Month: March 2021

• Text:         Acts 7:48-60
• Introduction:
  • What fills your mind?
  • The things of God or things of the world?
  • Stephen is a great example to each of us as to what we should be filled with.
• Question:
  • What are these things?
  • He was a man:
• 1)   Full of Faith (Acts 6:5,8).
  • Faith binds us to God.
  • Faith has three qualities:
    • a)   It is the act of the will in receiving Christ as Saviour – John 1:12.
      • Saving faith.
    • b)   It is living in obedience to God – Acts 5:29,32.
      • Walking by faith.
    • c)   It is the attitude of the heart in leaving things in God’s hands.
      • (II Cor.4:13-18)
  • Faith rest.
    • To be full of faith means that there is no room for doubt, nor fear in the heart, just as there is no room for anything else in a full vessel.
• 2)   Full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5).
  • How do we become filled with the Holy Spirit? – Eph.5:18.
    • a)   Sing (Eph. 5:19).
    • b)   Give thanks (Eph. 5:20).
    • c)   Submit yourselves to one another. (Eph. 5:21)
    • d)   Children, obey your parents (Eph. 6:1)
    • e)   Be strong in the Lord (Eph 6:10).
    • f)    Put on the whole armour of God (Eph. 6:11).
    • g)   Pray always (Eph. 6:18).
    • h)  Fill yourself with Scripture.
• 3)   Full of Power (Acts 6:8).
  • Power is the ability to do things.
  • God never asks us to do things without giving us the power to do them.
  • With every command there is a promise.
    • “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost..” Acts 1:8
  • We need power to share the Gospel, to have compassion on the needy, to teach God’s Word, to rebuke error, and to edify others.
  • We are filled with God’s power as we are filled with God’s Word and God’s Spirit.
    • ‘Truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.’ Micah 3:8.
• 4)   Full of Light (Acts 6:15).
  • The light within caused Stephen’s face to shine as an angel’s face.
  • Sin makes us ugly, but being filled with Christ makes us beautiful.
    • Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works…’
    • II Corinthians 4:4 Stephen had the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
    • II Corinthians 4:6 Stephen had the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in his life.
• 5)   Full of Scripture (Acts 7:1-50).
  • As we read Acts chapter 7, we realize that as Stephen related the history of Israel, he was filled with the knowledge of the Bible.
  • If we fill our lives and minds with God’s Word, we will be full of power and full of the Holy Spirit.
  • Question: Are you full of God’s Word?
  • Question: Do you study, memorize and meditate on God’s Word daily?
• 6)   Full of Courage (Acts 7:51).
  • The face of man and the fear of man did not affect Stephen.

• He did not hesitate to charge those who were opposing God’s work with being ‘stiffnecked and uncircumcised,’ of resisting the Holy Ghost, with not keeping God’s law, and with murdering Jesus Christ. (v.51-53).
  • His courage and conviction resulted later in the conversion of Saul.
  • Question: Are you full of courage for Christ?
• 7)   Full of Love (Acts 7:60).
  • The stones that the persecutors hurled at Stephen broke his head, but they could not break his heart of love for Israel.
  • His lips were bloodied with the blood of persecution, but they could not stop the pouring forth of love’s intercession.
  • When the love of God fills our hearts and minds, it will enable the servant of God to do greater things for Christ.
    • ‘The love of Christ constrains us.’ (2 Corinthians 5:14).
• 8)   Full of Wisdom (Acts 6:3,10).
  • Stephen was full of wisdom because he spent time with God in the Bible, in prayer, in preaching the gospel, and in humbly serving God’s people.
• Conclusion:
  • As Christ is sufficient to carry Stephen through martyrdom, so Christ is sufficient to carry us through every situation of life.
  • Let us seek to be full of these 8 qualities.
    • Faith
    • The Holy Spirit
    • Power
    • Light
    • The Scripture
    • Courage
    • Love
    • Wisdom

Proverbs 18:19 says, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city; and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.“

Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and Pray for them which despitefully use, and persecute you;” (read verses 45-47)

Matthew 6:12 (in the model prayer) says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” and verses 14-15 say, “For if we forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.“

Luke 17:3-4 says, “Take heed to yourselves; if thy brother trespass against thee rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day return again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.“

Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.“

Colossians 3:13 says, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.“

The Scriptures speak so plain that there is NO ROOM FOR DOUBT… THERE IS NO PLACE FOR AN UNFORGIVING SPIRIT IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH!

Here are some thoughts that you may want to consider:

• An unforgiving spirit is not Christ-like.
• It is a tool of Satan.
• Destroys relationships.
• Causes division.
• Causes depression and robs joy.
• Damages testimonies.
• Weakens the Gospel message.
• Becomes a barrier to Spirituality and power in prayer.
• Becomes a burden to the heart and mind.
• It is never too late to win the victory. Do it today! Call your offended brother, friend, or relative and enjoy life again.

Will it be easy? No! Why not? Because Satan will attempt in any way possible to keep you from this victory!

• Introduction:
• Cremation (the burning of the dead) is not a Christian practice.
  • God commanded the dead to be buried – Deuteronomy 21:22-23.
  • God buried Moses, Deuteronomy 34:5-6.
    • According to Jude 9, Michael the Archangel and Satan came into conflict over the body of Moses and possibly because Satan wanted to make a shrine or place of idolatry of it.
    • If so, God could have burned him just as well as burying him.
    • Note that GOD HIMSELF buried Moses!
  • God commanded Israel not to burn their children – Leviticus 18:21
  • God punished Moab for cremating the king of Edom – Amos 2:1
  • Cremation is associated with idolatry.
    • 2 Chronicles 28:1-3
    • 2 Chronicles 33:1-6
    • 2 Kings 16:1-3
    • 2 Kings17:17,31
    • 2 Kings 21:6
    • Jeremiah 7:30-31
    • Jeremiah 19:3-5
    • Ezekiel 16:20-21
    • Ezekiel 20:30-31
    • Ezekiel 23:37
  • God’s people burned the dead to show contempt.
    • Joshua 7:25
    • 2 Samuel 23:1-7
    • 2 Kings 23:16,20
  • Burial following death is an important spiritual symbol.
    • Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death”
    • And Colossians 2:12 says, “Buried with Him in baptism”.
  • Burial is a part of the Gospel, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
    • Read and notice verse 4 “And that He was buried, and that He arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
  • All Scripture is “profitable for instruction” and thus, Christ is the believers’ example in the proper mode of handling the dead.
  • Now, if Christian is cremated, it is not difficulty for God to transform those ashes into a glorified body.
  • The same is true for those burned or consumed by wild animals.
  • God will raise all the bodies of His children, no matter what their manner of death or disposal and will fashion them, “like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” (Philippians 3:21)
• Conclusion:
  • Cremation should not be practiced by Christians who are looking forward to a resurrection.
    • 1 Corinthians 15 – Chapter on the resurrection

“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure

is, there will you heart be also” (Luke 12:33-34).

This is the list of orders which Christ has placed on record for His

people:

The Unexplainable Bargain– “Sell that ye have, and give alms … “

To the carnal man, this is no bargain at all. Instead it borders on folly. To the Christian, however, there is that which scattereth, and yet increaseth and there is that which maketh himself poor yet hath great riches (see Proverbs 11 :24).

The Unaging Bags – ” … provide yourselves bags which wax

not old … “

Ageless treasures must be placed in unaging bags. Heavenly treasures will be lost except they are bagged in Heaven. Lay up your treasures in Heaven, where your life is hid in Christ in God.

The Unfailing Bounty– ” … a treasure in the heavens that faileth not … “

Everything in Heaven is of God’s making. What we have to enrich us is but the gift of God. Bank your God-given treasures within the heavenly bank, and what interest will be due to you on the great dividend day!

The Unapproachable Bank -” … where no thief approacheth … “

Heaven’s bank has never been robbed nor have any of its treasures been stolen. Our treasures are absolutely safe therein. Happy are those who bank in Heaven.

The Incorruptible Barrier –” … neither moth corrupteth”

The moth cannot fly in between the bars of the treasure trove of Heaven. This Heaven cannot be infiltrated by the smallest of destructive forces. It is omnipotently impregnable.

The Unbreakable Bond –” … where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

What a bond to the heart of the saint is His treasure, the priceless Saviour. That bond forged in the fires of Calvary and hammered on the anvil of grace is unbreakable. It stands steadfast forever.

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing” (Mark 12:41-42).

The operative word in this statement is the little word how. Jesus behold how the people cast the money into the treasury. The Master’s interest was not so much in what people were giving, but how they were giving. He was looking at the motive for giving, the impulse of the donation, the inspiration of the offering. There is a very illuminating phrase in 1 Samuel 2:3 which declares that “… by him actions are weighed.”

As Jesus watched, in came the lonely widow, and at once He saw something which deeply moved His heart. As she cast in her two mites, the Master observed that this act was the expression of faith, “… she of her want did cast in all that she had … “ (Mark 12:44). This is an outstanding example of childlike faith. The statement literally means that she gave all that she had to live on. In other words, she trusted God to supply her wants, and devoted her property entirely to Him. It is a comparatively easy thing to give out of abundance, but it requires strong faith to give out of poverty.

Her giving was also an expression of her hope. She gave “… all her living” (Mark 12:44). As Dr. G. Campbell Morgan points out, this woman had vision! She saw beyond this world to the next. Her heart was in Heaven, so she wanted her treasure to follow. She knew what Jesus meant when He said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth … But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Jesus also observed that her act was an expression of her love. She cast in “… all her living” (Mark 12:44). Only an hour or so before, the Lord had declared that the fulfilling of the commandments was to love God and to love our neighbour. What, it might be asked, had this to do with the gifts that were placed in the treasury of the temple?

The answer is “everything.” All gifts placed in the chest were divided between the priests and the poor; however, as much as the priests might have been degraded, let us never forget that to the simple heart of this woman they stood as the representatives of God. Then there were the poor. She was one of the poorest of the poor, but they were her neighbours, and when she dropped her gifts into the treasury, she was keeping the whole law. She was expressing her love to God and her love to her neighbour.

Jesus still sits “… over against the treasury …” (Mark 12:41), and as the Lord of all giving, He watches with deep interest to see whether or not our offerings are the expression of faith, hope, and love. He is interested in your giving. What does He see behind the coins, the paper money, and the bank book?