SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/25/2017 9:28 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“Filled With Anger Versus Filled With
the Spirit”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
7:54-55a
Message of the verses: “54 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit,”
I have been reading or really listening to the book of
Ezekiel as a part of my devotions and Ezekiel lived in Babylon as part of the
people of Judah who were taken there by the Babylonians. Ezekiel was a prophet whom the Lord spoke to
while he was in Babylon and in chapter 20 the people of Judah who had also been
taken captive asked Ezekiel to find out what the Lord had to say to them. God told Ezekiel to tell them He had nothing
to say to them and then He began to tell Ezekiel why He had nothing to say to
them as He went over a brief history of the sinfulness and unfaithfulness that
the children of Israel towards their God.
As we continue to look at the Sanhedrin and what they had seen as they
had seen the miracles of Jesus for the three years that He was on the earth,
and yet they killed Him because of their jealously they had towards Him, and
now they were seeing miracles and hearing preaching from the apostles as well
as the preaching of Stephen to them, and yet like their forefathers they would
not listen. Stephen’s preaching to them
was not an invitation, but it really was an indictment like God gave to Ezekiel
to give to their forefathers. This
indictment against them by Stephen did not bring about repentance, but it
brought about rage as they began gnashing their teeth at him. John MacArthur writes “In Matthew 13:41-42 He
(Jesus) warned that ‘the Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
He warned the unbelieving Jews that ‘many shall come from the east and
west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer
darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matt.
8:11-12; cf. Matt. 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). The suffering of hell will include the
endless anger and frustration of those people who will forever feel both
intense conviction for their damning sin and anger toward God. People who reject God’s grace and love will
not feel remorse under His judgment. In
fact, that will only make them angrier.”
As we look at the first part of verse 55 we see that
there is a sharp contrast “But being full of the Holy Spirit.” Stephen was the one who was filled with the
Holy Spirit of God as this happened amid the storm of fury that howled around
him, and this caused Stephen to remain very calm, totally yielded to the
Spirit’s control. John MacArthur writes “Huparcho (‘being’) ‘properly [expresses]
continuance of an antecedent state or condition’ (G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
[Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1977], 457), a meaning reinforced by its use
here in the present tense. Being filled with the Spirit was
a way of life for Stephen (cf. 6:3, 5; Eph 5:18). Consequently, he didn’t have to make any
adjustments n his life when his time came to face death.”
When we look at Ephesians 5:18 “Don’t get your stimulus
from wine (for there is always the danger of excessive drinking), but let the
Spirit stimulate your souls (Philips).”
I understand that this section from the Greek means to continually be
filled with the Holy Spirit. One of the
many meanings found in my Greek/English dictionary from my Online Bible program
states “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure,
fill to the brim.” So we are to be
completely filled, and we are to be continually filled with the Spirit of
God. Now we know that this was a crisis
situation for Stephen and Jesus had promised that He would give special grace
and strength in times of crisis. “11 "When they bring you before the
synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what
you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very
hour what you ought to say’ (Luke 12:11-12).”
John MacArthur concludes this section by writing
“Christians, then, must not shy away from difficult situations, Like Paul, they
can say, ‘I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak,
then I am strong’ (2 Cor. 12:10). They
must boldly communicate Christ in all circumstances, knowing that the Holy
Spirit will grant them the grace to face the consequences triumphantly and with
joy and peace.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I remember
shortly after becoming a believer that my wife and I went to visit her cousin
and it was our desire to witnesses to him.
He had a Jewish friend with him and so we spoke to both of them about
the Lord. After leaving my wife noticed
that some of the things that I said to them were perhaps “unnatural” for me,
and I could only say that I had to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A few years back I saw her cousin at a
birthday party and asked him if he remembered that conversation we had many
years before, and he told me that he still remembers it.
My Steps of Faith for Today: That God would give me the right words to say
in our Sunday school class tomorrow.
Memory verse: Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Jehoshaphat” (1 Kings 22:29).
Today’s Bible
question: “What is the longest word in
the Bible?” (Hint: It is in the book of Isaiah.)
Answer in our next SD. 11/25/2017 10:13 AM
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