Passover to Tabernacles - Part Twenty Three Apr 24, 2022 by: John Herbert | Series: Passover to Tabernacles Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T003_20220424.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Today we will look at the consequences of Stephen's death. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday April 24th 2022 Passover to Tabernacles Part 23 1). Acts 7:54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” We have seen over our past weeks of study that the primary focus of the one new man in Christ, brought into existence on the day of Pentecost, was to re-offer the Kingdom of the heavens to the same generation of eternally saved Jews who had previously rejected it when it had been offered to them firstly by John and then by the Christ. a). We have seen that the purpose for the re-offer to the Jews was to cause national repentance, to cause the perverse generation who had murdered their King to change their mind and be converted, to be followed by national baptism, so that the Kingdom could be restored to Israel, and they could fulfill their calling to be God’s witness to the Gentile nations. b). And we had seen that there was a climactic event recorded in Acts Chapter 7, directly connected to the reoffer of the Kingdom of the heavens, that parallels that seen in Matthew Chapter 12 in connection with the original offer. This was when Stephen’s impassioned and unprecedented heaven moving plea to the religious leaders was violently and murderously rejected, just as the Lord’s offer had been. c). With the nation’s religious leaders so vehemently set against any change of mind with respect to Jesus being the Christ and refusing to hear once again that which is taught in their own Scriptures, presented to them in Acts Chapter 7 by Stephen, there was really no place left to go beyond this point. It was just as Stephen had said to them – Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” And it was just as the Lord had said in Matthew Chapter 13 and Paul would proclaim in Rome at the end of the Book of Acts – Acts 28:25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” ’ But nevertheless, all the while those from that eternally saved perverse generation remained alive the re-offer of the Kingdom had to be made to them first, allowing the one new man in Christ to fulfill its original purpose and to allow those Jews who would have ears to hear to be delivered from the perverse generation while there remained time for them to do so. d). And as we have also seen, it was at this climactic point, in the rejection of Stephen’s call to repentance, that a young man named Saul was introduced – Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Saul is the Hebrew name of the man we know as Paul, which is the Greek version of the same name, who would be called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. And with Paul’s introduction at this precise moment of rejection by the Jews, the door is being opened for his ministry, a ministry which would bring to fulfillment that which had previously been set in the types which began with the Woman taken from the Man’s body in Genesis Chapter 2, the bride taken from the family through Rebekah in Genesis Chapter 24 and the experience of Ruth, the bride taken from the Gentiles in the Book that has her name. And also seen in Joseph’s marriage to Asenath and Moses’ marriage to Zipporah – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’ 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works. 2). Now, we will remember what Jesus had said to those He had chosen to be apostles, recorded in – Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And we know that this had begun to be possible through the events of the Day of Pentecost which followed. And we also know that as the Kingdom of the heavens began to be re-offered by the new creation in Christ that many of the perverse generation changed their minds about Jesus being the Christ and the message of the Kingdom and were added to those Jews who had believed Jesus during His earthly ministry but were not part of the one new man. a). It would be wrong to think though that the one new man and the ever-increasing group of believing Jews would be physically divided from one another or that the believing Jews would only have a passive role in the ministry to the perverse generation from whom they had been saved Acts 2:44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. All the Jews in Jerusalem who had believed from before the crucifixion and those added on and after the Day of Pentecost, were together and had all things in common and continued daily in the apostle’s teaching, in the temple and from house to house. And they received all with simplicity and gladness of heart and the Lord daily continued to add to this combined group by adding to the believing Jews who were not the one new man, those who were being saved from the perverse generation. b). And as we began today, we saw that because of the rejection of Stephen’s message, the Word of Christ and the Kingdom of the heavens would inevitably be taken to the Gentiles, to the end of the earth but after a different fashion to that set out in Israel’s calling to be God’s witness. c). A repentant national Israel would not be the ones who would fulfill the command given by the Lord in Acts Chapter 1 and the gospels, during this age. The fulfillment of Israel’s calling as God’s witness awaits the age to come. d). Nevertheless, that which the Lord had said in Acts Chapter 1 was brought to pass after some fashion by the group of believing Jews and some of the one new man in Christ following Steven’s death. But this was not fulfilling the Lord’s commission to national Israel and was brought to pass by another method entirely, not by the nation being sent – Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city. Let’s first notice from v1 where all, except the apostles, were scattered, ‘throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. And from v4 we see that ‘those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.’ This then is not just the one hundred and twenty, minus the apostles, but the whole assembly of believers from Jerusalem. e). And specific mention is made of a city of Samaria and Philip’s preaching there. And seeing the miracles that he performed makes certain for us that Philip, a Jew, was preaching a message concerning the Kingdom of the heavens. f). And just as in Acts Chapter 2, those in the city of Samaria were subsequently filled with the Spirit, in connection with Joel’s prophecy – Acts 8:4 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit……………………25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Philip is then seen again in the encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch – Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The man of Ethiopia ‘had come to Jerusalem to worship’. He was a Jew who had probably been in Jerusalem for Passover and Pentecost, two of the three annual feasts that Jewish men were required to keep in Jerusalem each year. And as he traveled home, he read from the prophet Isaiah – Acts 8:32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. And Philip could only have set out for him, beginning at the Scripture he read, the same truth that Christ had taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus, that the Christ should first suffer these things and then to enter into His glory. And the Ethiopian’s confession, upon hearing Philip’s words is exactly that of Peter in Matthew Chapter 16, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And the Ethiopian’s belief is then followed by baptism. g). And Chapter 8 closes with Philip continuing to preach the word – Acts 8:40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. And through the work of Philip and the others who were dispersed from Jerusalem because of Saul’s persecution, the Word had been preached in Judea, Samaria and had come to Damascus, where Saul was headed with letters from the High Priest to imprison any of those of the Way he found there. And it is of course, while on the road to Damascus that Paul had his encounter with the risen and glorified Savior – Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And then following Paul’s conversion in Chapter 9, an entire chapter is given over to Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit in Chapter 10 – Acts 10: 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. What we need to look at here then is the sequencing of the events that began with the death of Stephen. Firstly, we saw the persecution of all those who had believed in Jerusalem, that caused the dispersion and the spreading of the Word in Judea and Samaria by those who were forced to leave the city. As the Word spread, we then secondly, saw Paul, who would be the apostle to the Gentiles, being converted through his experience on the Damascus Road. And, thirdly, we saw the specific focus that is then given to Gentiles being brought into the one new man in Christ, seen in Chapter 10. h). All these events then are moving inexorably toward the ministry of Paul going to the Gentiles, to the end of the earth, both during and following the time covered by the Book of Acts. After some fashion then, that which the Lord had said in Acts Chapter 1 was being accomplished but completely separate from that which a repentant and restored Israel is called to do. i). And through this sequence we will be aware of a transition taking place with respect to God’s focus. A transition from a focus on the Kingdom of the heavens that is entirely Jewish in its scope as the Book of Acts began, to a focus on the Kingdom of the heavens and the one new man in Christ, who would come primarily from the Gentiles, following the end of the time covered by Book of Acts, around 62 AD. 3). And if we go back and look at the events of Paul’s conversion in Acts Chapter 9, a conversion that would take him to the Gentiles, so we find a foreshadowing of that which will be the experience of the Jewish nation with respect to the fulfillment of their calling to be God’s witness to the end of the earth during the Kingdom Age. And for Saul, as for the Jews, this experience came and comes after a time of the total rejection of the Christ and those who would preach in His name – Acts 9:8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Saul found himself without sight for three days picturing his brethren according to the flesh, who are themselves spiritually blind, a condition that will remain until the Third Day when their sight will be restored to them – Jn 9:13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. And during this time of blindness Saul neither ate nor drank, just as the Jewish nation has had no spiritual food nor drink during their time of spiritual blindness but the promise is that they will one day be fed and filled – Jn 6:10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. 19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Saul was strengthened once he had received food and spent some days in Damascus. Then, immediately, he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that Jesus is the Son of God. And in that day yet future when the Jews coming out of the tribulation are filled with the Spirit and strengthened, they will spend some days in Jerusalem. And immediately, as the Millennial Kingdom begins, they will go from Jerusalem to all Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth preaching the Christ that He is the Son of God and that He reigns over all the earth. A message they will take to the Gentile nations throughout the world, spoken in the languages of every nation to which they go. a). And the Jewish calling to be God’s witness has been foreshadowed in part through the Jews who went to Judea and Samaria preaching the Word because of the persecution in Jerusalem. And then seen ‘to the end of the earth’ through Paul, a Jew, and his ministry to the Gentiles. 4). And as Paul began his ministry, it could only be in-line with the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to the Jews as it began during the Acts period. This was the timeframe during which he was commissioned and although he was to be the apostle to the Gentiles God’s Divine order within the Book of Acts had to be maintained – Acts 3:26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Paul had to go to the Jews first, which is why we see the converted Paul, first of all, preaching in the synagogues of Damascus. a). And throughout the Book of Acts Paul always went to the Jew first with the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens, as we can see – Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. Acts 14:1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Acts 17:10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Acts 19:8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. All the while the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens remained open it had to be Paul’s practice, in line with God’s Divine order, to go to the Jews first. However, Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles and the message to be taken to the Gentiles could not be of a re-offered Kingdom of the heavens, but something quite different. This will wait until next time though. If we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. Passover to Tabernacles - Part Twenty Three Apr 24, 2022 Speaker: John Herbert Series: Passover to Tabernacles Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T003_20220424.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Today we will look at the consequences of Stephen's death. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday April 24th 2022 Passover to Tabernacles Part 23 1). Acts 7:54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” We have seen over our past weeks of study that the primary focus of the one new man in Christ, brought into existence on the day of Pentecost, was to re-offer the Kingdom of the heavens to the same generation of eternally saved Jews who had previously rejected it when it had been offered to them firstly by John and then by the Christ. a). We have seen that the purpose for the re-offer to the Jews was to cause national repentance, to cause the perverse generation who had murdered their King to change their mind and be converted, to be followed by national baptism, so that the Kingdom could be restored to Israel, and they could fulfill their calling to be God’s witness to the Gentile nations. b). And we had seen that there was a climactic event recorded in Acts Chapter 7, directly connected to the reoffer of the Kingdom of the heavens, that parallels that seen in Matthew Chapter 12 in connection with the original offer. This was when Stephen’s impassioned and unprecedented heaven moving plea to the religious leaders was violently and murderously rejected, just as the Lord’s offer had been. c). With the nation’s religious leaders so vehemently set against any change of mind with respect to Jesus being the Christ and refusing to hear once again that which is taught in their own Scriptures, presented to them in Acts Chapter 7 by Stephen, there was really no place left to go beyond this point. It was just as Stephen had said to them – Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” And it was just as the Lord had said in Matthew Chapter 13 and Paul would proclaim in Rome at the end of the Book of Acts – Acts 28:25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” ’ But nevertheless, all the while those from that eternally saved perverse generation remained alive the re-offer of the Kingdom had to be made to them first, allowing the one new man in Christ to fulfill its original purpose and to allow those Jews who would have ears to hear to be delivered from the perverse generation while there remained time for them to do so. d). And as we have also seen, it was at this climactic point, in the rejection of Stephen’s call to repentance, that a young man named Saul was introduced – Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Saul is the Hebrew name of the man we know as Paul, which is the Greek version of the same name, who would be called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. And with Paul’s introduction at this precise moment of rejection by the Jews, the door is being opened for his ministry, a ministry which would bring to fulfillment that which had previously been set in the types which began with the Woman taken from the Man’s body in Genesis Chapter 2, the bride taken from the family through Rebekah in Genesis Chapter 24 and the experience of Ruth, the bride taken from the Gentiles in the Book that has her name. And also seen in Joseph’s marriage to Asenath and Moses’ marriage to Zipporah – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’ 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works. 2). Now, we will remember what Jesus had said to those He had chosen to be apostles, recorded in – Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And we know that this had begun to be possible through the events of the Day of Pentecost which followed. And we also know that as the Kingdom of the heavens began to be re-offered by the new creation in Christ that many of the perverse generation changed their minds about Jesus being the Christ and the message of the Kingdom and were added to those Jews who had believed Jesus during His earthly ministry but were not part of the one new man. a). It would be wrong to think though that the one new man and the ever-increasing group of believing Jews would be physically divided from one another or that the believing Jews would only have a passive role in the ministry to the perverse generation from whom they had been saved Acts 2:44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. All the Jews in Jerusalem who had believed from before the crucifixion and those added on and after the Day of Pentecost, were together and had all things in common and continued daily in the apostle’s teaching, in the temple and from house to house. And they received all with simplicity and gladness of heart and the Lord daily continued to add to this combined group by adding to the believing Jews who were not the one new man, those who were being saved from the perverse generation. b). And as we began today, we saw that because of the rejection of Stephen’s message, the Word of Christ and the Kingdom of the heavens would inevitably be taken to the Gentiles, to the end of the earth but after a different fashion to that set out in Israel’s calling to be God’s witness. c). A repentant national Israel would not be the ones who would fulfill the command given by the Lord in Acts Chapter 1 and the gospels, during this age. The fulfillment of Israel’s calling as God’s witness awaits the age to come. d). Nevertheless, that which the Lord had said in Acts Chapter 1 was brought to pass after some fashion by the group of believing Jews and some of the one new man in Christ following Steven’s death. But this was not fulfilling the Lord’s commission to national Israel and was brought to pass by another method entirely, not by the nation being sent – Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city. Let’s first notice from v1 where all, except the apostles, were scattered, ‘throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. And from v4 we see that ‘those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.’ This then is not just the one hundred and twenty, minus the apostles, but the whole assembly of believers from Jerusalem. e). And specific mention is made of a city of Samaria and Philip’s preaching there. And seeing the miracles that he performed makes certain for us that Philip, a Jew, was preaching a message concerning the Kingdom of the heavens. f). And just as in Acts Chapter 2, those in the city of Samaria were subsequently filled with the Spirit, in connection with Joel’s prophecy – Acts 8:4 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit……………………25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Philip is then seen again in the encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch – Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The man of Ethiopia ‘had come to Jerusalem to worship’. He was a Jew who had probably been in Jerusalem for Passover and Pentecost, two of the three annual feasts that Jewish men were required to keep in Jerusalem each year. And as he traveled home, he read from the prophet Isaiah – Acts 8:32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. And Philip could only have set out for him, beginning at the Scripture he read, the same truth that Christ had taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus, that the Christ should first suffer these things and then to enter into His glory. And the Ethiopian’s confession, upon hearing Philip’s words is exactly that of Peter in Matthew Chapter 16, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And the Ethiopian’s belief is then followed by baptism. g). And Chapter 8 closes with Philip continuing to preach the word – Acts 8:40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. And through the work of Philip and the others who were dispersed from Jerusalem because of Saul’s persecution, the Word had been preached in Judea, Samaria and had come to Damascus, where Saul was headed with letters from the High Priest to imprison any of those of the Way he found there. And it is of course, while on the road to Damascus that Paul had his encounter with the risen and glorified Savior – Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” And then following Paul’s conversion in Chapter 9, an entire chapter is given over to Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit in Chapter 10 – Acts 10: 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. What we need to look at here then is the sequencing of the events that began with the death of Stephen. Firstly, we saw the persecution of all those who had believed in Jerusalem, that caused the dispersion and the spreading of the Word in Judea and Samaria by those who were forced to leave the city. As the Word spread, we then secondly, saw Paul, who would be the apostle to the Gentiles, being converted through his experience on the Damascus Road. And, thirdly, we saw the specific focus that is then given to Gentiles being brought into the one new man in Christ, seen in Chapter 10. h). All these events then are moving inexorably toward the ministry of Paul going to the Gentiles, to the end of the earth, both during and following the time covered by the Book of Acts. After some fashion then, that which the Lord had said in Acts Chapter 1 was being accomplished but completely separate from that which a repentant and restored Israel is called to do. i). And through this sequence we will be aware of a transition taking place with respect to God’s focus. A transition from a focus on the Kingdom of the heavens that is entirely Jewish in its scope as the Book of Acts began, to a focus on the Kingdom of the heavens and the one new man in Christ, who would come primarily from the Gentiles, following the end of the time covered by Book of Acts, around 62 AD. 3). And if we go back and look at the events of Paul’s conversion in Acts Chapter 9, a conversion that would take him to the Gentiles, so we find a foreshadowing of that which will be the experience of the Jewish nation with respect to the fulfillment of their calling to be God’s witness to the end of the earth during the Kingdom Age. And for Saul, as for the Jews, this experience came and comes after a time of the total rejection of the Christ and those who would preach in His name – Acts 9:8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Saul found himself without sight for three days picturing his brethren according to the flesh, who are themselves spiritually blind, a condition that will remain until the Third Day when their sight will be restored to them – Jn 9:13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. And during this time of blindness Saul neither ate nor drank, just as the Jewish nation has had no spiritual food nor drink during their time of spiritual blindness but the promise is that they will one day be fed and filled – Jn 6:10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. 19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Saul was strengthened once he had received food and spent some days in Damascus. Then, immediately, he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that Jesus is the Son of God. And in that day yet future when the Jews coming out of the tribulation are filled with the Spirit and strengthened, they will spend some days in Jerusalem. And immediately, as the Millennial Kingdom begins, they will go from Jerusalem to all Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth preaching the Christ that He is the Son of God and that He reigns over all the earth. A message they will take to the Gentile nations throughout the world, spoken in the languages of every nation to which they go. a). And the Jewish calling to be God’s witness has been foreshadowed in part through the Jews who went to Judea and Samaria preaching the Word because of the persecution in Jerusalem. And then seen ‘to the end of the earth’ through Paul, a Jew, and his ministry to the Gentiles. 4). And as Paul began his ministry, it could only be in-line with the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to the Jews as it began during the Acts period. This was the timeframe during which he was commissioned and although he was to be the apostle to the Gentiles God’s Divine order within the Book of Acts had to be maintained – Acts 3:26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Paul had to go to the Jews first, which is why we see the converted Paul, first of all, preaching in the synagogues of Damascus. a). And throughout the Book of Acts Paul always went to the Jew first with the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens, as we can see – Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. Acts 14:1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Acts 17:10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Acts 19:8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. All the while the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens remained open it had to be Paul’s practice, in line with God’s Divine order, to go to the Jews first. However, Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles and the message to be taken to the Gentiles could not be of a re-offered Kingdom of the heavens, but something quite different. This will wait until next time though. If we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.