Tag Archives: heaven

INTOLERANT BUT TRUE!

Bible Study, ,

INTOLERANT BUT TRUE!

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:31-36.

Whose words are these? Jesus’ words? John the Baptist’s words? The Apostle John’s words? My guess is that they are a little aside that John wrote to interpret John the Baptist’s defence of his lesser position as the friend of the bridegroom, not the Messiah. Sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it? Again, my guess is that, during  the author John’s years as an intimate friend of Jesus, first as His disciple during His earthly ministry and then as an apostle to the world, he began to think like Jesus.

Over the years of his walk with the Lord, John saw in Him a man, but much more than a mere man. Jesus had spoken about heavenly things with such knowledge and authority that He must have been there before His sojourn on earth. Unlike other humans who only came into being at their conception, Jesus existed long before His time on earth.

We cannot conceive of anything we have not actually experienced. How can we? No matter how lively an imagination we might have, whatever we conjure up is only fanciful. It has no foundation in fact. Science fiction is only that and only useful for entertainment. Jesus was not into sci-fi; He spoke about reality based on truth. This is the difference between Him and those who have created religious beliefs out of their imagination.

Why is it that people refuse to accept His testimony? The religious leaders clung tenaciously to their ideas and interpretations of the Torah because they believed that they were right. Underneath that was the need to impress the people and to hold onto the power they had over them by setting up and policing the rules they had made around the Torah. Underneath that, however, was something far more sinister and closer to the bone – they were greedy and wicked at heart.

Jesus diagnosed their problem, and the problem of everyone who refuses to believe in Him:

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” John 3:19, 20.

John uncovered another amazing truth about the man, Jesus. It was His anointing with the Holy Spirit that made Him the man He was. Contrary to what we may think, Jesus set aside His deity when He came into the world, and lived and acted only as a man. He steadfastly chose to live in submission to the Father and not use His divine power to do anything.

At His baptism, He was affirmed by the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit for His role as Messiah. Satan hounded Him to act independently of God but, to His dying breath, He chose to be a true Son by trusting and obeying the Father, not doing His own thing. The Father, in turn, entrusted to Him the role of atoning sacrifice, and gave Him the highest name and authority in heaven and on earth.

Unfortunately for those who reject Jesus and declare that Christians are intolerant by insisting that He is the only way to the Father, they will discover in the end that they were wrong. The Bible could not have stated it more clearly:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Intolerant according to us, maybe, but nevertheless true.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

18 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION

Christian Life, ,

18 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION

Just as God’s grace underpins everything He does for us and in us to enable us to overcome the world, so Jesus’ resurrection is the reason and the power to overcome.

Paul said that, without Jesus’ resurrection, we have no hope and are still dead in our trespasses and sins.

“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 NIV

The resurrection of Jesus is an undeniable fact of history. Many unbelievers have tried to disprove the truth that Jesus rose from the dead but, from Biblical and secular evidence, no one has been able to disprove the fact.

Frank Morrison, an unbelieving lawyer, wrote a book called “Who Moved the Stone?” in which he set out to disprove the resurrection but, after examining all the evidence from a legal perspective, he could only conclude that Jesus really did rise from the dead. On the strength of his findings, Morrison became a believer.

Before we consider some important aspects of Jesus’s resurrection, we must understand that before God created the universe, before the beginning of time, His plan was to create people who would live forever.

Job, who lived during the time of the patriarchs, had this hope.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” Job 19:25-27 NLT

David spoke of Messiah’s resurrection centuries before Jesus came to earth.

“King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’” Acts of the Apostles 2:25-28 NLT

Despite the futility of life, Solomon recognised that God had a higher plan for man.

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart…” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

Without the resurrection of Jesus, none of God’s plans for the human race would come to anything. Death, the last enemy, would never be conquered, and Satan would have the last word.

WHAT DID THE RESURRECTION MEAN TO JESUS?

  1. The resurrection was the fulfilment of prophecy and God’s seal of approval on Jesus’s work of salvation.

“And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus…”

  1. The resurrection affirmed Jesus’s identity as the Son of God.

“… He was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:4 NLT

  1. The resurrection confirmed Jesus’s sinless nature.

“But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.” Acts of the Apostles 2:24 NLT

“For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’” Acts of the Apostles 2:27-28 NLT

  1. The resurrection sealed Jesus’s exaltation as Lord and Messiah.

“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand…” Acts of the Apostles 2:32 NLT

“So, let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Acts of the Apostles 2:36 NLT

  1. The resurrection guarantees the full harvest of those who will rise again.

“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT

‘But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” 1 Corinthians 15:23 NLT

  1. The resurrection completed Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

“For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 NLT

WHAT DOES THE RESURRECTION MEAN TO BELIEVERS?

The resurrection power of Jesus affects both our present and our future.

  1. OUR PRESENT

Paul prayed…

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT

Through faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have become one with Him. This means that we share in all the benefits of His life, death and resurrection.

This truth has far-reaching effects on our everyday lives in the environment and influence of an evil world. According to Paul, we died with Christ (because we are “in Christ”) and we have been raised with Him to a new life.

So, just as His death and resurrection cut Jesus off from His life as an earthly being and restored Him to His position in glory…

“We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.” Romans 6:9-10 NLT

… so we, who died and rose again “in Him” by faith, have been cut off from our old, sinful lives and have risen to a new life in the realm of God’s kingdom.

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-6 NLT

Through our baptism in water, we illustrate what has happened to us in the spiritual dimension. Not only that, but we also make a public declaration of our union and identity with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection and…

By faith we embrace the same power that raised Christ from the dead to raise us up from the works of the flesh that produce death, to newness of life in Jesus.

HOW CAN WE APPLY THE RESURRECTION TO OUR PRESENT LIVES?

To use the excuse that we are “only human” when we sin is to cancel God’s power in us to live new lives in Christ.

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:1-4 NLT

What we need, to begin with, is a new understanding of what has happened to and in us when we believed the gospel.

“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.” Romans 6:6-8 NLT

Based on this understanding, and believing the truth of what Jesus has done for us, we need to develop a new awareness.

“So, you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11 NLT

How do we apply this awareness to our everyday lives, when we are under pressure to act and react like people of the world?

“So, you also should CONSIDER yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. DO NOT LET sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, GIVE YOURSELVES completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” Romans 6:11-13 NLT

Paul gives us three courses of action to overcome the temptation to give in to the flesh.

  1. Consider…

This means that we stop and think first before we say or do anything out of the flesh. Emotion is often what we respond to first, but emotion always follows wrong thinking.

So, the fact that you are dead to your old nature is a done deal. Now let that thought (truth) dominate your mind in that situation before you make the next move.

  1. Do not let…

Say a firm  “No!” to what your flesh wants to do. It’s a choice YOU have to make and, once you’ve made it, grace steps in and gives you the power to do what you have decided.

  1. Give yourselves…

Since it is impossible to think two thoughts simultaneously, once you have changed your thinking from yourself to God, your mind is on safe ground and will lead you to take the right action.

This is resurrection power working in you that will train you to live by the Spirit and not according to the flesh. It will take a lifetime to learn but, if you keep applying these truths to your life, the journey will become easier.

“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” Romans 8:12-13 NLT

  1. OUR FUTURE

The resurrection of Jesus affects the way we deal with our present tests and trials in the light of our hope for the future.

Our life philosophy should never be either a  “karma-type” fatalism, what will be will be, or “let’s eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” way of thinking. We are tied to a hope for the future that is securely joined both to our present and to Jesus’ resurrection.

This is how the resurrection affects our future.

(The following points aren’t in any sequence or order of priority).

  1. Jesus’s resurrection gives us the hope of eternal life.

“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:25-26 NLT

” Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.” John 14:19 NLT

  1. We will be God’s eternal dwelling place.

“When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14:20 NLT

  1. The resurrection guarantees that we are justified, no longer guilty of sin

“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”Romans 4:25 NLT

  1. Jesus is the firstfruits, we are the harvest of the resurrection

“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT

  1. Jesus’ resurrection conquered sin and death

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. ” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT

  1. We will be raised with new, indestructible bodies

“Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.” 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT

  1. Our hope of resurrection motivates us

To live pure lives

“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 NLT

… and to persevere in doing good

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NLT

  1. Our resurrection will happen in an instant…

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NLT

… and we will be with the Lord forever

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT

Therefore, we, of all people, have everything to live for and to die for. We have powerful equipment to overcome our enemies in this life, both outside and inside of us… the world, the flesh, and the devil…

… and we have the hope that draws us towards, eternity. Death is no longer something to fear. It is the door to our eternal dwelling place with God. And the indestructible truth that gives us this hope is…

… that Jesus rose from the dead and is now

“…. seated… in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT

CONCLUSION

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 NLT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

Impasse!

Bible Study, , ,

IMPASSE!

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to Him. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked Him. ‘And who gave you the authority to do this?’ Jesus replied, ‘I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!’

They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” then He will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, “Of human origin,” (they feared the people, for everyone held that John was really a prophet).

So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’ Jesus said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’  (Mark 11: 27-33).

“By what authority?” the religious leaders demanded. That was the burning question. S’mikah! No rabbi was permitted to make pronouncements regarding the understanding and interpretation of the Torah, the Law of Moses unless he had s’mikah, official recognition that he had authority to do so. From where did this s’mikah come? In the case of all other rabbis who had authority, it was conferred on them by those who had authority.

Jesus was continually a puzzle both to the religious leaders and the general public because He spoke and acted with authority like no other. Those with s’mikah would add to the top-heavy interpretations already recognised as authoritative. Jesus, on the other hand, swept aside everything the rabbis before Him had said and went back to God’s original intention, focussing on God’s mercy rather than on legalistic requirements.

What the merchants and money-changers were doing in the temple courts was blatantly evil, but they did it with the sanction of the religious hierarchy because it was another way of lining their pockets. These men should not have even needed to ask who gave Him the authority to drive out the wicked men. Without all the additions from the rabbis, the Torah said it was wrong to steal. But the religious leaders made it an issue of authority so that they could have a valid reason to indict Jesus. If He were acting without s’mikah, they could deal with it legally.

But Jesus was far too smart for them. It was legitimate for Him to answer a question with a question. This was a recognised rabbinic teaching method. On many occasions He had openly declared the origin of His authority. It came from the Father who sent Him. John the Baptist, whose s’mikah was acknowledged by the people, was a human witness to Jesus’ authority, as was the Father and the Holy Spirit at His baptism. Now He demanded to know whether they accepted the authority of John to baptise Him or not. Ceremonial washing was the act of officially conferring s’mikah on one whose authority was recognised.

They were caught! If they said, “Yes,” they would have acknowledged John’s authority to baptise Jesus, indicating that John recognised Jesus’ s’mikah. If they said, “No,” the people would have been in an uproar because they believer that John had s’mikah. They refused to commit themselves, and they walked away seething. This was another nail in Jesus’ coffin, as far as they were concerned.

Every time Jesus exposed them publicly, they lost more face with the people. By this time their reputation and their piety were in tatters. Their evil hearts were laid bare for the people, whose admiration and confidence they so desperately craved and did everything to protect, to see. This man had to go before they completely lost their control over and influence with the people. If this happened, the people would get out of hand and Rome would step in and crush them like pesky bugs.

This was a clash between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of light. What the religious leaders planned to do with Jesus was evidence of the master they served. By serving themselves they served, not God but the enemy of everything that belonged to the light. Jesus was a representative of truth. No matter what they did to Him, they could not extinguish the light of truth. When the dust had cleared after the final showdown, the truth would finally be revealed.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing Can Separate Us

Bible Study, , , ,

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

“As it is written:                                                                                                                                   For your sake we face death all day long;                                                                                         We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life; neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future; nor any powers; neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39.

These are some of the most loved and treasured words in the whole Bible. Over the past eight chapters, Paul built his case for the power and effectiveness of the gospel against the backdrop of real hardship. Believers were alone in the world. Both Jews and Gentiles were against them, and not just mildly antagonistic; they were murderously anti them – to the extent that they martyred Christians everywhere for their faith, even as Paul wrote.

Even as I write, the persecution of believers is escalating in the Middle East. Brutality against people simply because they believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, is driving people from their homes and taking their lives in hundreds and thousands.

Did Paul have an answer to this carnage? Does the gospel really work? Why does God allow these things to happen? Why does He not intervene to protect His people? Where is His power now?

God has given us enough evidence to persuade us of His love for us. He did intervene – but not just to rescue us from physical death. There is so much more to life than that. He sent His only Son to rescue us from eternal death. By dying and rising again, Jesus conquered death. It no longer has the power to hold us in its eternal grip. Yes, His children may have to face a gruesome and horrible death, but it is only the gateway to a new life where there is no more death.

Killing people for their faith is the worst that the enemy can do. All they are doing is facilitating what must happen to us anyway. Jesus viewed His death from another perspective – not as the violent end to His life or as a terrible waste of a young life, but as the planting of a seed. From His death would come a harvest of new life in the many who would believe in Him.

One of the early church fathers, Tertullian, wrote of the martyrdom of believers in his day, “As often as we are mown down by you, the more we grow in numbers; the blood of the Christians is the seed.” (http://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/tertullian).

Those who kill Christians think that they are getting rid of them. If only they would realise that every one they plant in the ground will produce a harvest of many more. Since God has done everything necessary to bring us back to Himself, there is nothing in heaven or on earth that can separate us from Him love.

Whatever happens to us, good or bad, can only serve to strengthen our faith in Him and our experience of His faithfulness. God allows us to go through tough experiences, not to punish us or alienate us from Him but to purify our faith and to strengthen our confidence in Him. He surrounds and steadies us in the storms of life so that we can know, without a doubt, that we are His deeply loved children.

Does the gospel work? Yes! A thousand times, yes! Jesus died to remove our sin and reconcile us to the Father. His life in us gives us power to overcome the desire to satisfy fleshly lusts and sets us free from the fear of death. Tragic as it is that believers are being slaughtered for their faith in Jesus, death is not the end but the doorway into God’s immediate presence and the fullness of life.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

It Had To Happen!

Christian Life, ,

IT HAD TO HAPPEN!

“At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls, whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed — he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all His glory with Jesus standing at His side. He said, ‘Oh I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!’

“Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of the town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.

“As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, ‘Master, don’t blame them for this sin,’ — his last words. Then he died.” Acts 7:54-60 (The Message).

It had to happen! The crazed mob, led by men who had long since made their choice and sealed their judgment, turned on Stephen and carried out their “sentence” with the same vicious hatred that had driven them to sentence his Master to the cross.

But when we read the story from Stephen’s perspective, as Luke so masterfully describes it, Stephen was in a realm no other human being had ever experienced. Not even Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament characters, had been welcomed into the presence of Jesus with a standing ovation! Before he even stepped over the divide, he had seen them, both Father and Son, waiting to receive him into their eternal presence.

This was too much for the howling mob. Without even so much as considering their verdict, they sentenced and executed their sentence with extreme viciousness. Just as surely as Stephen glimpsed heaven, so the mob which was stoning him was experiencing hell.

In Hebraic thought, hell is a boundary-less place, and here we have evidences of the horrors of hell. So great was the vehemence of their hatred of this godly man and the God he represented that they dropped all boundaries of justice and decency and let rip with the venom of hell itself.

The contrast between Stephen and his tormentors is glaring. As with Jesus versus the Sanhedrin, so with Stephen, it was the same situation. Who was on trial? The Sanhedrin again, and again they were found guilty. It was Stephen’s scathing indictment that tipped them over the edge. It was his verdict that cooked his goose. But what did it matter? His future was secure and his entrance into it glorious.

Eugene Peterson’s version of this incident in The Message highlights the grace that Stephen experienced as he slipped out of his earthly tent into his permanent eternal dwelling. This was his coronation day and we are privileged to catch a glimpse of it.

But we have to ask: Is it possible to live our ordinary lives in a realm where we are unaffected by the ups and downs of everyday life? When we watch Jesus, we have to conclude that it is possible. But He was the Son of God.

The Apostle Paul said something that alerts us to the possibility for us ordinary humans. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV).

Just as Stephen was oblivious of what was happening to him because his eyes were on Jesus, so can we be in the rough and tumble of living if we set our vision on Jesus who went before us to show us the way and is utterly reliable to keep His promise to see us through every dark valley.