Peter Tan Chi - Live Life to the Full, Be Spirit-Filled
What a joy to be back. I want to continue sharing the Book of Acts with you, it's so important, and if you don't mind, let's do a quick review, okay? What is the theme of Acts? Read together, Jesus is constantly at work through the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles and His people. In other words, as I told you from day one, Acts is not over, if you read it, because the end of Acts has not been written, you are writing it, and I am writing it. Because God is still working through the Holy Spirit in the lives of these people today. What is the key verse in Acts?
Folks, that's chapter 1, verse 8. Let's read it together. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So you are led to the most important power available, and that is the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes into your heart now through the Holy Spirit. If you don't know about the Holy Spirit, get our video. I've preached on the Holy Spirit. Today we're continuing our series on Acts, but in Acts, I have a special topic in Chapter 6, can you guess what it is? It 's about the first martyr Stephen. Why do we call Stephen the first martyr?
Martyr originally meant witness. But how did he become the first martyr? Because in the New Testament, when you bear witness to Jesus, you will eventually die. Let me repeat, when you bear witness for Jesus, you will eventually be killed, and that 's how bad it was. What is the worst that can happen as you witness for Jesus today? What's the worst case scenario? People might laugh at you, people might distance themselves from you, and that 's the worst that can happen in the Philippines, right? Today in other parts of the world, I agree, there are still cases of martyrdom. There are places in the world where you may not die, but you will go to jail. So, today's topic is important to me. Let's read it together: Live a perfect life, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
When you say live a perfect life, does that mean you want to live a long life? Because Stephen's life span was short, he may have died at the age of 29. We don't know the exact age, but scholars like to tell us that he was very young at the time, so he lived a short life. But is his life perfect? Is his life perfect? Yes or no? I want to tell you, how do you determine if your life is complete? It depends on your understanding of the meaning of life. I love this quote from Lillian Dickson, who was a missionary, and everybody, let's read this together: Life is a coin. You can live it any way you want, but you can only live it once. In plain English: You only have one life. Today you can do whatever you want with your life. Dedicate your life to anything you want. But just remember, you only have one life. So, how do we decide if your life is fulfilling?
Well, let me share with you another amazing author who I usually think of when I conduct funerals, and let's read this together: The reality of death has a wonderful ability to change human desires, because death affects people profoundly. with his outlook. What do I mean? I remember years ago, when I went to visit a CCF member at Medical City, he had cancer, and he knew he was going to die, and his wife begged me to come see him, and when I talked to him, he said, Peter, I want To show you something, he got up from bed, and he pointed out the window to his house in Green Valley, and I think it was three or four houses, but he said: Peter, do you see those houses? Apparently he owns multiple properties, and he said: I would trade them to live longer. I said, why do you want to live longer?
And then I didn't realize, he was talking to my wife, and when he was talking to my wife, I was no longer there. Because my wife is with his wife, and his wife is a very loyal member of CCF. She loves the Lord. But this husband did not live according to the ways of the Lord. He told my wife this, he said: If God lets me live a few more years, I will dedicate my life to bring all my friends to listen to the gospel and impact people's lives. He said: I hope I can Do you believe that it can impact people's lives like your husband did? God gave him two more years to live. During those two years, he started inviting all his drinking buddies, all his friends, club friends, drinking buddies, and a lot of them came to Jesus. How do I know? Because they showed up at the memorial service, and they told us the impact of this man's life.
My friend, death has a wonderful ability to help you realize what is important and what is not. But our problem is, can I tell you, what is our problem? As Edna shared, let's read it together, it says here, it's really bad that you don't realize you didn't learn how to live until you're dying, and then it's too late. Do you know what she is talking about? Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to so many funerals, I've been to so many hospital visits, and I want you to listen carefully to this: If you knew that you only had a month to live, and you were thinking, If the doctor tells you: I'm really sad, you only have one month to live. I can almost guarantee you that you won't argue with your wife about the food, the color of the curtains, and you won't focus on the unimportant things, right? Do you know why? Because when you're about to face eternity, and you're about to say goodbye to this life, it becomes very clear what matters.
So my advice to you is this: What is important to you today? I can't say for sure. It depends on your purpose, because your purpose determines your values. If my purpose in life is to please God, my values will be different, my priorities will be different. If my purpose in life was related to money and fame, then my priorities would be different. I want you to look at the life of Stephen. What can we learn from Stephen? Because I believe that God ensures... This is written in the Bible, speaking to you and me today, Stephen lived an amazing life, short and full. Let me introduce you to this man one more time. The first time we met Stephen was when he was elected, Acts 6:3,5 Choose seven from among you who have a good reputation and are filled with the Holy Spirit... So Stephen has a qualification that allows him to serve God.
Let's read together: Stephen was chosen, a man of great faith and full of the Holy Spirit. Once you begin to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit, you will begin to appreciate God's love for you and me. God ensures that the Holy Spirit will be in your heart, to guide you, let you decide what is important, and give you the power to do what He wants you to do. In the last chapter of Stephen's life, you will see how he is recorded. Once again, filled with the Holy Spirit, we come to the last section of life. Acts 7:55-56 But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and said with me: Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Looking intently into the sky, I saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
I want you to mark this sentence in your Bibles: Stand at the right hand of God. I'll tell you why later. 56 Then he said, "I saw the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God"! Why is this so important? Before I tell you why this is so important, let's read the next verse and see how he died. The Bible tells us, Acts 7:59-60 While they were stoning, Stephen called upon the Lord and said: By the way, the meaning of the name Stephen comes from the Greek word Stephanos, crown. In the Greek, the Bible talks about two kinds of crowns, diadema, diadem, and Stephanos, and the image of the word Stephen is very fitting, because Stephanos is a crown that you earn, not inherit. Another word for a crown, diadema, is something you inherit. Your father was a king, so you are a prince now. That's not the word for a crown that is used for Stephanos.
What does Stephen mean? It was the crown he had earned through the Holy Spirit. Let's continue reading: This is what he said: "Lord Jesus, receive my soul"! 60 Then he knelt down and shouted with a loud voice, "Please pay attention, make sure everyone can hear, 'Lord, don't hold this sin against them!' After saying this, he fell asleep". How can you pray for a man who was stoned to death by someone who didn't like him? Oh God! Forgive them! You absolutely cannot do this without the Holy Spirit. Now, when Stephen died, why did Jesus stand up? Let me tell you, in the Bible, you will see Jesus always sitting, not standing, and when the Lord Jesus spoke to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
For example, Luke chapter 22, from now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God. Colossians, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Hebrews, but Christ, having made one everlasting sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God. These verses are just examples. My point is, every time you read the Bible, Jesus is sitting. How come when Stephen died, Jesus was standing? Can I tell you? I believe Jesus gave Stephen a standing ovation. Jesus is saying: Stephen! Warmly welcome you! You only stand up in this situation, and if you ask me, in my experience, when I'm having dinner with my friends, when you meet someone important, what do you do? stand up. You stand up because the person coming is important.
I believe that when Stephen was about to enter heaven, Jesus made sure that Stephen would see Him and He said, Well done, Stephen! bring it on! Welcome home! That, my friend, is what I pray for. That's when I get to heaven at the end of my life, Jesus will welcome me and say, Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. My question is, when you see Jesus one day, will He stand up? Friends, there is only one way to live your life to perfection: let yourself be controlled by the Holy Spirit. When someone says that this person is full of anger, what is he talking about? That person is controlled by his temper. When someone says, have you met this person? He is full of selfishness. In Filipino, mahangian and in English, lots of air?
A person who is full of himself, he always thinks about himself. When he goes to a wedding, he wants to be the bride or the groom. When he goes to a funeral, he wants to be the center of attention. He wants to be inside the coffin. I mean, some people like, you're filled with... whatever you're filled with, and Stephen was filled with... the Holy Spirit, led by the Holy Spirit. My friend, this is so important, you can never live your life to the fullness, live your life in a way that pleases God, unless you are led day by day by the Spirit of God. So being led by the Spirit of God is a daily choice. Every day you come to Jesus and say, Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you. That means, surrendering your life to Jesus means the following.
First, you are admitting that you cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. Second, you are admitting that you are surrendering everything to Jesus. You are giving up everything to Jesus. How many of you have seen the movie, Captain Marvel? Please raise your hand. You see, I haven't seen this movie, but I know the story, and I plan to watch it, OK? In that movie, it's said that this Captain Marvel, this girl has amazing abilities, but she can't reveal and experience her full abilities until something is removed from her, right? You know, I realize, you guys have the power. Because the Holy Spirit is within you. But something must be removed before the Holy Spirit can fully take over.
Can I tell you what that thing is that only you know? For some of you, that is sin. For some of you, that's an idol, it's a relationship, and God is telling you: This relationship is causing you to sin, and you need to turn it over. For some of you, maybe that's money. For some of you, maybe that's a career. I don't know what it is, but unless you surrender everything, you won't be led by the Holy Spirit. Do we understand? So let me share with you the life of Stephen so you can learn what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit? You will notice the first thing. By the way, I see you next Sunday. When I see you next Sunday, I will still be here preaching next Sunday. By the way, you pray for us, OK? We're going to the Holy Land soon, and in the meantime, what's the topic of today's sermon? In order for people to live to perfection, they must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Could you please turn to your neighbors and tell your neighbors: Live a fulfilling life. I don't know, some of you didn't listen to me. Please turn to your neighbor and tell the person next to you: Live a full life and be filled with the Holy Spirit, okay? Remember that you only have this life, and live a fulfilling life. Don't waste your life, be filled with the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be perfect? Ah, it depends on your theology. Let's see together, Stephen. Stephen, in chapter 6, Stephen was filled with grace and power and performed great wonders and miracles among the people. The first thing you'll notice is that when you are filled with the Spirit of God, like Jesus, you are filled with grace and then power. Power is manifested in many ways. Sometimes God allows you to have miraculous powers. You can heal the sick and pray for them.
Among today's Christian community, there are two extremes. At both extremes, there is a group of people who always emphasize miracles. Wonders, that's all they do, they emphasize signs and wonders, but they miss the whole point. There are also some people who don't believe in signs and wonders at all, and they feel that they no longer exist. Friends, no, I believe in signs and wonders, I believe God is still at work, but the focus of a Spirit-filled life is Christ-likeness, grace, the ability to do the right things, let's say. We just returned from a Christian Leadership Conference in Texas, a gathering of church leaders from around the world who shared with us what God is doing among Muslims. I was surprised to hear that 70% of all baptized Muslims today, in that part of the world, are Muslims who have seen signs and wonders.
Let me give you an example. I have a friend who is the pastor of one of the largest churches in Europe. He is always praying for Muslims. They don't know how to reach them, but because of the ISIS phenomenon, because of the situation in Syria What happened, the other Muslims fled and went to Europe, remember? He said: Christianity in Europe has changed because evangelical churches have welcomed Muslims, but how have they been evangelized? Signs and wonders. Let me give you an example. This Muslim had a strange dream, and every night he dreamed about people raising their hands, and he saw a specific image of people raising their hands, every night continuously, and he said, I have to find it. Find this place.
Now this man was not a Christian, so what did he do? He took a train, and when he got off the train, someone stopped him, Sir, you got off too late, you have to go back, this is the next stop, you should get off at the previous stop, you are looking for a place, You go back. So he took another train and returned to the previous station. When he got out of the car, he asked people: Where is this place where people are raising their hands? You see, my friend, the pastor of one of the largest churches in that area, the friend said, oh, there's only one place if you want to see your hands raised, so they directed him there and when he Walking in, my friend was preaching, saying, Jesus said: I am the way. Many times nowadays Muslims will have dreams and they will see a bright light, an image of a person, and a voice will come out and say: I am the way. They would hear something like this. But in this story, he was surprised, when he walked in, he was surprised that everything he saw, the decoration, the shape of the building, was exactly like his dream.
So when the pastor called, he only caught up to that last part, and those of you who want to give your life to Jesus, he gave his life to Jesus right away, my friend, God is here today. Work? Yes, God is at work in all places, and you people have no idea what He is doing. I have many, many, countless stories. But one thing I can tell you, God is alive and the Holy Spirit is at work, but in Stephen's case, because God was using him, you need to understand the principle that just because you are obeying the Holy Spirit, it does not make you Being free from trouble, let me say it again, a Spirit-filled life doesn't mean you won't have trouble, but it's important that you have the ability to face them.
When I teach young people today, I'm teaching a group of not-so-young people, a group of new believers, and I told them last Thursday night, you're going to get into trouble, and sometimes your prayers aren't answered, you may get sick sometimes, but never give up. Because God is in your troubles, let me repeat, listen to me, just because you are in trouble doesn't mean God doesn't love you, but one thing you know for sure, if you walk in the Spirit, you obey He, He will give you the power to face these troubles. And God has amazing reasons why you have all this trouble? I may not always know why, but He wants to build your character and He wants to build your faith.
So what happened to Stephen? The Bible tells us, Acts 6:9-10 Then some of the synagogues called Rebathina, and some of the synagogues of Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and other parts of Asia, arose and began to reason with Stephen. 10 Stephen spoke with wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and no one could resist him. In other words, he was opposed. Who were the people in the synagogue called Rebathina? The word Freedmen refers to Lebrathina. They were given freedom by the Roman government. These people were Jews. But for some reason they were given freedom, so they were called free men, and these free men came from many places, these came from Africa, Alexandria, which was Egypt from Africa, these came from Asia, Cilicia, in Turkey, and Asia, in other words, different people started arguing with Stephen, and you know what happened?
Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and was given wisdom, and they couldn't argue with him. Because they couldn't argue with him, they bought people secretly and said, "We heard him speak against Moses and against God". In other words. In other words, they fabricated the facts in order to destroy Stephen. They also stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and suddenly they came to seize him and brought him to the Sanhedrin. Now be honest with me: If you were Stephen and you were teaching the Word of God and they started dragging you, how would you feel? Please be honest with me. Do you feel better or worse? I think you'll feel bad. I think the first thing you're going to ask is: Lord, why is this happening to me? Lord, if you love me and I'm serving you, why is this happening to me? Do you know what they did? They set up false witnesses, saying, "This man does not stop speaking against the sanctuary and the law. 14 We heard him say, 'This Jesus of Nazareth… remember? Stephen was preaching about Jesus to destroy this place, and also to change the regulations given to us by Moses".
There are two main accusations against Stephen. First, Stephen, you are speaking against the temple, and second, you are speaking against the law of Moses. Why are there these serious accusations now? Let me tell you why these are serious accusations. Because for the Jews, this holy place, the temple, is the most important place. Because for the Jews, God told Moses, God told the prophets in the Old Testament, this is where you need to worship me, the temple. So they worshiped the temple. This temple became so important to them, it became the most important thing, and they accused Jesus of saying, You have destroyed this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.
Now let me ask you, did Jesus say this? Did you say it? said. The answer is: I said it but didn't say it. Are their accusations about Jesus correct? Did Jesus speak against the Mosaic Law? The answer is: I said it, but I didn't say it either. He didn't say anything against it... He said something different about the law and the temple. Let me give you an example, according to Jesus, John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up". 20The Jews said to them, "This temple is forty-six It was built years ago, and you built it again in three days"?
You see, they don't understand. 21 But Jesus spoke of his body as a temple. You see, Jesus is talking about His body. But they only thought of the actual temple. No wonder, after this verse, the Bible tells us, So after he rose from the dead, the disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Bible and what Jesus had said. You see, after Jesus resurrected from the dead, the disciples realized, OK, that's the true meaning of Jesus' words. I will be resurrected in three days. Then they remembered the words of Jesus. Please read this: Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them. You see, Jesus never spoke against the law, but He was saying: I want to fulfill the law.
Romans 10:4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness whoever believes in him. You must understand the Old Testament. All the laws of Moses, including the temple, ultimately point to Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the law. For example, how can your sins be forgiven in the Old Testament? You offer an animal sacrifice, you offer a burnt offering, you offer a sin offering, you offer a guilt offering, and that sacrifice has to be... remember? No flaws. You had to sprinkle the blood on the doorpost at Passover, and then in the temple you had to sprinkle the blood on the whole altar, remember? Jesus is saying, I am the ultimate sacrifice, you don't need to do this anymore.
You see, they misunderstood Jesus. And because of that, it was a serious crime against Stephen. And Stephen, something happened, Acts 6:15 And those who were sitting in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like that of an angel. Now, tell me honestly, if you were a member of the Sanhedrin leadership, and you saw Stephen talking about Jesus, and all of a sudden you saw his face was like an angel, tell me, what would you do? To be honest, most of us would say: maybe he's telling the truth. right? You know, God is confirming His presence. But you know, this is what I've discovered, only God can change hearts. No matter what miracles or wonders occur, if people's hearts... People's hearts can be so stubborn, no matter what happens, you can't change them.
So may I suggest, please follow my advice, that when I teach the Bible, when I speak about Jesus, I cannot force anyone to believe. I pray that God through His Holy Spirit will speak to your heart, just like today. When I preach, I know that it's not me who actually touches your heart, but the Holy Spirit, who will help you feel comfortable talking to your friends about Jesus. Do you want your life to have value? Do you want to? Well, you have to decide for yourself what is important and what is not. Only the Holy Spirit will make you decide what is important and what is not. So to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to live a full life, what must you do? To be filled with the Holy Spirit, talk to me. What must you do to live a fulfilling life? Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then the high priest asked, "Are these things really true"? Are these things really true? Then this happened. God, Jesus warned his disciples, Jesus said, one day, Luke 12:11-12 When you are brought before the synagogues and before the rulers and authorities, do not think about how you will plead your case or what you will say. "For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say." So when Stephen was put in front of all these scholars and leaders, he relaxed, and you know why? God gave him wisdom, and he started doing this, and you guys, read his response.
Acts 7:2 Stephen Said: "Fathers and brothers, please listen! In those days our father Abraham was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, when the God of glory appeared to him." Acts chapter 7, from verse 2 to the end, is the longest sermon recorded in the Bible, preached by Stephen. Let me break this down because of time constraints. We just read this sermon. Do you understand this sermon? It's about Jewish history, but he focuses on these characters: Stephen was defending himself against the accusation that he was attacking the temple, attacking the Law of Moses, and in the process he spoke this wonderful sermon, focusing on four historical figures: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David.
What is unique about this story? Let me tell you, when it comes to Abraham, the Jews all know that Abraham is the father of their faith, so he starts with Abraham, what does Stephen want to say? Stephen was trying to say, when God called Abraham in Mesopotamia, you didn't have the temple, and when God called Abraham, you didn't have the Mosaic Law. In other words, Stephen It's saying, God is so powerful, you can't put Him in a box, you can't put God in a temple, shut Him in the temple. Because before there was a temple, God was actively working. Understand? Then he talked about Joseph. Where was Joseph at that time? Egypt. Again, Stephen is saying that God was active in Egypt. At that time there was no temple, no Jerusalem. Let me give you an example.
Now that you understand the outline of this sermon, you need the Holy Spirit to have Stephen's insight. You see, Stephen said that the first example is Abraham. God told Abraham, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you". So he left the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. After his father died, God moved him from there to where you are now. Listen to me, here's what Stephen wanted them to do: You need to respond like Abraham did. Even though God is powerful and God is all-powerful, look at Abraham. Abraham listened to God. He obeyed God. do you understand? Stephen wanted people to understand that your job is not to put God into a box, but when God speaks to you, you better listen. He said, and Abraham obeyed.
So did Joseph. He was saying that Joseph was in Egypt at that time, but God was with him. God is not confined to the temple, God saves him. God gave him grace and wisdom, and God made him prime minister. Now they all know, I mean, these are all Bible scholars, they know the story of Joseph, but how did Joseph respond? Faith and obedience. What is my evidence? Because when Joseph refused to have premarital sex, when Joseph refused to commit adultery, that's when they slandered him, remember Mrs. Potiphar? He spread rumors and slandered Joseph and had him thrown into prison. What would you think if you were Joseph? You know, it was possible for Joseph to give up on God. Lord, I have decided to remain holy. I want to follow you. But look at me, I'm in jail. God, where are you?
But Joseph didn't do that. Stephen wanted people to know that God was active in Egypt, independent of the temple, and that Joseph responded in faith. Next we have Moses, and now he spends a lot of time talking about Moses. You know why? Let's see Moses. Moses learned all the knowledge of the Egyptians, and he was able to speak and act. Moses was educated in the best schools of his day. Wow, the Harvard of his time. Then the Bible tells us, 23 When he was forty years old, it came to his heart to visit his brothers the Israelites. What Stephen does is divide the life of Moses into three parts. In Egypt 40 BC, he thought the people knew God was using him to save them, but the people did not believe him. In fact, these people laughed at him in turn. They said to Moses, "Who made you our leader and judge"? Do you want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
"When Moses heard this, he fled and became a sojourner in Midian. So Moses spent the next 40 years living in Midian". Do you understand the life of Moses? The first 40 years were in Egypt. He thought they knew He was going to save them, but what did God do? Where did God take him out of Egypt? Went to the wilderness. What did Moses do in the wilderness for 40 years? He is a shepherd. Do you know what he hears every morning? Alas~ Moses was a man of great power in word and deed. He was once a prince. But for the next 40 years, he was nothing. Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses from a burning bush. Next week I'm taking some people to Mount Sinai and we'll go to that place.
The Bible tells us that when Moses saw the vision in the burning bush, he was amazed and went to look at it. What happened? You're going to see now that Stephen was telling his people, telling the Israelites, don't limit God to Jerusalem. Don't confine God to the temple. Because God is supreme. He can go anywhere He wants. The Bible tells us that God spoke to Moses and read: "'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Moses was trembling and did not dare to look. But the Lord said to him: 'Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.'"
Do you know what Stephen is talking about? Don't put God in a box, don't confine God to the temple. The temple cannot limit God. You need to understand that when you come to CCF every Sunday, this is not a church. This is a place where the church gathers. You are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit lives in your heart, so when we gather together on Sunday, the CCF Center is a place where God's people gather. But the CCF Center is not a church. Do you understand what I'm saying? This is just a building. This is a gathering place for God's people. So my friends, you are the church, no matter where you are, God is in you, you represent the Lord, and Stephen wanted all these religious leaders to realize that the temple does not bind God. God cannot be confined to one location.
Having said that, now you begin to understand the logic. Over the next 40 years, this man led the people out and performed wonders and miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. So Moses' life was very simple. Stephen was saying: God took the initiative and called Moses. You see, God has a plan. He called Abraham, He called Joseph, He called Moses, to achieve one thing, everything points to Jesus. If I don't show this to you, you won't understand. What is the main point I want to talk about? The most amazing thing, this is the one who said to the Israelites... Please read this: "God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers".
It's the same scripture quoted here, and if you go back to Acts 3, the apostle Peter also quoted it, and it's referring to Jesus. Peter was saying, Moses was saying, one day a prophet is coming, and he's just like me. Who is he referring to? Jesus. The Bible tells us that Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and knew what to do. Then he focused on David. He said: David found favor with God and prayed to prepare a place for the God of Jacob. David wanted to build a temple, remember? God told David: David, you will not be the one to build my temple, that man will be Solomon. "In fact, the Most High does not dwell in the works of human hands". In short, if you look at what Stephen preached, Moses, we started with Abraham. God called Abraham, not in Jerusalem, not in the temple.
God called Joseph, not in Jerusalem, not in the temple, but in Egypt. God spoke to Moses, not in the temple, not in Jerusalem, but in the wilderness. David built the temple, but he knew that the temple could not limit God. It was just an iconic location. Ladies and gentlemen, if you study the temple, if you study the law of Moses, to whom does it all point? Jesus. When they heard this, Stephen made sure they understood, Let's read this together, you stiff-necked, stiff-necked, what do you say in Filipino? ...Those who are stiff-necked and whose hearts and ears are uncircumcised often resist the Holy Spirit! As your ancestors were, so are you. Then he made a very serious accusation. This time it was Stephen who bravely told the truth. Stephen said, "Which prophet was not persecuted by your ancestors"?
They also killed the one who foretold the coming of the Righteous One (referring to Jesus), and now you have betrayed and killed the Righteous One. "You received the law from angels and you do not keep it! You keep accusing me of attacking the law, when it's you who break the law, 'Thou shalt not murder,' but you are the ones who murdered Jesus". Oh my God, when Stephen comes up with his defense, please Guess what happened? When the people heard this, they were very angry and gnashed their teeth against Stephen. The Bible tells us that Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and looked up into the sky and saw the glory of God.
You know why God said to him. Stephen appears? I truly believe that in the moment of death, especially for God's people, you experience a wonderful relief, a wonderful peace that I can't describe, because God takes care of you. You. God watched over Stephen. God told Stephen, I am with you. The Bible tells us that the people shouted and covered their ears, and they rushed forward. "They pushed him outside the city and stoned him". Notice the last sentence. The witnesses laid the garment at the feet of a young man named Saul. Here Saul appears for the first time, because later you will understand how he became a Christian. But up to this point, Saul was persecuting Stephen. As they were stoning Stephen, he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my soul"!
The certainty of salvation, Lord Jesus, please receive my soul! Do you remember when Jesus died on the cross? How did He pray? Exactly the same, Father! into your hands I commit my soul. Si Stephen did the same thing, and then how did Jesus pray? Forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing? And he prayed exactly the same way. Don't hold this sin against them! You see, there is a good death for God's people and for the people of the world, let me give this. An example for you, we're almost done. This is about how people who don't know God die. This is an edited set of information, and I don't have a lot of time to share with you how people who don't know God die.
Joseph Stalin, Stalin didn't believe in God, even though he was raised in a Christian background. Look at how he died hard and horribly. As he lay dying, he suddenly opened his eyes. The look that swept over everyone in the room was scary, abnormal, maybe angry, and full of fear of death. People who don't know the Lord don't die well, they die in fear. Voltaire, this attack on the Bible. Famous Christian figure in, note how he died. Before his death, see his confession. I am rejected by God and man: I am going to hell!? How did they die? Dwight Moody, before he died, he said this: The earth receded and the heavens opened! Don't call me back...if this is death, How sweet it was! Dwight! Irene!
You see Dwight and Irene, his grandson, rising from her bed, she told her family members before she died: I saw Jesus! I saw my son. I have countless stories to tell you. You will have amazing peace when you die. But the question I want to ask you today is: Are you sure, are you sure that you will be with Jesus when you die?, I promise you, you will never have peace. I say it again, if there is sin in your life, if there is something in your life that you have not surrendered, it could be money, it could be a relationship, listen to me, you won't have real peace. You know why? Because the Spirit of God can only take over after you surrender everything, or He is Lord of it all. Not the Lord. And I praise God that you are learning today how to live to the fullest. What do you have to do to be filled with the Holy Spirit and never do anything that you were afraid to do before you died? Think of this as the last hour of your life.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us live our lives to the fullest, led by the Spirit of God. Perfect life cannot be discovered more than once while you are still alive. Let me repeat, a fulfilled life is not always determined by the living person. Only God knows whether your life is fulfilled. You cannot see the impact your life has. Just be faithful to God and walk with Him, and a lot of times people will say, you know what? What a pity! He died too young, what a pity! Maybe that's how they felt about Stephen, that he died too soon. Because a lot of times you don't see the impact your life is having. Can I tell you what impact Stephen's life had? The impact of Stephen's life was that when he died, the following things actually happened. The church in Jerusalem suffered great persecution. This was the starting point from which the missionaries were forced to leave, and they were scattered to various places. This was an important moment in history, the moment when Christianity spread most rapidly.
In the midst of the great persecution, they all left Jerusalem. Many people left. The Bible tells us what was the name of a man? Saul. Stephen may not have known the impact his life would have on Saul. You go read the life of Saul, in Acts 22, and he never forgot this. I believe Saul must have been deeply influenced by Stephen. You know why? He must be thinking, why is this man still praying for me when he is dying? You see Stephen prayed to God to forgive Saul's sins. Lord, forgive their sins. Saul must have been deeply affected. Ladies and gentlemen, what is my point? There is only one important point. Do you want to live a fulfilling life? What must you do? Be filled with the Holy Spirit. You know why? Let God have your life. Let God own your life. He can do more with your life than you can. I surrender to you today.
Today I want you to give your whole life to the Lord, and let's bow our heads in prayer. If you want to live your life to the fullest, let the Holy Spirit rule you and let God rule your life completely. How many of you today, please listen to my question, are you not sure that when you die, you will see Jesus smiling? You don't have that kind of certainty, but you would like to have that kind of certainty.
Can you please lift up your Hands, raise them higher! You don't have the assurance that you can see Jesus smiling down at you, and you are afraid of death because something is pulling you back from fully surrendering your life to Jesus. There is something holding you back from surrendering everything. My friend, you will never die in peace until you surrender everything. If you are such a person, I want to pray for you. Please raise your hands, raise them high! Do you know why? This is very important, actually, if God is talking to you right now, wherever you are, lift your hands up, lift them up, this is between you and the Lord. I want to pray for you, please join me in praying this prayer. Lift your hands:
Lord Jesus, I haven't surrendered everything I have, I haven't given you total control of my life, I'm not ready to see your face, but today I want to be ready Prepare. I want to repent of what I'm doing, I want to surrender the things that I'm holding on to, and I surrender it all to You.
Lord Jesus, I pray for the men and women who have their hands raised, Lord, for some of them, it might be a relationship, it might be something that's pulling them, Lord, I don't know What it is, it could be a sin, it could be a relationship, or it could be money, or it could be actions that don't bring glory to your name, Lord, help them realize that only when we put ourselves If I dedicate everything to you, I will have the best life. Because Lord, you are the designer of our lives, and you know what is best. I'm praying for everyone here right now, those who have their hands raised.
Ladies and gentlemen, please pray this prayer with me. Please pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I surrender everything I have, I surrender all control, and we all pray in the name of Jesus. Amen! Amen!