you worship Him in that place, wherever you are. What would that look like?

What does it look like to worship God? Is it not enjoying Him? As Pastor Joe said last weekend on Easter, we all want to be happy. And finding our deepest joy in God and enjoying the fact that God loves us and died for us and has saved us, enjoying that…. Doesn’t that glorify him and is that not an act of worship?

Worshipping God and our joy are not opposed.

I think Stephen strategically mentions this concept of worship to help point out their sin, and ours too.

Let’s keep going.

Example #2 – Joseph (7:9–19)

Verse 8 transitions us from Abraham to the twelve patriarchs, so how do we get from Abraham to this guy Joseph?

Abraham became the father of Isaac… Isaac the father of Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons who became the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. And Joseph was one of those sons. So, Joseph has 11 brothers. This is the situation. Two observations:

First Observation:

Stephen strategically identifies the ones who sold Joseph into slavery as the patriarchs and Stephen notes that the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph.

Verse 9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him”

So you may think your family is messed up. And you’re probably right, but actually Joseph’s situation is really messed up. Joseph’s brothers sell him off into slavery. That’s pretty bad.

The other week I was on a plane and there were two young boys in front of me and all of a sudden something happened and one of them just started beating up on the other and it turned so quickly into a massive brawl right on the plane and these two brothers were going at it. Mom jumped in between them and in a minute everything was calm again. Ok, so even in that, a big brawl on an airplane, it’s just brothers fighting, right? Not that abnormal. That’s a whole lot different than selling your brother into slavery, I mean come on!!! Seriously, that’s messed up.

Remember, Stephen is talking to Jewish priests and leaders who descended from the highly esteemed 12 patriarchs.

And Stephen is looking at his accusers and saying: ok, let me get this straight. The brothers sold Joseph into slavery. You are proud of the fact that our family lineage includes those patriarchs. So, in effect you are basing your pride on the fact that your forefathers sold a family member into slavery… and everyone is ok with this? What’s going on here?!?!

So, what’s Stephen getting at? The point of Joseph is not for YOU to be proud! It’s for you to see Jesus and worship God, not these patriarchs, not the family lineage!

Stephen is pointing out that these leaders in their jealousy of the people turning to Jesus, are rejecting Jesus, just like their forefathers rejected Joseph.

Stephen is pointing out using the Old Testament this terrible pattern of rejection that is in the hearts of people.

Second Observation:

Stephen also weaves into his speech a subtle motif of ignorance in an effort to politely suggest that his accusers are being ignorant of Jesus.

Verses 12-13 “But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers (that is these 11 brothers) on their FIRST visit. And on the SECOND visit Joseph (remember he was sold into slavery) made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.”

So the 11 brothers go to Egypt to get grain because there was a famine in the land. They think Joseph is dead or in slavery somewhere. Yet, it is Joseph who is now in charge of the grain. The first visit when the brothers meet with Joseph they don’t get it. They miss it. They don’t know it is Joseph. But, on the second visit, the second time around, they see it is Joseph and Joseph forgives them and feeds the family food.

What’s Stephen getting at? The patriarchs missed it that God was saving them through Joseph. They figured it out eventually but they were ignorant of it at first.

Likewise, these leaders missed it the first time when Jesus came. They missed it. Jesus came and instead of worshiping God in the flesh, they killed him!

Now Peter, and John, and Stephen have come a second time to tell them about Jesus and the hope is that they would see Jesus for who he really is and NOT reject him the second time.

Result:

See, Joseph is a type of Christ. He was rejected by his own people by being sold into slavery by his very own brothers. And in this rejection God was with him and empowered Joseph to become a leader in Egypt and ultimately save his own family, the very ones who rejected him.

Stephen uses the story of Joseph to tell his listeners you are the ones who are falling into this terrible pattern of rejection. You are missing it. You don’t get it. You are failing to see Jesus IS the Messiah. And DO NOT miss this a second time!

The terrible pattern of rejecting God continues.

Example #3 – Moses (7:17–29)

The situation with Moses is that the glory days with God blessing his people through Joseph’s senior leadership in Egypt are over. And now, a new Pharaoh hates the fact that there are so many Hebrew people living in Egypt so Pharaoh puts this people group under immense torture and enslavement and treats them with extreme brutality. This is a massive dark period for the people of God and it lasts over 400 years. But God, in immense grace and mercy breaks in and brings Moses. Stephen picks out a very specific story for his accusers. The story is that Moses comes upon one of his fellow brothers in the faith, and this brother is being attacked by an Egyptian. Moses jumps in and saves this man’s life. Amazing, right? This is wonderful. The man should be really thankful.

Yet, the very next day, the man who was saved, was already fighting again with his own brother. And Moses shows up and questions him on this and the saved man has the audacity to say to Moses “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” Ungrateful. This man saved by God through the hand of Moses, REJECTS Moses and Moses leaves. He is rejected. What’s Stephen getting at? Stephen is trying to show these leaders how Moses was a type of Christ. Moses was a deliverer and a savior to the people, which was a sign, a pointer, to the coming Jesus who would be the ultimate deliverer and savior.

The very family lineage that these people were proud of, were actually the ones who rejected Moses. They claim to honor Moses and praise him, but in reality they are acting like how their forefathers acted in that they rejected the savior that God sent them.

“you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” The terrible pattern of rejecting God continues.

Application – The terrible pattern of rejecting God continues to us

We too have this tendency to be proud of ourselves and think we have everything figured out. We are no different than the people Stephen was addressing. They rejected God, and we all have rejected God as well. The question becomes, how do we respond? Do we respond with repentance and faith in Jesus? Or do we reject Jesus and claim that we know a better way. Thanks but no thanks God, I’ll do it myself. As I thought about this theme of rejecting God and as I thought about this passage and what exactly was going on with Stephen’s accusers, I tried to think of what tangible way we also tend to reject God. One way that came to my mind was our tendency to reject God’s word. These leaders were in effect rejecting God’s word because they didn’t understand it. They used the Bible to their own benefit, to their own glory. That’s not the right way of reading the Bible. The Bible is all about Jesus saving the rejecter. He is the spoken Word. God is not silent about this. Jesus is everywhere in the Bible.

Luke 24:25–27 after Jesus was raised from the dead he was walking with some guys and after a discussion of what had just transpired with Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus said to them “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Jesus point blank states that the Scriptures are all about him. Yet, we find ways and excuses to not take to heart what God is telling us through the Scriptures concerning Jesus.

If you’ve never really studied the Bible before, and have no interest in it, you probably will talk yourself into why you don’t need it. You’d rather do it on your own. This was my issue for a very long time. I was proud to have lots of thoughts and opinions of what I thought the Bible said, but I never looked at it for myself.

In fact that was part of how I started to believe in Jesus and in the Bible. In college God put it on my heart that I was being rather hypocritical. I claimed to know the Bible, yet I never read it. Then God broke in with immense grace and mercy and put it on my heart to start to read the Bible for myself, and in doing so, I started to learn about the Jesus of the Bible, and not rely on my own opinions. So, if you’ve never really cared to look at the Bible before, I strongly encourage you to start and read it for yourself. You’re smart people, read the Bible and see what it says, and let’s talk about it. And another way we reject God’s word is that we prioritize other things above our daily Bible study. We’d rather sleep in, or go work out, or hang out with friends, or try to get more to-do’s checked off the list, or look at facebook. For me, it’s the Wall Street Journal. We are all tempted to put other things above our daily Bible study time. In effect we may be saying, “thanks but no thanks God. I understand that your Bible has truth, but I’d rather spend my time over here doing something else.”

Jesus Saves the Rejecter

In closing, as we transition to the Table, it is a great reminder of how Jesus saves those who reject him. Jesus is the ultimate savior who breaks in with immense grace and mercy and saves the rejecter and draws them to himself.

Stephen’s life was taken from his loved ones by people. People who decided they were god and they knew best and they killed Stephen. This is a horrible thing.

And what is absolutely unbelievable is God’s mercy. I was blown away as I pondered the fact that the person who was helping orchestrate Stephen’s death was a man named Saul. God breaks in with immense grace and mercy, and saves Saul, who becomes the apostle Paul. Acts 7:58 “The leaders cast Stephen out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

Acts 8:1 “And Saul approved of his execution.” And later in Acts 9 we learn how God saved Paul. God displays amazing love when he saves the very ones who reject him.

The terrible pattern of rejecting God is broken at the cross where Jesus saves us. He redeems us from the pattern of rejecting God and changes our hearts to worship God by enjoying Him above all things… should we see Jesus and not be ignorant of Him and not reject Him, but rather believe in Him.