The Tabernacle Today

No place is holy without Immanuel  Acts 7:1-53

Recapping the great themes of the Old Testament:

Genesis 1-11 covers the whole earth’s beginnings: creation, fall, God initiating redemption through covering sin, and the first prophecy of a coming _____________________________.

Genesis 12 to the end of the Old Testament covers the outworking of the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant.

Exodus 20 to the end of the O.T. covers the outworking of the conditional Mosaic law/ covenant. Israel was promised blessings for _____________________________ but curses for disobedience, which could involve captivity to foreign enemies if necessary.

2 Samuel 7 to the end of the Old Testament covers the outworking of the unconditional Davidic Covenant.

The Poetic books and the Prophetic books give much clarifying information about the coming Messiah and the __________________ of Israel and the world.

The charges against Stephen in Acts 6:11-14:

B___________________________ against God, Moses, the Temple, the Law, and Jewish customs.

Stephen’s 2 major points:

1. Israel’s land, law and temple were meant to be means to _________________ God’s presence, not ends in themselves.

Stephen’s opponents spoke of this holy place (6:13), but he was making the point that there is no holy place without the presence of the God of glory, who seeks obedience regardless of the place.  -African Bible Commentary, 1311

2. Just as Israel’s fathers had resisted the prophets, Israel’s _________________ leaders had rejected their Messiah; THEY were the ones truly guilty of blasphemy!

The point is that Joseph, rejected by his brothers and exalted by pagan Pharaoh, became the means of his family’s salvation in time of famine. As a result the nation was multiplied outside Palestine.   -F.F. Bruce

Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and have a son, and name Him, Immanuel. -Isaiah 7:14

“Don’t you know that you are God’s sanctuary and the Spirit of God lives in you?”  -I Corinthians 3:16

Just as many prophets before him, Stephen ___________________ the people with their sin.

I am sure if Stephen had been allowed to continue, he would have told them there was _______________________ if they repented and received Jesus as their Messiah.

For too many professing Christians, we are also guilty of replacing love for Jesus with the things that are supposed to lead us CLOSER to Jesus.

Buildings, classes, programs, ministries are all only valid if they continue to be means to _______________________ Jesus and making Him known!

We Shall Overcome!

If you had to pick one chapter in the Bible to summarize the entire Bible, it may be today’s passage, Revelation chapter twelve!

It is intriguing that Revelation chapter twelve occurs at the exact midpoint of The Book of Revelation.  There are 194 verses before chapter twelve and 193 verses after chapter twelve.  

Read Revelation 12 - We Shall Overcome - Let’s Pray!

The Woman represents Israel V. 1-2

This is the first of seven times the word sign is used from here until the end of the Revelation (12:1, 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:19).

This particular woman reminds us of Eve, and because she gives birth in verse five to Jesus, she reminds us of Mary. But in the context she represents Israel. 

The Child is Jesus! V. 5

The Red Dragon is Satan V. 3-4

The “seven heads” are the seven Roman kings from whom the antichrist comes; the “ten horns” are the ten kings at the end of time.  -Victorinus of Petovium, ACC 177 Died in 304, 1st year of Diocletian’s reign

Verse three is telling us that Satan is the leader of a revived Roman Empire at the end of time.  More on that in the weeks to come! 

Verse four tells us of two events in Satan’s past; his rebellion with a third of Heaven’s angels and his attempt to destroy Jesus at birth.  

Revelation chapter twelve tells us several things about Satan.

First, we read of three things Satan hates: 

Israel, Jesus, and those who have the testimony about Jesus

Second, Satan’s true character is made known:

Sin takes you further than you wanted to go, 

Sin keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and

Sin costs you more than you ever thought you’d have to pay! 

The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. I am the Good Shepherd.  -Jn. 10:10-11a

Third, we learn that Satan himself is deceived!

Fourth, we learn that Satan is going down, down, down!  

In pride Satan said, “I will be like the Most High.” Satan rebelled against God.  Because Satan and the demons knew full well what they did, their actions are forever inexcusable, and he continues to be judged.

Then he (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with many for one week (initiating the 7 year tribulation). But in the middle of the week (3.5 years in), He will bring an end to sacrifice and offering (at the Temple). And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate (Matthew 24:15), even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate (Rev. 19). -Daniel 9:27  

The history of Satan is his continual spiral down from the highest heaven to the lowest hell, the Lake of Fire.  

How we conquer Satan V. 11

Now remember that John was in Patmos with other persecuted believers when he received The Revelation. They had friends who had died for their faith.  This must have meant so much to them as they faced their trials. And it has continued to bless Christians as they have faced trouble or persecution, for these 2,000 years.  

“You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world!” -John 16:33

Dying for the faith is probably the worst thing that could happen as a believer. But the Bible makes clear that if that happens to you, God will be with you, and there is a reward waiting for you in Heaven that only martyrs get!

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” -Revelation 2:10

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. -Galatians 2:20

Stephen Can Co What Peter Can Do Acts 6:8-15

No one is greater than Jesus, yet Jesus proclaimed that His followers would do ______________________ works than He had done!

“I assure you: the one who believes in Me will also do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” -John 14:12

“A leader is not a person who can do the work better then his followers; he is a person who can get his followers to do the work better than he can.” -Fred Smith

Stephen can do what Peter can do: meet pressing _______________     V. 8

And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works for cases of urgent need, so they will not be unfruitful. -Titus 3:14

Stephen can do what Peter can do: Defend and _________________ the Gospel   V. 9-10

Set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. -I Peter 3:15

Two sets of Hellenistic (Greek Speaking) Jews debate:

Stephen represented those who believed Jesus was their Messiah

The Freedmen were those who did ____________________ believe that Jesus was their Messiah

Stephen can do what Peter can do: stand _________________ for his beliefs    V. 11-14

You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. -John 5:39-40

Stephen can do what _________________ did: Glow because of time spent with God   V. 15

“It was as if God was saying, “This man is not against Moses! He is like Moses – he is My faithful servant!”  -Warren Wiersbe

GLOW GROW GO

This sermon was preached by Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Jr., son of world-renowned Bible Prophesy Teacher, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Sr. To view the entirety of the service, please check out our YouTube channel and Facebook page!

Early Church Math Acts 6:1-7

To be someone’s best friend requires a minimum investment of time. More than that, though, it takes emotional energy. Caring about someone deeply is exhausting. At a certain point, at somewhere between 10 and 15 people, we begin to overload.  -Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point, page 177

The figure of __________________ seems to represent the maximum number of individuals with whom we can have a genuinely social relationship, the kind of relationship that goes with knowing who they are and how they relate to us… Ibid, p. 182

The Problem: Multiplied Disciples meant _______________ needs   V. 1

The Hebraic Jews were the native Jewish population of Israel. The Hellenistic Jews were __________________ speaking Jewish believers who had come to Jerusalem from other parts of the Roman Empire.

Now some assume this was a meals-on-wheels type deal, getting food to widows. But the word there for distribution is the first of three forms of the word “____________________________” in verses 1-4. It is also translated service or ministry.

The Solution: ______________ ministers means true needs get met!    V. 2-7

This is the only time in Acts the apostles are called the Twelve; they functioned as a plurality of ______________________ in the church of Jerusalem like elders would later in Jerusalem and in every church planted in the Book of Acts.

Do you see what’s happening here? The apostles understood that if they fed the widows physically they would starve the church ________________________!

“The key idea seems to be that ministry is ministry whether it consists of teaching God’s Word or taking care of widows.”  -Ken Gangel

Now since money was involved, the apostles did put some qualifiers around the kind of people they were looking for.

They had to have a good ___________________…

They had to be Full of the Holy Spirit…

They had to be full of wisdom…

The Judean believers were willing to let the Non-Judean believers take the lead in this significant ministry.

When a need goes unmet in a church, it may be because of leaders who are reluctant to delegate or because members won’t step up to meet a need! Biblically based churches know that _______________ member is a minister.

From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by what every ligament supplies, promotes the growth of the body for the building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.    -Ephesians 4:16

The Result: Gospel Math V. 7

To keep multiplying disciples, a church needs to keep _____________ ministers like you!

Wrath, Rewards, & Regrets

“Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life.” -William Borden’s tombstone (1887-1913)

“No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” -William Borden

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.” -2 Cor. 5:10

Read Revelation 11:15-19 Wrath, Rewards, and Regrets Let’s Pray!

Anticipation Brings Praise!  V. 15-17

As we get closer to Christ’s Second Coming, Heaven is bursting with anticipation about Christ’s coming reign, and the righting of all wrongs!

Wrath and Rewards V. 18

For those who haven’t repented, turned to Christ, and had their names written in the Book of Life, there will be the Great White Throne Judgment we’ll talk about in Revelation chapter 20.

But there is also a judgment just for believers, sometimes referred to as the judgment at the Bema Seat, because that is the Greek word used in 2 Cor. 5:10 when it says believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

“Consider, to provoke you to good works, that you shall have from God, when you come to glory, a reward for everything you do for him on earth.”  -John Bunyan Quoted in Randy Alcorn, The Law of Rewards, 70

WHO will be at the Bema seat of Christ?

Believers only, those who have repented of their sins and trusted Jesus alone for salvation- everyone there will be receiving the ultimate reward, eternity with God!

If we’re going to Heaven based on what Christ has done, and all our sins are forgiven, WHY will Christ still judge us?

Because everything we do on earth matters!

“I hope to grow rich in Heaven by taking care of orphans on earth!”   –George Whitfield

“Divine service performed here three times daily.” -Ruth Graham

Now some object to this saying, “Danny, if you talk about rewards too much, people will lose sight of grace!” I have three answers to that objection-

1. I believe part of our time before Christ at the Bema Seat Judgment will definitely make clear to us that we’re only saved by grace-

2. There are too many times the Bible and Jesus Himself tells us to do what we do in part for future reward to overlook this key teaching!

3. This goes to the nature of how people are wired!

Now you can do two things with that truth:

You can keep living for earthly priorities and have regrets on that day!

Or you can re-order your life around kingdom priorities!

What is between wrath, which we won’t experience, and rewards, which are based on what we do for Jesus? Regrets

Can what will be a future regret turn into a future reward?

If you don’t try to restore that relationship now, it will be a regret at the Bema seat. If you do try to restore that relationship now, it will be a reward at the Bema seat!

In all you do, take the eternal view!

Divine Doings in the Dungeon!   Acts 5:17-42

The Unstoppable Force: The __________________ of Jesus Christ! V. 17-32

“Everyone gets their turn on the merry-go-round!” 

3 gifts to the believer mentioned in verses 31-32:

You get back on track with God (repentance)

You get ______________________ of sins while you were off track

You get a mighty __________________ to take you down the track (the Holy Spirit!)

Ephesians 1:13-14 2 Cor. 1:22

An Unusual Forbearance: Gamaliel champions religious __________________ V. 33-39

The apostles might have been executed that day were it not for the intervention of the respected Gamaliel, one of the first voices in history for religious ____________________________.

If Jesus was in the same category as these men, the movement He had started would die down. If He was not, and the movement had God’s blessing, the council would have no hope of stopping it. It is a dangerous thing to fight against God – as Saul found out on the road to Damascus. -African Bible Commentary, 1309

Question from Leadership Magazine: In the 20th century many assumed Christian faith would decline. What’s actually happening?

Answer from Patrick Johnstone: The former Communist, European, and Pacific countries are secularizing very rapidly. Canada is somewhere in between the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile the Christian faith in the U.S. is in gentle decline. But growth in what I call “AFASLA” – Africa, Asia, and Latin America – more than compensates for the losses in the West. Non-religious people are committing sociocide, mainly because of their low birthrates. There are a handful of prominent atheists making noise in the public square, but nonreligious groups peaked in the 1970’s and have declined ever since.   

An Unshakeable Faith: The apostles rejoice despite their ____________________   V. 40-42   

Name = 60 uses in Acts; 231 in the New Testament “Onoma”

Phil. 2:9 Acts 4:12

Now some teach faith will lead to less suffering. That is most definitely ____________ what the New Testament teaches, as the apostles affirm here.    

John 16:33 2 Timothy 3:12

The apostles saw in their suffering a sacred trust from the Lord, that Jesus had chosen them to be examples of how the faith overcomes even the ___________________________ of circumstances.    

1 Peter 5:6-11

God Always Gives a Witness (or Two)

Just 3 months ago, on December 1st, 2021, The United Nations overwhelmingly passed a resolution targeting Israel and denying that Judaism has any legitimate claim to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The vote was 129-11 (92%).

Read Rev. 11:1-14 God Always Gives a Witness (or Two) Let’s Pray!

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. -Rev. 1:3

God measures Israel’s worship  V. 1-2

Those of us who believe that a big part of what God will do in the future involves Israel have a much easier time interpreting this passage. It talks about Jewish things because God plans to keep all the promises He made to Israel!

In Ezekiel 40 Ezekiel had a vision of a man with a measuring rod in his hand who goes on to measure out a temple far bigger than Solomon’s of 957 BC or Zerubbabel’s of 516 BC (expanded by Herod in 20 BC). The context in Ezekiel makes clear that this is the Temple that will be in place when Messiah reigns from Jerusalem.

The point seems to be that God is getting a comprehensive measure of what’s happening in both the externals and the internals of their worship.

If your heart was measured this morning, would God find a heart that is glowing and growing, or would He find a heart that is shriveling up from lack of time spent with Jesus?

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. -Matthew 24:21-22

God raises up two witnesses! V. 3-14

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. -Amos 3:7

Now verse 7 brings in the beast from the bottomless pit. This is the first explicit reference to the Antichrist in Revelation – we will get over 30 more before we are done, to go along with the many mentions of him in scripture.

“How could those who ‘dwell on the earth’ rejoice at the death of two men if they died in only one city?” -Tyconius (AD 330-390).

“If you kill me, you will sprinkle every sermon I’ve ever preached with my blood, and people will know that I love the Lord enough to die for Him. So your chief weapon is killing, but mine is dying. I want to warn you that if you use yours, I will be forced to use mine.” -Romanian Pastor Joseph Tson

An Example of a Halfhearted Disciple

Today we’re going to see that the God whose saving love we celebrate is also a holy God who will ________________ sin. No one ever gets away with anything Him!

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. Acts 4:32

God judges a ____________________ V. 1-11

The issue was that Ananias and Sapphira were lying in the __________________ of a holy God, and that they wanted their church friends to think they were something they were not!

If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why doesn’t God take out more modern day A & S’s?

1. There is something _________________________ about this judgment that corresponds to the giving of the New Covenant versus the giving of the Old Covenant, to teach proper fear of God to the church.

Leviticus 10:1-3

2. You can’t lie to a Holy God and get away with it. There will be ______________________.

Mega-grace does not mean there will not be judgment of sin against a holy God, so proper fear is _______________________ to real faith!

Church membership is one of most serious __________________ you make.   V. 13-14

The Parable of the Sower explained, from Matthew 13:18-23

He’s Got the Whole World at His Feet

There are a lot of things happening on earth I don’t like, but I serve a big God, and in The Book of Revelation we learn everything we do matters, and we will give an account to that big God for everything we have done.  

When people act like they are big and God is small…

But as we will see today, God is not small; He is big, much bigger than we imagine!  

Read Rev. Chapter 10       He’s Got the Whole World at His Feet!            Let’s Pray! 

The Mighty Angel Roars Like a Lion!                                       V. 1-4

The Book of Revelation is about Jesus before it is about events!  The first purpose of Revelation is for Jesus to increase in our life while the false god of self we have enthroned decreases!  

When we think of Jesus, we should have two sights ever before us:

The Lamb of God who takes away our sins!

The Lion of Judah who roars to put the fear of God into us!  

The Mighty Angel Announces God’s Plan is almost Complete               V. 5-7

Seventy weeks here means 490 years, with each week referring to 7 years. Genesis tells us Jacob worked a week, or seven years, for his wife Rachel. 

Daniel 9:24 says that at the end of the 490 years everlasting righteousness will be brought in, with no more sin and rebellion (The millennium described in Rev. 20). Verse 25 says after the decree is made to rebuild Jerusalem 69 weeks, or 483 of the 490 years, will go by and then Messiah will be cut off. 

Daniel 9:27 tells us the coming Antichrist will make a covenant with many for that week (seven years), but in the middle of the week, or 3 and a half years in, he’ll desecrate the Jewish Temple. But then his destruction is decreed!  

The interval of time was the time between the first 483 years of Daniel’s prophecy and the end of the 490th year when the Desolator is destroyed. When the bowls are poured out, they will be poured out in rapid fire succession and then Jesus Christ will return to earth!    

Now think of these things in terms of a stopwatch counting up to 490 years.  

John Digests the Little Scroll                                                     V. 8-11

The little scroll seems to contain the sum of Revelation’s message so far – comfort to those who believe, terror to those who won’t repent.  

The message John received is for everybody, and John was to be a messenger to everybody!  

According to the Bible, it is not unworthiness that keeps anyone from being saved, it is unwillingness that keeps people from being saved.

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.                                -Romans 10:9-10