The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 7, verses 1 through 8.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 7. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 8 as we continue our verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter study through the book of Acts on Sundays. And then on Wednesdays, we're almost wrapping up the book of Joshua. We've got maybe a couple more weeks there, then we'll be going right into the book of Judges. Looking forward to just a fantastic time in the word of God.

And Father, thank you so much for this time you've given us, Lord, to sit at your feet and learn from you. And God, I just pray that your Holy Spirit will move in our hearts and give us ears to hear what the spirit of God is going to say to our hearts today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 7, looking at verses 1 through 8. The title of this message is "Get Out". Get Out! For some of y'all, that's all you need to hear. You need to go on home now. That was it, that was your word for the day. Now, in these verses, we see Stephen standing before the Jewish Supreme Court, called the Sanhedrin, because the religious leaders could not defeat him in a public debate.

So they brought in false witnesses in chapter 6, verse 11, to say that they heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Oh, this stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they brought Stephen to the court, which is what we studied last week. And now it is his turn to give the Sanhedrin his divine wisdom by starting with an important history lesson of Abraham.

Look what it says there in verse 1: "Then the high priest said, 'Are these things so?'" Now the high priest was probably Caiaphas, who also presided over the trial of Jesus and who was in office until AD 36. He said, "Are these things so?" Or, "How do you answer to these charges, innocent or guilty?"

And Stephen is going to show this council that the Christian faith that he has been preaching is in fulfillment of the Old Testament promises beginning with Abraham. Look what it says there in verses 2 through 4: "And he said, 'Brethren, fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, "Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you." Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran, and from there, when his father was dead, he moved him to this land in which we now dwell.'"

Now, in these verses, we see the first charge that Stephen deals with is the charge that he had spoken blasphemous words against God. He appeals to them as brethren in verse 2, acknowledging them as fathers, showing his respect for them as leaders of the Jewish people. Then he calls God the God of glory, a title he uses from Psalm 29, verse 3.

Now, this title is so important that some scholars say that it is one of the greatest titles because in God's glory is all of his attributes. I was going over my notes this morning, and the Lord impressed upon my heart right here, as I was going over this title, the God of glory. In that is all the attributes of God in that one title, the God of glory.

And I thought about how 1 Corinthians 11, verse 7, not on the screen for you note-takers, says that the woman is the glory of the man, meaning that the woman, in that woman, in that wife, she shows and she reflects all that you, husbands, are doing for her and to her. I can always look at a woman, I can always look at a wife, and I can always tell how you're treating her. Always!

Just this morning, I was telling someone, "Oh, he's treating you well. Listen, look at that smile on her face." I can always tell because she reflects you. She reflects your leadership. In her countenance, in her glory, reflects all that you're doing to her and for her. And some of the wives now are trying to smile. No, you still tell, I can see it. It's telling. All that's on her face is telling.

Now, Stephen said that it is this attribute that God appeared to our father Abraham when he dwelt in Mesopotamia. Stephen is saying that God appeared to our father Abraham, the father of our Jewish race, while he was living in Mesopotamia, but more specifically in the city of Ur, before he dwelt in Haran.

See, this is what happened while Abraham was in the city of Ur: God appeared to him and said, in verse 3, "Get out of your country." And notice, "from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you." According to Genesis 11, 27 to 32. I just have to pause here. I hear it all the time because our area is a military area. We're filled with military folks.

The first thing people automatically do, you've heard me say this before, is when their time to get out of the military, "Well, we're going to go back home to be with family." Let me tell you, that's not always the best decision because family is a trip, and many of them are not walking with God, and they're going to drag you right back into the world.

But the first thing people know how the first recourse is to go back to family, go be near family. That's not always the best. And you say, "Oh, you don't know my family. I love my family." I hope you do. I hope you do love your family. But your family can drag you back down in the world. I'm just saying, somebody need to hear that today.

And so, here it is: God says, "Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you." According to Genesis 11, 27 to 32. Watch this: So Abraham obeys. He leaves Ur. So he obeyed. But what happened? The whole family goes with him, and Terah, Abraham's father, is leading the way.

Now, I could have sworn God said, "Get out and leave your relatives." Abraham, he gets out, but he brings the whole family with him. Terah, his father, leading the way. Now, you have to understand Terah's name in the Hebrew; it means "delayed". And we will see why. God told Abraham to leave his family and go, but Abraham didn't fully obey God.

Then Genesis 11, verse 32, says that Terah died in Haran. Now Haran is halfway between Ur and the land of Canaan, and they stayed there for 15 years. Haran in the Hebrew means "barrenness". And it is like God said, "Get out of Virginia and go to Florida," but you stopped in South Carolina, and you stayed there for 15 years.

So Abraham partially obeyed God by taking his father Terah, whose name means "delayed", and he was delayed 15 years in Haran from reaching the place God wanted him to go. Haran is another amazing word in the Hebrew; it's a word that means "barrenness". And so, not only was Abraham delayed because he brought his father Terah along, but he was also in a place of barrenness in Haran.

Why? Because of family. Oh, this is big here. Maybe you're hearing I just described you. What is Terah in your life delaying you from the place of blessing that God has for you? What is it that God has told you to leave behind, but you just partially obeyed God?

God wanted you to go to the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, not stopping in Haran, the place of barrenness. No wonder you're unfruitful in your life. No wonder it seems like nothing is going right in your life, because you partially obeyed God. See, we don't want the awesome plans of God to be delayed in our lives because we didn't fully obey him.

See, I'm talking to some people here today. But once Terah died, like verse 4 says, then God spoke to Abraham again in Genesis 12, verse 1. He confirms once again to get going, Abraham, and he did. And this is God speaking to you again today to leave. What is Terah in your life? I have to ask you one more time. That needs to die before you can get going to the land of Canaan.

Maybe it's an ungodly relationship you're involved in. Maybe it's some websites that has you barren, has you unfruitful. Some weekend hobby or some habit. I don't know what Terah is in your life that needs to die, but it needs to die. And God's been speaking to your heart telling you to get out for the longest.

Get out of that relationship, get out of that situation, get out and get going. And you just been delayed; you've been in a place of barrenness and unfruitfulness. See, this is what Stephen is reminding the council of. Oh, look what he says there in verse 5: "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on, but even when Abraham had no child, he promised to give it to him for a possession and to his descendants after him."

Now, once Abraham came to the land of Canaan, God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. Now, why is that? Because Hebrews chapter 11 and verses 8 through 10 tells us that Abraham came to Canaan dwelling in tents. That is a great phrase that we need to be mindful of. A tent is a temporary dwelling place.

God was showing Abraham this world is not your home. You're just a pilgrim passing through. This is what the Lord is saying: "I want you to dwell in a tent to remind you that this world is not your home." Hebrews 11, verse 10, says Abraham was waiting, he was waiting and looking for a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. And this is not found in this world.

Oh, God was telling Abraham that this world is not your home. All the same is true for us. This world is not your home for those of you who are believers. We too are waiting on a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. This world's foundation is like sand. It's constantly shifting and moving.

Things that were once okay back in the day, once okay to say, it's no longer okay to say. It's not politically correct to say today. Things and technology and styles and all kind of things are constantly shifting and changing. You get the new phone, you like, "I have the newest thing," and then tomorrow you look up, they got the next newest model.

This world is unstable. You can't trust it. It's constantly changing; it's like sand, shifting sand. We're looking for a city with some solid foundation. Something we can stand upon. Not like this world that's constantly shifting and changing. And this is what Abraham was looking for. So the land of Canaan was for his descendants, that the last part of verse 5 describes.

And all Abraham had was God's promise, and he believed it by faith. Look at verses 6 and 7: "But God spoke in this way that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them for 400 years. And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge, says God, and after that they shall come out and serve me in this place."

Now, in these verses, God tells Abraham that his descendants will dwell in a foreign land, which is a reference to Egypt, for 400 years according to verse 6. The actual time the Israelites were in Egypt, in Egyptian slavery, was 430 years. Stephen is rounding the number that he gets from the book of Genesis.

Then God tells Abraham that the nation that placed his people into bondage, he said, "I will judge, and after that they shall come out and serve me in this place." Oh, you got to put yourself in Abraham's sandals. God tells him to go to the land of Canaan, and when he finally gets there, he tells him that his descendants would be in bondage and oppressed for 400 years.

Abraham doesn't even have one child at this time, let alone descendants. This is why he is called the father of faith. He believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, according to Genesis 15, verse 6. Oh, can you believe God's promises for you? Or maybe you're here and you stopped believing them.

God has some amazing promises in his word. Can you believe his promise of Malachi 3 and verses 8 through 12, that he promises that he will open up the windows of heaven when you tithe? Can you believe that? Can you believe his promises in 2 Peter 3:9 that says God isn't willing that any should perish but all come to repentance, and this includes your spouse and your children that you have been diligently praying for?

Can you believe that promise? Can you trust his promise that says in 2 Thessalonians 1:6 that it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you? Can you trust God's word, or do you have to see it first? 2 Corinthians 5:7 says we walk by faith and not by sight. We like Abraham are told to walk by faith.

And this is what Stephen was telling this Jewish council. Oh, sure enough, after they came out of Egypt, they came to the land of Israel. He's giving them an incredible history lesson. Look what it says there in verse 8: "Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs."

Now, in this verse, Stephen reminds the council of the symbol of the covenant God was making with Abraham, which was circumcision. Now, circumcision is the cutting away and the dealing with the flesh so we can have a greater emphasis and sensitivity to the spirit.

Even though circumcision is dealing with the outward, oh, but it is also a symbol of what is happening inwardly. It speaks of cutting away of the old life, the old way of doing things, so we can put no confidence in our flesh. What circumcision is to the Jews, baptism is to us as believers: burying the old life of the flesh to focus on the things of the spirit.

This is why we don't believe in sprinkling water, plucking water on you, or spitting on you. No, we believe in taking you down because of what it symbolizes. It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is why we do what we do. Because it's burying the old life. It's symbolic of burying the old you, the old life, the old way of doing things.

And this is what circumcision was to the Jews. The apostle Paul speaks of the circumcision of the heart in Romans 2 and verse 29. The cutting away of the fleshly things in our heart. What do you need to circumcise out of your life? Look at the things you are doing causing you to live after the appetites and the inclinations of your flesh.

What is it? Is it a relationship you're involved in? A group of friends? Some hobby? Alcoholic drinks? Every time you drink alcohol, you get involved in fleshly things. What you watch. Whatever it is that's causing you to live according to the fleshly appetites and the inclinations and desires of your flesh, it must be circumcised and cut out. Must be.

It could be TV, that idol that we have in our homes. Many of us have several of them to bow down and offer up food offerings in front of them. That thing is a trip. Movies, overeating, partying on Saturday nights. Then you come in here and think you going to lift up holy hands to God. You're not. You're unclean.

You think you going to party on Saturday and come into this holy place and trample this holy place like a tourist? No, you're unclean. Unclean! You cannot come in this holy place. I say holy place because the Bible says where two or more are gathered together in his name, he's in the midst.

You come into this holy place and try to worship a holy God, and you've been just trampling in the flesh all evening long. You're unclean. Who told you you can do that? Who told you you can do and live after your flesh then come into this holy place and think you're going to worship God? Who told you you can do that?

Don't believe your lie and think that things are okay between you and God and you think you can come in here and just walk over this place like you just doing your thing. You're unclean, and you need to repent. You need to get right with God. Oh, America, America's Christianity, we need to get right with God. We need to repent.

Our Christianity is a farce. It's a joke. Our Christianity here in America. Oh, the rest of the world already looks at us as a joke. We think we all that because there is over 330,000 churches in America. Most of them are a joke. A joke. Because we're the most ungodly nation in the world today. The most ungodly. We even make Amsterdam blush.

We're wicked! But though we boast about our Christianity, we're unclean, and we need to repent as a nation. We need to get right. We need to circumcise our hearts and our lives. Cut away the flesh. We watch that idol all night long, and we come in here and we wonder why we have no desire for God. Circumcise your heart today.