Day 328: Stephen Is Martyred (2024)
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I'm in spider maximizes and you're listening to the bible in a year podcast. We're we encountered god's voice and live life to the lens of scripture. The bible in a year podcast is bound to you by ascension using the great adventure of I hope limine will be all the way from genesis to revelation, discovering how the story observation ation on falls in a week at and that story today IT is day three hundred and two twenty eight we are reading from the access possible chapter seven all about Steven and romans sent paul letter to the roman chapters eleven and twelve, as well as proverb chapter twenty seven verses thirteen and fourteen, only two verses.

For those of you who know that you like the slow drip of the proverbs opposed to having entire chapters of programs, we just get, you know, little verses here and there. The label translation I am reading from IT is the revised standard version, second catholic cation. I'm using the great adventure revel from.

Essentially, you want to download your own bible in a year reading plan. You can visit essential pressed com slash by bling near you can also subscribe to this podcast by click on, subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates in every single day, delivered IT to your place where you listen to podcast to get to pog test. Ha, every year day three hundred and twenty eight were in x chapter seven, roman chapter eleven and twelve, and proverb chapter twenty seven verses thirteen and fourteen.

The acts of the apostles chapter seven, Stevens speech to the council and the high priest said, is IT this so? And Stephen said, brothers and fathers, hear me. The god of glory appeared to our father, Abraham, when he was a member, peta, before he lived in haran, and said to him, depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you.

Then he departed from the land of the Kelly ans and lived at horan. And after his father died, god removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in IT, not even a foot length, but promised to give IT to him in possession and to his posterity after him that he had no child.

And god spoke to this effect that his posterity would be aliens in a land belonging to others who would enslave them. And i'll them four hundred years, but I will judge the nation which they serves that god. And after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.

And he gave him the convince of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of asic and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patch rocks and the page rocks, jealous of Joseph, sold him into egypt.

But god was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions, tions, and gave him favor and wisdom before fairer, king of egypt, who made him governor over egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all egypt and canine and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in egypt, he sent fourth, our father's, the first time.

And at the second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers and Joseph family, became known to fero and Joseph cent, and called to him Jacob, his father, and always conried seventy five souls. And Jacob went down into egypt, and he died himself. And our fathers, and they were Carried back to shaham and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of hamor in chem.

But as the time of the promise junior, which got had granted to ibrahima, people grew and multiplied in egypt till there are rose over egypt. Another king who had not known Joseph, he dealt, crafted with our race, enforced our fathers to expose their infants that they might not be kept alive at this time. Moses was born and he was beautiful before god, and he was brought up for three months in his father's house.

And when he was exposed, feros daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. And mosses was instructed, and all the wisdom of the egyptians. And he was mighty in his words.

Indeed, when he was forty years old, he came into his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of israel, and seeing one of them being wronged. He defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking the egyptian. He supposed that his brothers n understood that god was giving them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were coaling and would have reconcile, saying, men, you are brethren.

Why do you run each other? But the man who was running his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you kill the egyptian? Yesterday at this, retorted moses flood, and became an exile in the land of medium, where he became the father of two sons, now in forty years, had passed an Angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

When moses thought he wondered at the site, and as he was near to look, the voice of the lord came, I am the god of your father's, the god of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and moses trembled and did not dare to look. And the lord said, women, take off the shoes from your feet for the place where you are standing is holly ground. I have surely seen the ill treatment of my people that are in egypt and heard their growing, and I have come down to deliver them.

And now come, I will send you to egypt this moses, whom they refused to saying, who make you a ruler and a judge? God sent both as ruler and delivered by the hand of the Angel that appeared to him in the bush. He let them out, having performed wonders and signs in egypt and at the red sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

This is the moses who said to the israel etes gobble, raise up for you a profit from your brothers n as he raised me up, this is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke with him that mount sni and with our fathers. And he received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to play him, but thrust him aside.

And in their hearts they turned to egypt, saying to iron, make for us god's to go be for us. As for this moses who let us out from the land of egypt, we do not know what has become of him. And they made a cafe in those days and offered a sacrifice to the idle and rejoiced in the works of their hands.

But god turned and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as IT is written in the book of the profits did you offer to me, slain beast and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness of house of israel and you took up the tent of moloch and the star of the god refine the figures which you made to worship and I will remove you beyond ballon. Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to moses directed him to make IT according to the pattern that he had seen. Our father's in turn brought IT in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which god thrust out before our father's.

So IT was until the days of David, who found favorite in the side of god and asked leave to find a habitation for the god of Jacob. But IT was Solomon, who built a house for him. Yet the most tide does that well in houses made with hands.

As the profit says, heaven is my throne and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me as the lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things new? Stiff necked people uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the holy spirit as your father's did.

So do you, which of the profits did not your father's persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one, whom you have now betrayed and murdered you who received the law is delivered by Angels and did not keep IT the stoning of Stephen. Now, when they heard these things, they were enranged and they ground their teeth against him.

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. And he said, behold, I see the hevens opened and the sun of man standing at the right hand of god. But they cried out with a loud voice and stop their ears and rushed together upon him.

Then they cast him out of the city and strowed him. And the witnesses lay down their garments at the feet of a Young man named saw. And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, lord sus, receive my spirit. And he melt down and cry with a loud voice, lord, do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The letter of same paul to the romans, chapter eleven israel's rejection is not final. I ask them, has god rejected his people? By no means I am myself, am in his relight, a descendent of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

God has not rejected as people who meet for new. Do you not know what the scripture says of elia, how he pleaded with got against israel? Lord, they have killed your profits. They have demolished your alters, and I alone am left and they seek my life.

But what does god's reply to him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed at the need, but all so too, at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by Grace. But if IT is by Grace, IT is no longer on the basis of works.

Otherwise Grace would no longer be Grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what IT sought. The elect obtained IT, but the rest were hardened.

As IT is written, god gave them a spirit of super eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear down to this very day. And David says, let their fees become a snail and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution for them. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see and bend their backs forever.

The salvation of the gentiles. So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall by no means, but through their trust pass, salvation has come to the gentiles so as to make israel's jealous. Now, if their trespass means Richard for the world, and if their failure means Richard for the gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean? Now I am speaking to you, gentiles, and as much then as I am in a postle to the gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order to make my fellow juice jealous.

And us save 什么？ For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what would their acceptance mean? But life from the dead, if the doll offered as first fruit is holy, so is the whole batch.

And if the root is holy, so what? The branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, I knew a wild olive shoot were drafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree.

Do not boasts over the branches. If you do boasts, remember, IT is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.

That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief. But you stand fast only through faith.

So do not become proud, but stand in our. For if god did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of god. Severity told those who have fAllen, but god's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness, otherwise you too will be cut off. And even the others, if they do not persist in their own belief, will will be grafted.

For god has the power to graft them in again, for if you have been cut from what is, by nature, a wild olive tree and crafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree? Israel, we will be saved less to be wise in your own conceit. S, I want you to understand this mystery.

Brother in a harding has come upon part of israel until the full number of the gentiles come in. And so all israel will be saved. As IT is written, the deliver will come from ion.

He will vanish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As regards the gospel, they are enemies of god for your sake, but as regards election, they are be loveit for the sake of their four fathers for the gifts. And the call of god are irrevocable, just as you were once disobedient to god, but now have received mercy because of their disobedience. So they have now been this obedient in order that by mercy shown to you, they also may receive mercy.

For god has consigned all men to the oo bedient that he may have mercy upon all all the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of god how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable ble his ways for who has known the mind of the lord or who has been his councillor or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid for from him and throw him and to him are all things to him. Be glory forever a men chapter twelve, the new life in Christ I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of god to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to god, which is, your spiritual worship do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of god, what is good and acceptable and perfect for about the Grace given to me. I'd did everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which god has assigned him for.

As in one body, we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function. So we, though many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, having gifts that differ according to the Grace given to us, let us use them. Give propac's in proportion to our faith if service in our serving. He who teaches in his teaching, he who exhorts in his exhortation, he who contributes in liberality, he who gives aid with zeal, he who does act of mercy with cheerfulness .

Marks of .

the true Christian. Let love be genuine hate what is evil. Hold the fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be a glow with the spirit.

Serve at the lord, rejoice in hope, be patient, interview lation, be constant in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you.

Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be hoddy but associated with the lowly. Never be conceded. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the site of all, if possible. So far as IT depends upon you live peaceably with all love.

Never a end yourselves but leave IT to the rat of god for IT is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the lord, no, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him drink, for by so doing, you will keep burning calls upon his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The book of proverb cheeped twenty seven versus thirteen and fourteen take a man's government when he has given shirty for a stranger and hold him in pledge when he gives charity for foreigners. He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice rising early in the morning will be counted as cursing.

Father and having we give you praise and thank you so much. H lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for the gift of these readings today. Help us to be, help us be yours. Help us to hear your words.

And now I put them into practice this day and every day, help us receive your Grace and be grateful for the fact you have saved us and crafted us into the tree of israel. Thank you. Lord, we praise you.

Lord, we bless you. Please receive our praise. Please receive the blessing in jesus name a men and the name of the father of the son of the police spy men.

I want to keep this relatively brief because, you know, I think kind along these days, but I can't go without referencing proverb twenty seven verse fourteen, oh my god, you did. You catched us. He who bless ses, his neighbor.

A loud voice rising early in the morning will be counted as cursing you. Bless your name. Or, or the loud voice early in the morning is like nursing them.

I love that because, you know, it's good to be happy in the morning. I think that's fine. But there are times when you like pro, it's early, too early and your excitement, your blessing in early in the morning is received like cock makes sense.

I think that's pretty, pretty fun, pretty fun. Problem there we have x jeter seven. As I mentioned, it's Stephen, not only Stevens, Martin of Stephen speech. How incredible is this when we hear in the new testament, these people like Steven today going over the story of salvation, and you know, the whole, maybe you knew the whole story beforehand, maybe, and most of the story, but here, as Stephen goes through, he goes away back to the call of Abraham from all of the clouds and going to the promise land, and his son and his son get circumcised and all these things happen, and his son s son Joseph, get sold and the whole of van, we get to hear the whole story and why we get to hear the whole story.

Because this is the story of how god has called you now to say yes to him, in the same way the god called the people of egypt, the people of israel, to say us to him. But israel said yes, and egypt hard in their hearts. And basically, here is Steven saying, don't harder in your heart.

You're a stiff neck. People first stift ty one stiffe CT. People uncircumcised in heart nears, you always resist the holy spirit.

Is that just a comparison with israel in egypt? But is that comparison of also those in the wilderness, their fathers, those who are he, Bruce, right, who turned away from the lord god who saved to them to worship false gods? You know, the golden cain, what not? And so it's so so powerfully because Steven is saying that's what you're doing right now.

You are here is the god who was saved you. He saved you through his life that the resurrection here in jesus Christ and you are harden your hearts. You're turning away from from this this gift.

I love this, this last. I may not love IT because is the modern m of Stephen. You don't love that, but so powerful and so beautiful. It's incredible.

Inverse fifty four of chapter seven, he says, now, when they heard these things, they were enraged, ground their teeth against him, goes on to say, in for fifty seven, they cried out with a loud voice and stop their ears and rushed together upon him, basically covered their ears because he is saying, I see in heaven, I see the glory botsford sua standing with the right hand of the father, every hand of god. And they're plugin the areas we don't want here. What you have to say, how often, gosh, you guys, how often is that the case where that could be us?

That could be us saying, I don't know if I want to hear god word, I don't know if I want to hear god has to say to me today, because i've already hard in my heart. But that's also sometimes what happens around us here is Stephen, who has, as I said, has the face of an Angel who is a full of Graces, full of mercy. But at this moment he's basically like jesus as he is his father.

Forgive them. Don't hold this thing against them. And yet, even that innocent Stephen, even that holy Stephen, they don't want to listen to.

They plug the rear s in russia upon him and stone him to death. And as we say, we saw here there is a man name, soul, who's named LED. That one be changed to paul and and he's consenting to Stevens mother dum. This Steven's execution here.

So a lot of stories in this and this remarkable you guys, if there's ever there are some parts of new statement writings that I just I love, I love more than others, you know, because there's the hitchen hitchen in the right way. Yeah, was yesterday the day before where we were reading in chapter eight. What should we say to this? I've god is force who can be against us.

How IT talks about how who watch the separates from the love of god and jesus? Chris, tribulation or distress, persecution of famine, making this peril, the sort that chapter eight, verse chapter five, you know, we talked about that proves as love for us and that while we were still cnn's, Chris died for us. But if there's an another chapter i'd love is chapter or twelve, chapter twelve of little simples order to the romans, chapter drivers, one and two.

I love IT appealed to bothering therefore brother's but the mercies have got to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holly, and accept to of the god, which is your spirit to warship. I don't know you think some more, Cathy friends who are part of this community, you might recognize some of this language in a couple of the U. K.

To crayons. I got mass. We ask god, god, make us an acceptable sacrifice to you, like, make of us an acceptable sacrifice to you in the course of the sacres of the mass.

And so do you might recognize that. But somewhere are ank ethic. Friends, I want to let you know that at mass, that's one one of things. We pray what we pray that not only we're offering the sacrifice jesus, the ones for all sacrifice of jesus, but are also saying, lord, help us to be part of that.

As saying, policies here in from this chapter twelve, first one, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holly, acceptable to god, which is your spirit to warship. And in the next verse too, I do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind so they may prove what is the will of god, what is good and pleasing in perfect. That is, again, so essential it's necessary for us because we think the way the world seeks then IT is highly unlikely that we're thinking the way god ths.

Last year and this one first, chapter twelve, the last lines from first nine, all the way to the end, diverse twenty one. It's often read at weddings that I don't have you have you ever realized this lot of wetting that i'll do when they choose the new testament reading they are. Choose romance.

Chapter twelve, verses nine through twenty one, where says that lovely, genuine hate wood is evil. Hold vast to what is good. IT goes on.

Love one another with brother. Little affection out. Do one another in showing honor. IT goes on. And it's just so important if, man, these are the sections of the bible, sometimes use a highlight, go back in, in, in right.

Notes on the side is where you kind of pray and say, okay, god, how do I do this? How do I? How do I bless those occurs me.

How do I live in harmony with one another? How do I not be hoddy? How do I say with the lowly? And goes on on as as you note, as you know, because you've just listen to IT last thing, huh? Guys, you guys, what a gift isn't.

This is a crazy st gift to be able to do t with the hobble like this. Chapter eleven, I kind of skip over chapter eleven, but you can't skip over IT. Here is same paul who's saying, listen, the people of israel theyve not been abandoned.

That is not the god is rejected them. That's not the case at all. And so any kind of trace of anti jewish sentiment, any kind of anti semitism, that's no, that has no place because romance chapter eleven talks about god's plan.

His love, his call, the gifts are irrevocable. That's chapter eleven first twenty nine. He's not taken back his love.

He's not taken back his gifts. He's not taken back his call from the people of israel. He is calling them forward, though of course he is calling them to receive jesus as the lord.

But he hasn't taken back his promises. He has not taken back. He's blessing. That's very, very important for us to to realize that you and I we have been drafted IT onto the tree of israel.

So it's not like there's a whole new tree here, this Christian tree that's next to the jewish tree nope. Um the same policy IT is that root the root is the story that Stephen told IT today. The root is, although back to Abraham, these this faith of our father's and we ve been crafted onto this tree.

We're not by nature israeli ts, but we have same pop up all the six at one point he said, spiritually we are all jewish because we've been grafted onto the tree and so we pray for our jew's brother and sisters that um not only they realized that the promise is still theirs, but the filthy m of that promise is also there is the film to the promise being jesus Christ, hard lord so we pray for for those who don't believe in jesus, we also pray for each other. I definitely, every single day i'm praying for you. Please pray for me, my for the mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow.

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