Hebrews 2:3a "…which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, (Himself) and was confirmed to us by them that heard him:" Remember when God confronted Satan, and then how that He then turned to the Abrahamic Covenant and brought everything up through the Nation of Israel to bring about the coming of the Messiah the Redeemer the savor of the Hebrews who brought Salvation. Then, through the Hebrew’s unbelief and rejection, Christ was crucified. Then we moved on up to the Apostle Paul. But now we want to take us back to Acts chapter 7 where Stephen, who was now in consort with Peter and the other eleven there at Jerusalem, approaches the religious leaders of Israel, and the whole idea is the same as what Peter has been trying to do, and that is to convince the Nation of Israel that the One they crucified was indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.(remember to that Israel was still under the rule of conscience, the restrainer the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, and the Mosaic Law and still under that particular of God's economies) And that, through faith in Him, they could still have Him as their King, and He would bring in the Kingdom. What was required of a King? He had to be alive and living in the physical. Why? Because Israel as a nation could not see, touch, or feel Him any longer. They required this because of the materialism and external priesthood of the order of Aaron or the Levits and the hardness of their hearts and their unbelief was the result. So now in verse 1 we can get the idea where this is being preached or taught.
Acts 7:1-2a "Then said the high priest, are these things so? (in other words what Stephen had been saying up in chapter 6) 2. And he said, men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham,…" Now that doesn’t include a Gentile. Stephen is speaking to the whole nation, and in particular to the religious leaders. So he says:
Acts 7:2a "And he said, men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham,…" Stephen brings them all the way up through the Hebrew’s history, how that Joseph was not recognized the first time when his brethren went down for grain. But when they went the second time then they understood who Joseph was. He was their redeemer of physical things, as they needed grain. Then the next one was Moses. Moses, too, appeared to the Nation of Israel as their deliverer, but they rejected him the first time. Then he had to come back 40 years later, and then Stephen makes the point that the second time he came to them, they recognized that Moses was indeed the God-sent deliverer, and he led them out of bondage.
Then Stephen takes the story of the Hebrew's on up, and he tries to culminate his sermon with the fact that this One they crucified was the Christ. Now verse 57, and Stephen is coming to the end of this whole dissertation.
Acts 7:57-58 "Then they (these Jewish leaders in particular, and the Nation of Israel in general) cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. 58. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul."
Here we have now a high point in the Hebrew’s rejection of everything pertaining to Jesus of Nazareth, (this also marked God's turning point in His dealing now being changed from just the Hebrew's only to the nations this being the third rejection here in Acts) and we’re introduced to the next major player on the stage of God dealing with mankind and that was Saul of Tarsus. Now verse 59.
Acts 7:59-60 "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60. And he knelt down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (died, this is the state of all who are in Christ from this time forward they all are asleep awaiting His call to arise from whatever state they are in.)
Alright that was the Hebrew’s final act of rejection concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Now like we said, we were introduced to the next player on the stage and that’s the Apostle Paul - and we knew him first as Saul of Tarsus. Now we're not going to rehearse his conversion on the road to Damascus, as most of us are well acquainted with that, but we want to come down to see how definitively the Scripture points out that here is this fork in the road. Up until now it’s been all God dealing with His Covenant people the Hebrews. And remember they've broken the covenant more times and in more ways than can be described here. We know Peter appeals to the Hebrews, and Stephen appeals to them, but now after they’ve rejected them,(remember that the Hebrews refused the offer of the kingdom now three times) God does something totally different (humanity is under the rule of conscience, restraint of the Holy Spirit, human government, promise, and now comes in Grace, God's special provision in this God's Grace economy). So let’s begin with verse 10 of Acts chapter 9. Here Saul is being dealt with just outside the city gate, and the Lord has appeared to him. But now the Lord appears to this Jew who was one of the leaders of the synagogue in Damascus: (Special note: Saul is caught outside the city gate and away from the religious influence that had held him bond for so long he meats the promised Messiah-Jesus Yeshua the risen Lord who he know as Yehovah and we're sure by His many other titles of office.)
Acts 9:10-13 "And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; (now you always have to remember that the word ‘disciple’ does not always mean one of the Twelve. A disciple was a follower, one of intimate knowledge of the Lord and so we know Ananias was certainly not one of the Twelve, but simply a believer that Jesus was the Messiah, he had the required intimate relationship) and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. (He gets his attention) And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11. And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prays. 12. And has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight (this is more than what meats our eyes at first reading as Saul by now has been changed from an external sense driven priest to a person of the spiritual inward sensing or discerning ability). 13. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many things of this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem:" He’s persecuting them. Putting them in prison, putting them to death if possible. Now verse 15, and what’s the first word?
Acts 9:15a "But…" It’s the flip side, as God’s got another side of the coin.
Acts 9:15a "But the Lord said to him, Go your way: for he (Saul of Tarsus) is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,…" (to bear is to carry His name as a woman carries her husbands name and as we're to bear His name which is to be in Christ or to have the ability to pray as He would or in His name, reestablished as One with Elohim. To have the intimacy with Him.)
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