The Witness Who Lives With Life Rather Than Religion (Acts 7:1-15)
July 5th, 2026
The Witness Who Lives With Life Rather Than Religion (Acts 7:1-15)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” May this worship give you the greatest blessing. It’s because God is perfect and complete, and because God is everything, and that God is with us, with me, and with all things even now. The work of Satan is to prevent us from knowing this. I hope that, through Stephen’s confession in the scriptures today, we can confirm what is a life of religion versus a life of the gospel. Stephen was proclaiming the gospel, and of the things Stephen was saying, there were two things that were offending the Israelites. To the Jews and the Pharisees and the leaders of the nation, they were offended to hear what Stephen was saying about the Temple and the Law, because at that time, the Jews only believed that they would meet and worship God in the Temple, and they believed that you can receive salvation by following the actions of the Law. Those are the characteristics of people who are living a religious life, but actually, the gospel and religion are opposites.
Then, we need to ask ourselves if we are living a religious life or if we are living a life of the gospel. For nonbelievers, they are their own god, and they think, “You just have to live an upright life; you don’t need religion. You just have to live a kind life,” and nonbelievers think, “I don’t need any other religion.” For nonbelievers, they are their own standard. A religious person misunderstands the Word of God and they go out with their false convictions, and these people are frightening, because they’ve gone to church for a long time and they’ve been ingrained in their misconceptions, so it’s very difficult for them to get rid of this.
For example, when Jesus Christ came to earth, He said that He Himself is the Temple, and the Bible says, because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are God’s Temple, but a religious person might emphasize that the building itself is the Temple, and they might think, “Your walk of faith is about going to the church building every Sunday,” and then when they go out in to the world, they just have to live a diligent life. Today, I hope you will confirm whether you are living a religious life, or if you are living a life of the gospel and adjust accordingly.
1. Stephen – Word through Abraham
1) Misunderstanding about the Temple and the Law
(1) God dwells in the Temple – Holy place (Acts 6:13)
In today’s scripture, Stephen uses two examples–Joseph and Abraham to show who is wrong. The Bible was written during the age of Moses–during the age of Moses, there was no Temple, so Stephen was showing the Jewish elders how incorrect their beliefs were.
(2) Moses’ Law – Salvation
(3) Started from not knowing Original Sin
The reason is because the Jewish leaders do not understand Original Sin, in other words, they don’t know who they are. They only think of themselves as, “Oh, these are my parents, this is where I went to school, this is the job that I had, this is the person I married,” but they don’t know the “me” inside of them. What is Original Sin? I was born in a state where my spirit was dead. Because my spirit was dead, I had nothing to do with God and I was born, seized by Satan. The way I live my life in that state is centered on myself. Then, what I want, what I’m trying to accomplish, that is my goal in life. Whether somebody is living a religious life or a nonbeliever, there is a characteristic of successful people. They have their own convictions, it’s not the gospel, but they have success by their own convictions. It’s not from the gospel of Jesus Christ; they have their own beliefs and their own convictions that have driven them this far, and that was the group of priests from today’s scripture. They have successful people among them, but what follows? For people who accomplish success by their own convictions, they cannot overcome Satan or sin. Ultimately, they will have a spiritual problem and they will collapse. That is the life of a successful person who is living a religious life.
2) God appeared before Abram
Stephen is using the example of Abraham to show the difference between the gospel and religion. In Acts 7:2, Stephen says that, “the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,” that means God appeared to him and was with him.
(1) Land and kindred – Word of the gospel (Gal. 3:8)
Gal. 3:8 says that God revealed Himself to Abraham to call him out. The only way to meet with God is the gospel. Even in the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Abraham and was with him. At that time, Abraham was someone who lived in his hometown, worshiping and making idols, so Stephen is saying, “How is God limited to the Temple? He revealed Himself to our forefather Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia,” and after God called him out, He gave him the goal of the Promised Land. Children of God have a direction, a goal that is certain. Before Jesus Christ was born, their goal was the land of Canaan, and all the children of God would gather.
(2) Land I will show you – With through the Word
(3) God brought him to the land of Canaan (Acts 7:4)
Then, Abraham settled in Haran. Once they cross over the river, it is a different society. Many people try to live their walk of faith based on their experiences. “If I’m not used to this based on my experiences, then I don’t like it. If someone has a different set of experiences, I stop right there,” but children of God follow the Word of God, so Abraham settled in Haran. Then God called Terah, Abraham’s father, away. So again, using the Word of God, He called Abraham who settled in Haran. Even when we begin to stagnate without realizing it, God calls us with His Word.
3) Promise – Word
(1) Give to descendants as an inheritance
In Acts 7:5, God did not give any land. People living a religious life are focused on physical things, but where is God’s interest? God is interested in descendants, and the lives that would be saved through Jesus Christ. That is His focus on the land. God promised this land where Jesus would be born to Abraham’s descendants.
(2) Return to the land of Canaan 400 years later
But the descendants would suffer for 400 years, they were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. We are focused on their time in slavery, “Why would God allow them to be enslaved? Why would God send them to the land and not give it to them?” That is religious thinking, but for those who enjoy the gospel, they are interested in the fact that God is with them even in that circumstance.
Why do we keep on getting seized and bound by our depression and mental illness? Because that is what we focus on. If we’re focused on the fact that God is with us, even in that circumstance, then we are set free. For people who are dying of cancer, they focus on when their cancer may be healed. Then, we may not be able to see that God is with me even now. When we face a problem or suffering, we think it’s bigger than God. It’s because we’ve lived a religious life for a long time. Religious life is centered on “me”, so whatever journey or path I’m walking should be smooth and easy. If this person faces suffering, then they will resent God, but the people who are centered on the gospel have faith that, “Even in that circumstance, God is with me.”
In the past, I did not understand this at all and wondered why God tormented His people for 400 years as slaves, but those eyes are the religious eyes. I’m really focused on me, I’m not interested in God at all, so when I face a difficulty, I cannot endure. So, God is telling us to come out of this religious life, and God is with me, even in that circumstance.
Why were they enslaved for 400 years? God said, “The sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure,” so for 400 years while God was waiting for the Amorites, God was also increasing the number of the Israelites, because God had given His Word that the descendants of Abraham were like the stars in the sky or the sand on the ground. That is where we must be interested; instead, we’re only focusing on why God made them slaves, “Why are You giving me a hard time?” That’s a religious life. God was waiting to destroy the land of Canaan when their sin and wickedness would reach their full extent. When one nation collapses, it is allowed by God, and God’s standard is that their sin has reached their full extent. So, nobody knows when North Korea will collapse, but that is a nation that worships a human being as god, so they will collapse when their sin is at the fullest extent. It’s the same for families and individuals. God does not act rashly, but He waits and waits for us to return, and when we absolutely refuse, that is when He works. Actually, when we are falling, that is our opportunity to go back to God.
So, why did God allow these people to suffer? During the time of Joseph, the Pharaoh of Egypt was the same race as Joseph, and then after Joseph had passed away, the next Pharaoh of Egypt was from Egypt, in other words, the crown had gone to the African lineage. So, the Pharaoh before that had given the land of Goshen to the Israelites when they were a family of 75 people, but the new Pharaoh said, “I don’t know these people,” and if the Israelites become too abundant, they would take the throne again, so they thought, “We must get rid of the Israelites,” so the Pharaoh gave the command to kill the Israelite babies. You shouldn’t just look at that; God was giving them this torment and suffering to bring them out of Egypt.
In Acts 7:7, He said, “I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,” that is Exodus. God is judging the idols of Egypt, and then they will go back into the land of Canaan to worship God.
(3) Covenant of circumcision – God’s people (Acts 7:8, Gen 17:7-13)
Then in Acts 7:8, it says God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. The meaning behind circumcision, which is cutting off the foreskin of the male, is that these people are the people of God, along with the descendants. That is the covenant of circumcision. Every time they see this, they confess, “I am God’s people, and God is my God.” God gave this covenant so we do not rely on ourselves; instead, we rely on God. For this kind of person, they will be fine no matter where they are.
Abraham, Joseph, they were all like this. For people who live a religious life, when they face difficulty, they cannot endure, and their characteristic is that they resent God, because there is another image of God they’ve created for themselves. A god who is good, a god who does not ever let me suffer, a god who blesses me. They’ve just created their own definition of God. But God reveals Himself through His Word, through the Bible. The God of the Bible says, “I am with you, even in the midst of confusion and chaos.” In Psalm 139, God says, “I am with you even in the darkest depths.” Daniel faced the threat of execution, and God was with him even there. Daniel’s three friends held onto the covenant of God and never bowed down to idols, and God was with them there. God is not only limited to being inside of a building of a church or a temple; God is with me, God is with us, and with everything that we do.
What about old churches of America a long time ago? Many people would gaslight you into thinking the church building is the Temple. This building is not the temple; it is a location of worship, but a lot of people used to replace the Old Testament idea of the church. They would make the podium and stage very high so people could not go to the front. A lot of these olden day church officers would be used to keeping the church so clean. Those words are correct, the thoughts are right, but when those thoughts become too extreme, they focus only on gathering people into the church and the world outside has no god. “I never said that,” they’ll say, yes, they never say this verbatim, but when they say you have to come to church to meet with God, they also say you cannot meet God out in the world. They gaslight people to try to get people to come to church. For us, we meet for worship on Sunday, then Monday through Saturday, we meet with God in the field, guided by the Word. Ask yourself if you’re living a religious life, or if you’re constantly living with God, enjoying this life of the gospel.
2. Stephen – Word through Joseph
The second example Stephen uses is Joseph, to talk about how God is with him. Joseph’s older brothers were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery, but the Bible tells us that God was with Joseph even there. Even before the temple existed, God met with Joseph and was with him there. Then, Stephen said, “God rescued Joseph from all of his hardships” and, “He gave Joseph wisdom and goodwill in the Pharaoh’s eyes.”
When we say, “God is with you,” I’m not saying that God is just staying still. The fact that God is with us means He is with us, rescuing from our troubles, giving us wisdom and goodwill in the Pharaoh’s eyes. Even when I’m under tremendous suffering, spiritually, mentally, and physically, God is still there, but we keep on misunderstanding God. We think, “If my life is hard, there’s no God there,” that person is living a religious life. They’ve created their own definition of God saying, “Why would God allow this to happen to me?” A crisis is an opportunity for God to be with you.
I have something inside of me that leaves me no choice but to have problems. If you keep resenting God, you’ll only invite more curses and disasters, but if you put your faith in God’s Word of the covenant, then as time passes, you’ll receive covenantal answers. So, what am I thinking right now? That determines your future. Not, “Oh, why am I facing this difficulty?” The difficulty is coming as a result of your thoughts. If you keep hating somebody, eventually, you will kill them. If you keep thinking lustful thoughts, then lustful things will happen. If you keep on avoiding work and try to get free handouts, one day, you will get scammed or conned, and after all of that happens, you’ll say, “How did God allow that to happen? I lived my life so diligently,” but that’s what was already within this person already.
You sitting here is not the real “you.” Whatever your thoughts are, that is the real, “you,” and as time passes, that will be revealed. For some people, even in the midst of persecution, they do not concentrate on the difficulty; they only focus on God being with them there. Even if they’re diagnosed with cancer, they are not focused on cancer; they are focused on God being with them even in that circumstance. When we have a mental problem, they keep getting trapped in that problem, but God is with you, even there. That is the life that believes and enjoys the gospel of life. Why does someone refuse to change? I hope you will stop trying to change the person but focus on God guiding them.
1) Joseph sold to Egypt (Acts 7:9)
(1) Jealous of Joseph (Acts 7:9)
(2) God was with him (Acts 7:9)
(3) Saved him from his troubles (Acts 7:10)
2) God was with
(1) Slave – Manager of household (Gen. 39:1-6)
(2) Prison – In charge of other prisoners (Gen. 39:20-23)
(3) Stood before Pharaoh
3) God’s plan
(1) Joseph became the ruler of Egypt and Pharaoh’s household (Acts 17:10)
Pharaoh made Joseph the ruler of Egypt. God gave Joseph the wisdom to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph did not become ruler by passing a test; God gave wisdom to Joseph and in Pharaoh’s eyes, Joseph would benefit the whole nation. If nonbelievers look at you and think, “This person will benefit me,” they will raise you up. Then, God will do that. That’s the characteristic of someone who enjoys the gospel.
(2) Famine – Sent his family to Egypt to buy food
Acts 7:11, there was a famine and great suffering. Our ancestors could not find food, and “ancestors” means Jacob and his descendants, and they went to Egypt to buy grain. Why did God allow this famine to happen for seven years? Before the seven years of famine, there were seven years of abundance.
(3) Joseph invited 75 relatives to Egypt
What was the goal, though? God allowed the seven years of famine so the 75 members of Joseph’s family would go to Egypt. Why did God allow this difficulty in your life? God allowed it so you come back before the gospel. God is not giving you difficulties because He is evil; He wants you to come back to the gospel to receive life.
3. Life lived by faith
1) Joseph – Faith
(1) God sent him ahead to Egypt to preserve lives (Gen. 45:5-7)
In Gen. 45:5, Joseph said that God sent him ahead of them to preserve lives, and, “He raised me up to preserve the lives of your descendants.” “Lives” here is talking about their spirit or soul, he uses the life to represent the spiritual life as well as the physical life. Even for descendants who are not even born yet, God raised Joseph up as the governor, to save those who would be saved after Jesus Christ. When Joseph was raised up as governor, it didn’t happen overnight. Joseph was first sold as a slave and God made him the financial officer of Potiphar’s household. Then, Joseph was falsely accused and put into prison, then he was managing the prisoners, and from the political prisoners, Joseph began to learn politics. Through all of this, God raised Joseph to be the governor. Once Joseph was the governor, he already had his specialization. Now, we learn our specialization in college but they still do not know the field, but Joseph learned realistic financial management in his field. Joseph didn’t learn how to manage human resources through some school; he learned it in the actual field where he managed people. Joseph didn’t learn about politics in college, he learned about it through real politicians, the reality of the field. Then, once he became governor, all of these things were put into action. So, once there was the seven years of abundance, he already reached out to people to store the seven years of grain. Then once the famine came, he also set up a system to sell that grain. In our studies and in our job, God gives us the answer of specialization, a sense of the field, and a system to continue this in the future, but what is the goal of God in doing all of this? God has allowed my job to save the 75 members of Jacob’s family, which would be the modern-day church. The reason why God allowed Joseph to be in the position of the governor is only for one reason, it is to save people’s lives and to save lives in the future.
What is a religious life? Their goal is to be the governor, “I worship God to be the governor,” that is the characteristic of a religious life, but what does the Bible tell us? Matthew 6:24 says that a person cannot serve two masters. Either you hate one and love the other, or are devoted to one and despise the other. You have to choose. You will be devoted to one and despise the other; you have to choose one or the other. Then, the next sentence says, “You cannot serve both God and money,” but nonbelievers say, “But you’ve got to make a living.” Are there any of you who are working so you can make a living? When I’m facing a difficulty, you say, “Pastor, I can’t do this because the goal of my life is to make a living,” then who is my master? My master is the world, the devil. “But I’ve never served the devil,” but you making a living is serving the world, which is serving the devil.
The next verse says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” Nonbelievers say, “You have to eat and make a living,” but the Bible tells us, do not worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. Nonbelievers say, “I have to make money to buy clothes and buy a house,” and the Bible says, “Do not worry about your body or what you will wear.” The Bible tells us that our bodies and life are instruments, tools of God, that is how the chapter ends in Matthew 6:33, seek the Kingdom of God. You are not working and studying for your own life. But instead, your studies and your job are used to save your spirit, and second, the church, and third, lives in the field. God will fill your needs, so don’t worry about that. This is the characteristic of people who follow the life of the gospel, in the Old and New Testament.
Let’s look at Stephen, he was a layperson, a deacon in the church. When the church faced a crisis, he staked his life. Why would he do things that put him at a loss or disadvantage? He was able to do that because he knew and enjoyed the gospel correctly. Being at a loss means I’m living my life based on my standard. My life, my body is used for God’s Kingdom. My job must be used for the church. Jesus Christ says, “First seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.” What is God’s Kingdom? The Church is the body of Christ where Christ is the head and we are His body. The head, Christ, reigns over me and all of us, we are the church. The reason you study, the reason you have a job, is for this body of Christ. And, you should study and work for the people in your field who will receive salvation. That is the fulfillment of the law. It is to love God and to love the spirit and lives of people. To live the correct life is to raise up and save the people in the church, and to raise up and save the people in the field.
(2) To preserve a remnant for future generations (Gen. 45:7)
(3) Spirit of God with him (Gen. 41:38)
So, even though Joseph himself was weak and vulnerable, the spirit of God was with him, Gen. 41:38.
2) Gospel
(1) Me – Died with Christ, now live with the Life of Christ (Gal. 2:20)
(2) Life that enjoys the Life – Discovering God’s plan of blessings
(3) Life that saves lives – Fulfillment of the Law
God takes care of everything. “No matter where you fall, I am with you, I will rescue you. No matter how unfairly you are treated, I will sort it out.” Are you ridiculed? Are you scarred? Look to God. We are not people who live our lives looking at everything through the lens of our scars; we must look through everything through the lens of God.
3) Holy Spirit
(1) Filling of the Holy Spirit – Power (Acts 1:8)
(2) Prayer – With studies, business, work
(3) Forces of darkness break down and life is restored (Mt. 12:28-29)
And God is with us, so through the strength of the Holy Spirit, we may save ourselves, the church, and the world.
Conclusion
1. Love the gospel
2. Love souls
In conclusion, we must love this gospel where I die on the cross and now, the life of Christ lives within me. Those who love the gospel will love the lives and souls in the church. And, they love to save the dying spirits and souls in the field.
3. Prayer – 24
Prayer is going into the field already having the answer. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that you may remain within this stream of blessing throughout the week.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the word and covenant God has given to each of us.
Offering Prayer
God we thank You. We have returned your materials as offering. Bless our studies and our jobs, and allow us to be used in the work of saving lives and saving the church. We pray You will allow those who are sick or ill to enjoy the blessing in faith that God is with them. We pray You will also give the works of healing on those suffering from spiritual problems that they may look to God Who is with them. We pray those who suffer financially that they may experience the blessings of God’s works. For those in difficult relationships or conflicts with people, may they enjoy the blessing of being changed. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Announcements
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