What can Make you a Lover of the Truth?

Gary:

Please stay with us and at the end of the program we’ll let you know where to send your questions for Dave and Tom to respond to in a future Contending for the Faith.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment.

           UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

And we resume our exploration of the Book of Acts.  Here again are Dave and Tom.

           Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment and we’re in the Book of Acts, Acts, Chapter 6, and Dave, we’re going to pick up with verse 9.  But, you know, we have the privilege every week of going through God’s Word, but I hope even though we’re going through it together the people listening out there will be Bereans, will search the Scriptures themselves and be encouraged.  That’s the whole idea of the program, search the Scriptures daily.

           Dave:

Amen.

           Tom:

Chapter 6:9 in the book of Acts, “Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.”   This is the Word of God.  He was addressing them in truth.

           Dave:

It says, verse 8, “full of faith and power, [he] did great wonders and miracles among the people.”  And earlier it says, he was one of those who was chosen, verse 3 says, “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.”  So, he was full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.  This is the Spirit of Truth, he’s speaking the truth and they don’t want it.  We have that same problem today.  I find, Tom, as I travel around the world and talk to many people, probably the last thing that people want is the truth.  Not all, because the Lord leads me to many people who are eager for the truth.  But, most people don’t want the truth, because God said, “you will seek for Me and find Me, when you seek for Me with all your heart.”  And if people were really seeking God, they would know Him, He would reveal Himself to them, and He will give a strong delusion to believe the lie to those who refuse to receive the love of the truth.  I mention it often, Tom, one of the most shocking, to me, one of the most shocking indictments of Israel, and I think of the whole world, is John 8:44 or 45 where Jesus says, “because I tell you the truth you believe Me not.”  Wow.  Jesus is saying, “you would believe any lie, but one thing you won’t believe is the truth.”  And, that’s the situation with these men here.  And, I have not studied this to find out, Libertines, it sounds a bit like libertines.  You’re not tied down to truth, to doctrine, but it’s like what we have today and these other ones.  And, they couldn’t resist the wisdom and the spirit by which Stephen speaks.  It’s like Paul,

           Tom:

In other words, they couldn’t fight against it.

           Dave:

No, no they couldn’t.  And later on we’ll find when we get to chapter 9, it says, “Paul is proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”  I mean, we can prove it.  You can’t deny it.  Does that cause all of these people then to immediately, oh well, ok, I guess this is true, I guess we’ll accept Jesus?  No.  They go about to kill him, because they don’t want the truth that he is teaching.  And, in John 8 the Jews took up stones to stone Jesus.  “Because I tell you the truth, you believe me not.”

           Tom:

Dave, what about the verse, is it in Corinthians, Paul is talking about, they’re so easily would accept another gospel and another Jesus? 

           Dave:

Yes, that’s II Corinthians, chapter 11.  And, he says, I’m concerned that as the serpent deceived Eve, you should be seduced also.  Someone comes along and preaches another Jesus that you haven’t received, another gospel, etc., you will accept them.  That’s the problem that we have today. They want the lie.  They want a false Jesus, but they don’t want the real Jesus.

           Tom:

Verse 11, “Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.”  So, they resist the truth and now they’re going to lie about even what Stephen’s presenting.

           Dave:

“And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council.”  You know, Tom, an awful lot of what goes on in our world today, and this would be true of the world of politics, is based on lies.  I don’t pay much attention to politics.  But, I know that many political candidates are not above lying about their opposition and spreading false stories, rumors.  On that basis, stirring up people against their competition. And this is what they’re doing.  I mean, if the people follow the Lord, if the Jews turn to Christ and are delivered, they’re set free, they realize the penalty for their sins has been paid in full, they’re saved, they’re redeemed, they’re on their way to heaven, these guys are going to lose their job.  And, you know, growing up as a Catholic, that’s the same fear of the Catholic church.  If you really believe that Jesus paid the penalty for your sins once and for all upon the cross, He said “it is finished” (tetelisti) (paid in full), the Catholic church is out of business.  You couldn’t then believe that the priest has the power to turn this little wafer into Jesus again, so that Jesus could be offered again and again and again on thousands of different altars, millions of times a day.

           Tom:

Dave, isn’t this another Jesus?

           Dave:

It is another Jesus.  Exactly.  So, this is the problem, Tom.  They’re going to lose their position.  In fact, when we were studying John’s gospel, well we read in John 11 where the Rabbis came together and they said, what are we going to do? People are following this man.  And, if we let him go, the Romans will come and take away our place, our position.  That was what they were concerned about.  Wow.  It speaks to my heart.  Am I willing to speak the truth, no matter what it’s going to cost me?  But these men, they’re out to control the people.  They’re out to protect their positions, their status, their salaries.  And, so verse 12, “they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council.”  And he is not going to get a fair trial.

           Tom:

Right.  Verse 13, “And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.” 

           Dave:

Well, there’s always a sort of a half truth, partial truth, in it.  Jesus didn’t say He was going to destroy this place, but He said it would be destroyed.  He said, Look at this temple, I tell you, there won’t be one stone left upon another because you did not know the day of your visitation.  You have rejected the Messiah.  The Messiah has come and presented Himself.  You rejected Him.  And Jerusalem will be compassed with armies and they’re going to lay siege and they’re going to lay this place low and there won’t be one stone left upon another in the Temple, because the Temple is going to be deserted by God.  He didn’t go into those details.  We know when Jesus said, “it is finished,” on the cross, He paid the penalty.  The veil of the Temple was torn from the top to the bottom.  The finger of God tore that Temple, signifying that the way into the presence of God, which had been closed and only the High Priest could enter once a year, this is now open and we have the way into God’s presence through Christ.  We’re all priests now.  We don’t have to look to some other priest. Of course, so there’s a partial truth of what they’re saying, but they’ve twisted it to their own use.

           Tom:

Verse 15, “And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”  Wow.  You’ve mentioned earlier, he’s filled with the Holy Spirit.  Dave, is that available for us today?

           Dave:

Well, the Scripture says, Be ye filled, not with wine, drunk with wine, be filled with the Spirit of God.  And, we’ve read here several times that the disciples have been filled with the Holy Spirit.  We should desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and trust God for the filling and empowering of the Holy Spirit.  Now, how often our faces are going to shine like angels, that’s something else.  This was a special situation.  And, I believe that it was allowed of God in order to further, not just condemn these men, but to give them an opportunity to repent.  Look at this guy.  This is God speaking through him like when Moses came down from the mount and his face was shining.  So, I think is was an opportunity from God to repent and instead of that they’re going to kill him.

Gary:

Dave and Tom will continue their discussion on the topic of salvation next week. We hope you can join us.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. And now, to tell you more about our ministry, here’s TBC Executive Director Tom McMahon:

Tom:

The name, The Berean Call, is taken from the Book of Acts, Chapter 17, Verses 10 and 11, where we find the apostle Paul entering the synagogue in the Greek city of Berea after he had just come from Thessalonica.  To these Bereans he preached that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah sent from God.  They were commended for being noble, or fair minded, not only for their willingness to hear what Paul had to say about the matter, but more specifically, because they “searched the scriptures daily” to find out whether or not what the apostle was saying was found in God’s Word.  That’s what we hope to encourage through this ministry.  Hopefully, we can help mobilize believers in Christ to action in obedience to the Scriptural command to earnestly contend for the faith found in Jude 3.  And finally, our prayer is that we can be used of God to stimulate Christians to look to the Bible alone as their rule of faith, authority and practice in living lives pleasing to our Lord and Savior.  Gary. 

            Gary:

If you are a serious student of God’s Word, we offer a wide variety of items that you will find helpful, from books and tracts to audio and video tapes, CD-ROM, our internet website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at PO Box 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708. Call us at our toll free order number 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast, ask for Program #2705, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  Get a pen or pencil ready; we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week we will continue our series of programs entitled, “Selections from Beyond Seduction,” and, “If there is error in the church, what is the remedy?”  In Religion in the News, “Mistreating a Holy Book?”  We’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  “Can the elect be deceived?”  We hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining and invite you back again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily.

             For more information about The Berean Call, write to us at PO Box 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708. Call us toll free at our order number 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.