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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 48
27 April 2008
But God Was with Him
(Message delivered by Rev
Hien Nguyen at the Worship Service, 2:00 pm, April 20, 08)
Text:
Acts 7:9-10
Stephen was one of the first deacons of the church in Jerusalem. He was
“a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5), and
“full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the
people” (v 8). When those in the synagogue disputed with Stephen,
they “were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he
spake” (9-10). Then “they stirred up the people, and the elders,
and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to
the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man
ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the
law” (vv 12-13). And amazingly, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he
was able to preach to the Jewish leaders and his accusers a brief
history of the Jews or a summary of the Old Testament in Acts 7, from
Abraham, their forefather, until their Messiah, “the Just One.”
This shows how he fully believed in God’s Word, lived by God’s Word, and
preached God’s Word without any doubt. He even bravely spoke to them,
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist
the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the
prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them
which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been
now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the
disposition of angels, and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53). Sadly,
when they heard Stephen’s preaching, they were cut to the heart, but
instead of repenting, they stoned him to death with all their envy and
hatred. However, like the Lord Jesus Christ, Stephen cried before his
death, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (v 60). Why could
he do that? Because the Lord was with him, “being full of the Holy
Ghost” (v 55).
Dear friends, it is so important and vital that the Lord is with you and
me, or else we are nothing and our ministry is vain. In Stephen’s
sermon, the life of Joseph was summarized in a few verses, “And the
patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with
him, And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave
him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made
him governor over Egypt and all his house” (vv 9-10). Let us learn
how important it is to have the Lord Himself in our lives and in our
ministry so that we might appreciate His presence and maintain a living
fellowship with Him in all circumstances.
Envy
There are two terms in Greek denoting envy: zelos and phthonos.
Zelos has both good and bad sense, either “zeal, jealousy” (John
2:17; 2 Cor 11:2) or “envy, indignation, anger” while phthonos is
always with bad sense “envy”. Because of envy (phthonos) the Jews
hated and desired to kill the Lord Jesus (Matt 27:18; Mark 15:10).
Because of envy (zelos) Joseph’s brothers hated him and wanted to
kill him (Acts 7:9), and the Jews hated Paul and persecuted him (Acts
13:35). Envy, either zelos (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 12:20; James 3:14,
16) or phthonos (Rom 1:29; Gal 5:21; 1 Tim 6:4; Titus 3:3), is
from the sinful nature of man. People envy others because they are
better, nicer, more prosperous, more popular or more successful. Then,
dear friends, we should not be surprised or discouraged when we are
envied by others, even by our siblings, friends, and “Christian”
brethren although by God’s grace we try our best to live a godly life,
to glorify God and to magnify His perfectly inspired and perfectly
preserved Word. No matter what happens, we must be sure that the Lord is
with us, and that is all we need and that is enough.
But/Because God Was with Him
Joseph: Although Joseph’s brothers hated him, envied him,
and meant evil to harm him, “but God was with him and
delivered him out of all his afflictions” (Acts 7:9-10). When he was
sold to Egypt to be a slave of Potiphar, “the Lord was with Joseph
and he was a prosperous man” (Gen 39:2) and even “his master saw
that God was with him and made all that he did to prosper in his hand”
(v 3). Dear friends, do others see that God is with us? Moreover,
“the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s
sake” (v 5). Joseph was a blessing to
others because God was with him (v 5). How about you and me?
Joseph was falsely accused and put in prison, “but God was with
Joseph and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the
keeper of the prison” and “because the LORD was with him,
and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper” (Gen 39:21), and
even “Gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of
Egypt; and He made him governor over Egypt and all his house” (Acts
7:10).
Dear friends, we may work for our bosses, and by God’s grace we may find
favour in their sight because we are good, diligent, honest and
reliable, but we should see our Lord’s sovereignty, grace and mercy to
give all thanks, praise, honour and glory to Him, “For promotion
cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But
God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Ps
75:6-7). Some brethren got a good job after a long time of being
jobless, and they did not want to lose their job but hold to their job
so dearly that they work so hard and try their best to please their
bosses, having no more time for their personal devotion or Sunday
worship! That is a trap from Satan. We should acknowledge God’s
sovereignty and do everything for the Lord and not for men, to please
Him and not men. When we honour God, He will honour us (1 Sam 2:30)
despite difficulties or persecutions.
Isaac: What we may learn from Isaac? “The Philistines envied
him” because of God’s blessings upon him and his servants and his
flocks (Gen 26:14). They stopped the wells and filled them with earth (v
15) and sent him away, “Go from us; for thou art much mightier than
we” (v. 16). Isaac left there and went to Gerar and “digged again
the wells of water” (v 18), and his servants “digged in the
valley and found there a well of spring water” (v 19). A well
of water was so vital and precious for them and their flocks as it was
their life. How happy for them when they found a well of water! Then,
“the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water
is ours” (v 20), and after that they strove for another well (v 21),
and Isaac “removed from thence and digged another well”
and they did not strive any more (v 22). The LORD appeared unto him in
Beersheba, saying, “I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not,
for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for
my servant Abraham’s sake” (v 24), and Isaac “builded an altar
there and called upon the name of the LORD” (v. 25). Later, Isaac’s
enemies came and said, “We saw certainly that the LORD was with
thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt
us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee” (v 28). Dear
friends, God’s presence is much more precious than many wells of water
and than anything in this world. If we see this truth, we may easily
count all things but loss so that we “may win Christ and be
found in Him” (Phil 3:8-9).
Time will fail us when we tell about God’s presence in the lives and
ministry of Moses (Exod 3:12), Joshua (Joshua 1:5; 3:7), the judges
(Judges 2:18; 6:16), Samuel (1 Sam 3:19), David (1 Sam 18:28; 2 Sam
5:10), Jeremiah (Jer 1:8; 19), Daniel (Dan 4:8; 5:11,14; 6:3), Paul
(Acts 18:10), etc.
The Lord Jesus Christ: Peter preached to Cornelius and his
kinsmen and near friends, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing
all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
(Acts 10:38). Truly, God was with the Lord Jesus and with His ministry.
Our Lord humbly depended on His Father, “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do…
also doeth the Son likewise” (John
5:19), so He fully trusted in His Father, “And he that sent me is
with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those
things that please him” (John 8:29) and “I am not alone, because
the Father is with me” (John 16:32). Shall we not wisely do
the same?
God’s Promises to Be with Us
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am
thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa 41:10).
Are you and I fearful or dismayed? God’s presence and His love will cast
out all our fears (1 John 4:18).
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee” (Isa 43:2). Dear friends, no matter what may
happen to us, God will be with us and see us through.
Our Lord Jesus’ name is “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God
with us” (Matt 1:23), and He promised, “I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20), and even
with the presence of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (John 14:16,
23). Is it not wonderful and sufficient?
How to Maintain God’s Presence in Our
Lives
Appreciate and Highly Value His Presence: What would you
think and feel when I invite you to my home and just ignore you, leave
you alone at the corner and then do what I like regardless of your
presence? Surely you will be grieved and not want to stay there because
your presence is not appreciated. Sadly, many have invited the
Lord into their hearts, but then they just ignore him and do what they
like! When you and I carry a bank cheque of a million dollars or an
important document with us, we sometimes feel our pocket or bag to check
whether it is still there. Is God’s presence the dearest and the most
precious in our hearts and lives?
Seek God First: “The LORD is with you, while ye
be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye
forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chron 15:2) and “But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33). Do you and I seek the Lord and
His Word first of all in our lives? What do we usually do first to start
a new day or before making a decision to do something?
Fear God and depart from Sins and Evil: Joseph feared God
and did not sin against God despite the temptation. Samson did not know
“that the Lord was departed from him” when he played with sins
(Judges 16:20). Do you and I fear the Lord and depart from sins and
evil?
Keep Ourselves Pure: for God is holy and we must be holy.
Sometimes we have not committed a sin, but we may be defiled by watching
ungodly TV programmes or reading ungodly articles in the newspapers or
on websites, etc. To maintain God’s holy presence in our lives we must
practise Biblical Separation (2 Cor 6:14-7:1) and keep ourselves pure (1
Tim 5:22).
Trust in God and Keep His Word: Jesus says, “If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John
14:23). King Saul was forsaken, “Because thou hast rejected the word
of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Sam
15:23). Do you and I love God and keep His Word?
Please the Lord: The Lord Jesus says, “And
he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do
always those things that please him” (John 8:29). Paul said, “For
do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet
pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal 1:). Do you
and I always do the things that please God or please men and ourselves?
Live in His Presence and Walk in His Light: David said,
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I
shall not be moved” (Ps 16:8). Do you and I practise living in God’s
presence and walking in the light of His truth, holiness and love?
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Thank God that Jesus’ blood is able to
keep us clean so that we may maintain our living fellowship with the
Lord. Do you and I walk in God’s light and appreciate Jesus’ blood?
Conclusion
Dear friends, God’s presence is vital and sufficient for us no matter
what may happen to us. May the Lord graciously help us appreciate His
presence, seek Him first, fear God and depart from sins and evil, keep
ourselves pure, trust in Him and obey His Word, please Him and live
before Him and walk in His light each day until our Lord comes back
again soon. Amen.
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