God’s Invitation to His Wedding Feast – RSVP – 2024

 

 

Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship – BLCF Church Message for Sunday:              

God’s Invitation to His Wedding Feast – RSVP

© May 26, 2024, by Steve Mickelson

Based on Messages Shared at BLCF on February 20, 2022, February 4, 2018, and January 8, 2012

BLCF Bulletin February 4, 2018

BLCF_Bulletin_January_8_2012

Announcements & Call to Worship of Prayer, Opening Prayer

Tithing and Prayers; Hymn #572: Praise God

Doxology (Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow) Instrumental – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk4p3rihONU

Music Special Let us sing it in memory of our friend, Rosalie White: Lauren Daigle – To Know Me (Official Lyric Video) – https://youtu.be/cWQGJAhjFRc?si=vCRKdndXueX6lBDB

Music Special: Only By Grace – Fr. Rob Galea (with Lyrics) – https://youtu.be/e0AbftEuvkM?si=8bdEv665g-KPGQKR

Responsive Reading #655: The Final Word (Revelation 22)

Message by Steve Mickelson: God’s Invitation to His Wedding Feast – RSVP  

Let us pray…

The focus of our lesson today will be what we may learn from the Lord’s parable which Jesus described as the “king who gave a wedding feast for his son.”

A week ago, yesterday, my daughter Daniella married her fiancée, Sam, here at BLCF Church. The wedding consisted of a memorable service, followed by a joyful banquet celebration. The wedding was the culmination of many months of planning and preparation for the blessed event.

Not long ago, if you were to turn on the television, or YouTube you may see any of several reality shows about various aspects of the wedding, including such aspects as choosing a wedding planner, selecting the right wedding dress, the venue of the wedding, and the location for the reception. or four the brides who attend each other’s wedding and then rate various aspects of the weddings.

Millions of viewers also have watched one or all of the streaming royal weddings that have taken place in recent years from the UK. Only those with invitations were privy to the reception and the post-marital celebrations, which included a wedding banquet. It is appropriate that only those familiar with the wedding’s hosts and who appreciate the significance of the celebration to the bride and groom would be given an RSVP invitation to attend.

Most people enjoy attending and observing moments of nuptial bliss, where a bride and groom embark upon the journey of a new life together, not expecting to see reality show dramatics or royal pomp and circumstance in the event. We all can imagine the various elements involved in a wedding ceremony and the celebration that follows the exchange of vows, where a couple embarks upon a new life, united in both heart and spirit. The expectation of the invited is to witness a happy, joyful wedding, and a celebration afterward, which makes it not surprising to see that Jesus used a wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14, as a parable to illustrate God`s covenant for dealing with our sinful nature through Jesus and to illustrate the gospel of Jesus Christ, Matthew 22:1-14 (ESV):

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’  And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” 

The parables of our Lord Jesus are earthly stories meant to explain heavenly truths. Each person or object is symbolic of someone or something else. Understanding the symbolism is crucial to discovering the lesson of the parable.

The Scriptures have many examples of lessons expressed by parables, an example is found in Isaiah 25:6 (ESV): On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

Another example of the use of a parable that is entirely consistent with literal, historical, and grammatical interpretation since the passage is clearly described as a parable, and in fact, gaining the theological impact of this parable requires such an understanding. In fact, Jesus best explains His purpose for using the parable in Matthew 13:10-17 (ESV): Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”  And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Back to the lessons from The Parable of the Wedding Feast, the servants sent out to announce the wedding are ignored by some, as were the first disciples who share the good news about Jesus who have been ignored. But the Lord is patient and does not want us to rashly reject the gift of salvation, so he sends out more servants, or more disciples, with His invitation. But we see that some choose not only to reject the invitation but choose to kill those bearing His message. This represents those who have imprisoned, humiliated, or even killed God`s disciples. But, the King, will kill the murderers and destroy their city.

In the Wedding Feast Parable, the King represents God the Father; His Son is our Lord Jesus.  The Invited guests represent Israel and the servants He sent symbolize the prophets and disciples. The city king had his troops burn because the people invited not only refused to attend but killed the king’s servants, representing a defiant Jerusalem.

We find further clarification of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Mark`s gospel, in Chapter 2:18-20 (ESV): Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

God has prepared a banquet with His son Jesus the bridegroom and His bride is the church, being the body of believers, not the mortar and brick. Some say those He then sent His servants out to invite represent the church, which can contain both good and bad believers. However, the symbolism and timing are wrong. The Church is the Bride of Christ, not a group of last-minute substitute guests. Since Israel had already refused their invitation, and the Church (being the bride) would not need an invitation, who are the guests in the parable, and what else are we to take from the lesson?

The wedding garment, worn by the guests represents His righteousness. This is a concept explained on numerous occasions in both Old and New Testaments.

The fact that a guest is thrown out into the darkness for not wearing proper wedding attire indicates these last-minute guests have to be clothed in “garments of salvation” to publicly identify themselves as believers.

`The parable makes it clear that there is no reason, none at all, for people to reject a gracious invitation from the King to come to the wedding feast and enjoy all good things. The only reason they reject the invitation is that they do not believe in the King, or they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Since this is a call from the King or from God, the people are not free to take it or leave it, even if they think they can be non-committal. To reject the invitation from God to share in His Kingdom is folly, it is choosing death, as it not only constitutes a rejection of God’s offer of grace, but it is a rejection of His only provision for eternal life.

The poorly dressed guest might also be considered one of those who profess to be followers of Christ when in the company of other believers, but who hide their light under a bushel when in the presence of non-believers. This brings us to the next Scripture verse for this morning`s message, Romans 1:16 (ESV):

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The wedding garment not worn by the guest who is removed from the banquet in Our Wedding Banquet Parable has another interesting aspect, which is represented by what the guest chooses to wear to the banquet.

First-century Jewish wedding customs held that the father of the groom was in charge of the event and bore all the expenses associated with the wedding and reception. In the case of royalty or the very wealthy, this often included providing a specially made garment to be worn over a guest’s regular clothing. This wedding garment was presented to the guest upon arrival and donned immediately. Wearing it wasn’t mandatory, but was considered a great insult to the Father of the groom if refused and could get a guest ejected from the festivities. In the case of large gatherings, it also served as identification to discourage uninvited guests from crashing the party.

The guests gathered by the servants for the wedding represent both the good and the bad. That is they represent either those who repent their sins or those who have not. The guests accepted the invitation, calling themselves righteous, while claiming to be entitled to His mercy. However, it takes more than just words to claim redemption.

The wedding guest not properly dressed for the banquet is like the person who claims to be a child of God, but his thoughts and actions reveal whether or not his actions match the words. This is like the expression: you may talk the talk, but did you walk the walk.  There are many so-called Christians whose focus and service are performed in the name of the Lord, but their true focus is self-promotion. While they may fool some into believing that they are serving the Lord, God knows that they are only seeking to benefit themselves. Unfortunately, for them, at the Lord`s Banquet, their actions and our motives become visible, like their outer garments. Those who are not servants of the Lord will be judged. Those who were not sincere in their faith practices will be bound and ejected from Heaven. Not all who have been invited will be allowed to stay.

From the beginning of time, God has given humanity a choice. The rags worn by the guests are not unlike those worn by all humanity because of sin. Adam and Eve in an attempt to conceal their sin of disobeying God in the garden felt ashamed and chose to wear fig leaves and loincloths in an attempt to conceal their guilt from Him. Let us read about this in Genesis 3:7-10 (ESV): ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool^[a] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”^[b]10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Footnotes: a. Genesis 3:8 Hebrew wind b. Genesis 3:9 In Hebrew you is singular in verses 9 and 11

God saw Adam and Eve had known sin because they had eaten the forbidden fruit, which caused them to want to hide their nakedness, so God made them garments to wear, not to conceal their sin, but as a reminder of their sin, as described in Genesis 3:21 (ESV): ²¹ And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

When the Day of Judgement comes, and no one knows the day, only those clothed in righteousness will not have their sins exposed, Revelation 16:15 (ESV): ¹⁵ (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

What do we mean when we talk about keeping the garments righteous? Where do these garments come from? We may find our answer in Galatians 3:27 (ESV): ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Like the Wedding Banquet Parable, those who accept God’s gift of salvation, by believing His Son, Jesus died for our sins, so that we may accept the Holy Spirit, and wear new garments of righteousness, discarding filthy garments of sin that we inherited from Adam and Eve, and exchange them for pure vestments, free of iniquity, Zechariah 3:3-4 (ESV): ³ Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.⁴ And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Let us discard our rags of sin, accept the gift of the new wedding garment, and wear it to celebrate the fact that we were not only called by Him but to celebrate that He chose us as guests to His banquet. We only need to RSVP to His invitation.

Let us pray…

Closing Music Special: Lauren Daigle – NOW IS FOREVER LYRIC VIDEO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kMNKtsEkoc

Benediction Music Special: In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible) – Katy Nichole – Lyric Video – https://youtu.be/R84PqRdZ7_Y

Benediction – (1 John 1:6-7): If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  – Amen

The Passing of Rosalie White

• from Tim Hackborn:

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Rosalie White on Friday afternoon, (May 3, 2024), surrounded by her family. Mom had a gift for storytelling and loved her family fiercely. She found joy in hearing about her grandchildren’s daily lives. As she moves on to the spirit world, we are grateful for the prayers and well wishes from those whose lives she touched. We will celebrate her life once arrangements have been made.

• from Pastor Steve:

Good Friend, Dedicated Volunteer, Sister-in-Christ, Church Board Member, Church Elder, and Caring Member of Her Family, Rosalie wore many hats well, but her friendship. good humour, and fierce dedication to her faith, family, friends, and the principles she loved will be sorely missed by us all. We look forward to the day Christ Jesus returns and we will be united again in His Kingdom.

Rosalie’s Funeral Details: RHB Funeral Homes Ltd.

Gone to be with the Creator while surrounded by Family on Friday May 3rd at 1:15pm. Rosalie White (Hackborn) in her 69th year, originally from Six Nations of the Grand River completed her journey in Toronto. Widow of the late Douglas Hackborn, loving mother of Adam (Kimberly), Timothy (Meagan) and Travis. A loving Grandmother to Samantha, Colton, Theodore, Caoimhe and Norah. Also survived by her sister Charlene (Terry), her nieces Chloe, Randeelee, Horace and Lobelia. Also survived by several great nephews and nieces. Predeceased by Parents Theodore White and Pauline (Lickers), her brothers Ted and Perry.

Everyone is invited to attend the Memorial Service at Grand River United Church located at 1585 Mohawk Rd, Ohsweken on May 17th at 1pm followed by reception. After Cremation, Rosalie will be placed with her Parents at the Pentecostal Cemetery. 

Instead of Flowers, the family request donations to be offered to Toronto Urban Native Ministry of which Rosalie gave much of her time. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/tunm/ or by mail: Toronto Urban Native Ministry, c/o R. Hillyer , 80 Front Street East, Suite 726, Toronto, ON  M5E 1T4 .  Arrangements by Styres Funeral Home, Ohsweken.  http://www.rhbanderson.com

https://www.rhbandersonfuneralhomes.com/cms/obituaries/

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. – John 15:9 (ESV) 

Lauren Daigle – To Know Me (Official Lyric Video) – https://youtu.be/cWQGJAhjFRc?si=44DTd1zYaHBNSlyu

Not Casting the First Stone and Other Lessons of Love – 2024

Bloor Lansdowne Christian Fellowship – BLCF Church, 1307 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON.

Message for Sunday:

Not Casting the First Stone and Other Lessons of Love 

© May 5, 2024, by Steve Mickelson

Based on Messages Shared at BLCF on November 18,2023,

September 11, 2022, October 3, 2021, and November 4, 2018 

BLCF Bulletin November 4, 2018

Announcements and Call to Worship; Prayer  

• from Tim Hackborn:

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Rosalie White on Friday afternoon, (May 3, 2024), surrounded by her family. Mom had a gift for storytelling and loved her family fiercely. She found joy in hearing about her grandchildren’s daily lives. As she moves on to the spirit world, we are grateful for the prayers and well wishes from those whose lives she touched. We will celebrate her life once arrangements have been made.

• from Pastor Steve:

Good Friend, Dedicated Volunteer, Sister-in-Christ, Church Board Member, Church Elder, and Caring Member of Her Family, Rosalie wore many hats well, but her friendship. good humour, and fierce dedication to her faith, family, friends, and the principles she loved will be sorely missed by us all. We look forward to the day Christ Jesus returns and we will be united again in His Kingdom. 

Tithing and Prayers; Hymn #572: Praise God

Doxology (Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow) Instrumental – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk4p3rihONU

Lauren Daigle – Love Like This (Lyrics) – https://youtu.be/U7eyU9EPGWo

Hymn #248: And Can It Be That I Should Gain – (Lyrics) – The Village Chapel Worship Team – https://youtu.be/JNzGNU5_yGU?t=5

Responsive Reading #662: Freedom from Sin (Romans 5 and 6)

This Sunday’s Message by Steve Mickelson:  

‘Not Casting the First Stone and Other Lessons of Love’                                

Let us pray…

Welcome to BLCF Church, on this beautiful Sunday morning, May 5, 2024. Today is the first Sunday of the month, which means that it is Communion Sunday at BLCF, and for some Christians marks the arrival of their Easter.

I want to wish a Happy Orthodox Easter to Christians in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the rest of the world, who celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar which places Easter at a later date than that observed by most Christians in the Western world. Our Easter and Orthodox Easter both occasionally fall on the same Sunday. In past years, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017, both Easters happened to fall on the same year, with 2034 being the next year they coincide. The preparations for the celebration of the Resurrection start on Holy Thursday, a day that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with the Apostles, followed by Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

Jesus’ death on the cross is considered by all Christians to be a demonstration of both love and compassion to all of humanity by God’s Son, who was also identified in the Scriptures as the Prince of Peace. The Lord’s death and resurrection removed humanity’s judgment for sin, if they were willing to accept the gift of salvation, confess their sins, and by faith follow the guidance given by the Bible, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and be willing to share the Gospel of Jesus unto the ends of the earth.

While Jesus’ sacrifice removed judgment for sin, which is death, from humanity, it did not remove sin. Today sin is any thought, word, or deed demonstrating the absence of love towards either God or a neighbour.

Some speculate that all the sadness, fear, anger, hurt, and death generated by the acts of war are examples of God’s anger, of His judgment. The answer to this speculation may be found in the Apostle Paul’s letter written to members of the Church in Rome:

Romans 5:1-11: Peace with God Through Faith

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The above letter begs the question: If God is an angry God, who wants to inflict His judgment on humanity by ways of war, violence, and other such horrific events, then why send His Son to die for our sins, and why send us the Holy Spirit of God to comfort us for all eternity?

If the disaster of wars and violence is not the judgment of God, then who is responsible for all the death and destruction we are witnessing throughout the world today? Probably the same one tempted Jesus for forty days as we read in  Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 4:1-13 (ESV): The Temptation of Jesus

4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The devil likes to tempt any who believe in the Resurrected Christ, but just as the Lord resisted temptation with the aid of the Holy Spirit, believers may rely on the Spirit to deny the devil any success in times of opportunity, where people act out against others because of a sinful nature.

In John 8, verses 1-11, we have an account of how the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman, caught in the act of adultery, asking Jesus how they should deal with her crime, as the Law stipulated death by stoning. This was intended to be not only a test of Jesus’ knowledge of Hebrew Law and the consequences one may expect for violating it. Let us begin today’s lesson by reading this passage from  Chapter 8 of John’s Gospel:

John 8:1-11 (ESV)

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴ they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ⁶ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷ And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.⁹ But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰ Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

These eleven verses, from the eighth chapter of John’s Gospel, provide us with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how the violation of the Law, in this case, the seventh of the ten itemized in Exodus 20. In this case Exodus 20:14, ¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

The woman had broken the Law and the scribes, Pharisees, and others gathered expected a pronouncement of death to the woman. This was the same judgment that the people of Israel expected when Moses brought the Laws from God down from the mountain, Exodus 20:18-21 (ESV):

¹⁸ Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid^[a] and trembled, and they stood far off ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” ²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”²¹ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.                                                                     

Footnotes: a. Exodus 20:18 Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text the people saw

These Laws came from God to instill a respect for God’s ordinances, and an avoidance of sin by the people, so as to not have Him render judgment upon them. But the people feared that if they heard God speak to them, they would surely die. The Law was intended to guide the people on a righteous path of behaviour, to demonstrate their love for God and for others.

In the case of Jesus and the adulteress, Jesus indicated that no man or woman is innocent of sin, and therefore none are qualified to act as judge and executioner. That is God’s privy, and as such, He alone has the authority to render judgment or its consequences upon sinners. This does not mean that there won’t be any judgment for violation of the Law, which will be rendered by God, alone.

Did scribes and Pharisees take the words of our Lord to heart? Apparently not, as we see the actions taken against the Apostle Stephen, whom Christian scholars considered to be the first Christian martyr, as we see in this account taken from Chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles:

Acts 7:54-60 (ESV): The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[a] at him. ⁵⁸ Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Footnotes: a. Acts 7:57 Or rushed with one mind

Though Jesus had been sent to pay the penalty for sin, the human tendency to sin had not been eliminated. Though Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, in that he saw Jesus standing at the right-hand side of God, the Father, the lord did not intervene. Stephen’s last words before he died were a plea to the Lord not to hold the sin of murder against them. You may note that watching the garments of the murderous mob was a young man named Saul, better known as Saul of Tarsus.

Saul’s testimony on the matter is recorded in Acts 22:1-21:

Acts 22:1-21 (ESV)

22 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

² And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,^[a] they became even more quiet. And he said:

³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel^[b] according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. ⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, ⁵ as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand^[c] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

¹² “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; ¹⁵ for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

¹⁷ “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Footnotes: a. Acts 22:2 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic) b.Acts 22:3 Or city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated c. Acts 22:9 Or hear with understanding

We see that before his conversion Saul had busied himself by rounding up and persecuting Christians. In the process of one of the first persecutions, Saul witnessed Stephen’s death by stoning while he stood by watching over the garments of the members of the crowd who killed the Apostle.

But why was there no judgment from God against Saul or the mob who had murdered Stephen?  God had no plans for members of the mob in general, but he did have plans for Saul, whose name would be changed to Paul, after his conversion. We see the degree of conviction demonstrated in Paul’s testimony, expressed in the following Epistle addressed by the Apostle to members of the Church in Rome, see Romans 10:9-10:

Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

 ⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Paul said that salvation comes to those who confess that Jesus is Lord, whom God raised from the dead. This confession comes not from a fear of judgment by God, but a belief in the heart that Jesus died and was raised from the dead. We know from last week’s lesson, that the heart is associated with the intangible aspect of our beliefs, such as love, faith, and hope. With this belief, comes the tangible response of confession of our belief that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins. And from that expression of faith, God will respond to the tangible sacrifice made by His Son on the cross with the intangible actions of our own justification and salvation through Christ, which in turn leads to the tangible actions of our own resurrection and granted eternal life.

All of God’s actions come as an expression of God’s love for us and our love for Him. For only He is able to make manifest the tangible from the intangible, merely by His own Word. But what does the Bible say should be the focus of our time and attention? We find the answer in Paul’s Epistle to the people in the church of Philippi,  Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV):

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 The Prayer and supplication described in the letter in Philippians 6 is explained further in another Epistle

written by Paul  to members of the Church of Ephesus which the Apostle describes as a Prayer for

Spiritual Strength, found in Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV):

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Let us pray…

Communion:

Communion Music Special – Lauren Daigle – “We Will Not Forget” (Lyric Video) – https://youtu.be/izeZa9wx8wA?si=oNXu2rGTLWiZ_NwL

Matthew 26:26-29 ESV – Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²⁶ Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the^[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Footnotes: Matthew 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new

Music Special: I Won’t Let Go – (Lyrics With Bible Verse) Rascal Flatts- https://youtu.be/qA0YKJ0_Ivk

Benediction Music Special: In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible) – Katy Nichole – Lyric Video – https://youtu.be/R84PqRdZ7_Y

Benediction – (1 Timothy 1:17): 

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen