Finding the Way
Acts 7:55-60
April 20, 2008 --
©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes
Introduction
The story
is told of a 4-year-old boy who went with his grandpa one morning to buy
donuts. On the way Grandpa asked his little grandson, “Which way is heaven?” He
pointed up to the sky. “Which way is hell?” The little boy pointed down towards
the floor of the truck. Grandpa then asked, “And where are you going?” His grandson replied, “Dunkin’ Donuts.” [PreachingToday.com, “Destination Unknown” Submitted by Kathy
Chapman, North Lauderdale, FL. Today’s
Christian Woman, “Heart to Heart.”].
Maybe
Dunkin’ Donuts is as close as some will get to heaven, but I’d rather not
settle for Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s important to know where we’re going. It’s good
to know the way.
Peter’s message – Acts 2
For the
past three weeks, we have been talking about Peter’s message in Acts 2. On
Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on Peter and gave him the ability to preach
to thousands of visitors to Jerusalem.
Peter told the people about Jesus. When they realized that Jesus was the
Messiah, and they too were responsible for his crucifixion, they asked Peter
what they could do.
They knew
that they were in trouble, that they had sinned against God, but what could
they do? If what Peter said was true, they were not headed for heaven. They
were headed in the wrong direction.
Peter told
them, “Repent, and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you
will receive the Holy Spirit.” [Acts2:38]. That day 3,000 people were believed in Jesus and were
baptized. Peter pointed them in the right direction and thousands were saved
that day. They found The Way.
Stephen’s message – Acts 7
Now we fast
forward a couple of years. The church in Jerusalem
was growing. The believers worshipped, worked and relaxed together. They shared
what they had. Their love and care for one another amazed everyone, so more
people followed Christ.
When some
Jews saw their success, they were jealous. Their arguments couldn’t stand up to
Stephen’s, so they plotted to have him arrested for speaking blasphemy against
God. [Acts6:11].
Stephen was
brought before the Sanhedrin. When he stood to defend himself he reminded them
of how God had spoken to Abraham and given him the promise that he would bring
his descendants into the Promised Land.
He retold
some of the history of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. He also reminded them of Moses
and how God brought the people out of slavery in Egypt and protected them for forty
years until they entered the Promised Land and conquered the peoples there.
Finally
Stephen told them that just as their ancestors rebelled against God, had been
“stiff-necked” and hard-hearted; they too had rebelled against God. As their
ancestors had rejected God’s prophets and killed them, so they had rejected
God’s Son, the Messiah, and killed him. Stephen’s message confronted them with
their own sin against God. They were “furious”, enraged!
Think about
someone you have seen when they are really angry. What would their face look
like? Can you see their hatred in their face? That’s what Stephen saw that day
– a roomful of angry faces, shouting curses at him.
That’s what
Stephen would have seen if he’d been looking at those men, but Stephen wasn’t
looking at them. “Stephen, full of the
Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of
Man standing at the right hand of God.’” [v.55-56].
At these
words, the religious leaders became violent and dragged Stephen outside the
city and stoned him to death.
N. T.
Wright describes it this way: “When it comes to his own death, he shouts out a
prayer at the top of his voice, as rocks are flying at him and his body is
being smashed & crushed, asking God not to hold this sin against them.” [N. T. Wright, Acts for
Everyone, Part 1 (Louisville, KY: John Knox Westminster
Press, 2008) 123].
Voices of
opposition are often silenced even in our world today. Those who dare to
disagree with those in power may risk their lives.
Jesus, Stephen and Paul
Jesus certainly
knew that the powerful religious leaders would find a way to silence him. Even
Pilate was afraid of them and gave into their demands to release Barabbas and
crucify Jesus. He set the guilty free and condemned the innocent because he
feared what the Jewish leaders might do. Pilate listened to the voices of human
power.
Jesus
listened only to the One who was all powerful. He listened only to God. He
obeyed only his Father’s voice.
Stephen’s
words in Acts 7:59, “Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit,” remind us of Jesus’ words on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” [Lk.23:46].
Also, in
Acts 7:60, Stephen said, “Lord, do not
hold this sin against them,” which is similar to Jesus’ words in Luke
23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they are doing.”
In the
midst of their suffering, their dying, they kept their eyes God. They knew
their goal, and let nothing keep them from reaching it.
Paul wrote
in Philippians 3: “I want to know Christ—yes,
to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection
from the dead. . .I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” [v.10-11,14].
Paul also
suffered and was put to death for proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. Yet
Paul kept his eyes on Jesus.
He remained
faithful to the end. He obeyed the voice of Jesus alone. And he knew where he
was going.
Jesus
finished the work his Father gave him, even though it meant the cross, and he
ascended to the right hand of God.
Stephen
remained faithful to Jesus, and proclaimed the Good News even though it cost
him his life. In his dying moments he saw God waiting to welcome him home.
Paul also
didn’t let anything keep him from proclaiming the truth of the Gospel even in
prison, when flogged, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, and abandoned by
friends. He listened to the voice of Jesus, kept his eyes on the goal, and
lived every day in obedience to Christ.
Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
Reaching
the finish line, attaining our goal, requires persistence and commitment. You
have to know what your goal is and always keep it in view.
Matt Emmons
was one shot away from winning the gold medal in the 2004 Olympic 50-meter
three-position rifle event. He didn’t even need a bull’s-eye to win. His final
shot merely needed to be on target. Normally the shot he made would have
received a score of 8.1, and earned him a gold medal. But Emmons somehow fired
at the wrong target. Standing in lane 2, he fired at the target in lane 3. His
score for a good shot at the wrong target?
0. Instead of a gold medal, Emmons ended up in 8th place. It
doesn’t matter how accurate you are if you aim at the wrong goal. [PreachingToday.com, “Olympian Finds Hitting the Wrong Target
Costly”].
The
Christian life requires a daily choice. Following Jesus requires an everyday
decision to keep focused on Jesus, to listen to Jesus.
There are lots
of “targets” out there in the world. All of them look appealing or inviting.
Many of them call to us to follow and choose a new direction.
We may set
out to follow Jesus and try to keep the prize of heaven as our goal. Yet with
so many competing paths, it is hard to find our way to God. Choosing the wrong
way can be a costly mistake. Where are you headed? Where will you end up if you
follow them? The wrong target? Dunkin’ Donuts?
The Way – John 14:1-6
In John
14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
To follow
Jesus is to follow the Way – the right way. To follow Jesus is to follow the
truth – truth that doesn’t change with the times. To follow Jesus is to follow
the life – life that is eternal, life that gives us more to live for than this
moment.
Jesus is
the Way – the way to God, the way home, the way to peace and joy and love. If
that’s where we want to be headed, then
·
we
need to keep our eyes on Jesus;
·
we
need to keep our thoughts focused on Jesus;
·
we
need to keep our heart yielded to Jesus.
If we want
the prize of heaven, we need to keep our aim on the right target, on Jesus
Christ.
The choice
is always up to us. The decision is ours. We have to decide each step of the
way who we will follow.
·
Our
past circumstances or present circumstances are not to blame if we follow the
wrong way.
·
Our
parents or family members, our friends or our boss aren’t responsible for our
choices.
·
The
movies we watch or computer games we play are not at fault for our decisions.
It’s up to us.
·
Which
way will you go? Where do you want to end up?
Conclusion
Who are you
following? If you choose to follow Jesus, to go Jesus’ way, then you may want
to consult a map. Our map is in the New Testament of our Bibles. Jesus gave us
directions.
He doesn’t
want any of us to get lost along the way, so Jesus helps us stay on target. But
we have to read the map, the Bible. And according to the map, we may need to
make course corrections along the way.
We also can
ask for directions. Ask someone who reads their Bible. Go to a Bible study.
Rely on other Christians who can help you find the way. God promises that when
we seek him with our whole heart, we will find him. [Jer.29:13].
So, where
are going? Are you aiming at the right target? Hopefully you haven’t settled
for Dunkin’ Donuts. Hopefully you have decided to follow Jesus.
Jesus said
if you knew him you knew the Father.
He and the
Father are one.
So finding
our way to God is easy.
We just
need to know the Way – and Jesus is the Way. Amen.
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This sermon is copyright ©2008 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes,
Immanuel Evangelical
Covenant Church,
Chicago, Illinois.