- 3 hours ago
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:22Let us pray.
00:25Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who, when standing before Pilate, kept silent at all the unjust
00:34accusations and slanders of the Jews, and as a gentle lamb that did not open its mouth, did not contradict
00:42them when they brought forward their charges against you.
00:46Give me grace never to be disturbed by the false accusations of others, but may I overcome every injury by
00:53silence and meekness.
00:55Give me the grace of perfect humility, so that I may never desire praise nor refuse any measure of contempt.
01:04Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, you, lamb without spot, against whom the pious Pharisees and scribes
01:14raged with obstinate hatred.
01:17For although Pilate testified that he found no cause of death in you, yet they would not be satisfied with
01:24anything except your death.
01:28Grant me grace to imitate your innocence and patience, that I may both lead a godly life, and for so
01:36doing, if I am spoken of evenly, that I may remain at rest in you, giving way to no indignation,
01:45but giving thanks to you in all adversity.
01:50Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who will lead in the greatest of indignity, in the manner
01:59of a wicked criminal, through the middle of the city, from one judgment seat to another, and from Pilate to
02:06Herod and back again, amidst the noise and shouts of the people.
02:11Give me grace never, nor to be exasperated by slander, nor to be exasperated by slander, may I never feel
02:20any false shame at being despised, but may I receive everything in meekness, and endure all things in silence for
02:28your honor, that, by the assistance of your grace, I may in patience possess my soul.
02:36Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who, when Herod asked you many vain and foolish questions, and
02:44when you were falsely wounded in different ways by priest and scribe, humbly kept a meet and becoming silence.
02:53Give me grace to restrain my tongue in a manner well pleasing to you, do not permit me to utter
03:00hurtful words, do not permit me to be taken up with fruitless stories, but give me grace to say what
03:07is right, profitable, and honest, according to your will.
03:13May I behold the sin of evil speaking, and be always glad to think and speak well of any man.
03:23Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who condemned by your silence the foolish curiosity of Herod, and
03:31who would not gratify his curious eyes by the performance of any miracle,
03:38because he did not have his own salvation at heart, and did there in this way teach us to avoid
03:45all ostentation before the great ones of this world.
03:49Pour into my heart a spirit of deep humility, mortify and quench within me any desire for vain glory.
03:58Grant that I may never do anything in order to gain praise of man, but may always act with a
04:04single eye upon the glory of your most holy name,
04:08and may come before you day by day in a true spirit of humility and meekness.
04:17Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who didn't refuse to be set to nothing by Herod and
04:24his men of war,
04:26nor to be clothed in a white garment and to be mocked and laughed at as though a fool and
04:31a madman.
04:32Give me grace, O Lord, to choose rather to be an outcast with you than to be glorious in the
04:38world.
04:39May I think it better and more honorable to suffer reproach for your name than to prosper in the vain
04:46honors of the world.
04:49Give me grace that, truly acknowledging my own sins and my own unworthiness,
04:54I may be as nothing in my own sight, but may always despise and accuse myself
05:00and daily lament over my own weakness and wretchedness.
05:06Praise, honor, and glory be to you, O Christ, who was sent back with shame, clothed in a false garment,
05:12from Herod the Pilate,
05:14and in all things obeyed your enemies going backwards and forwards according to their pleasure.
05:20Grant that I may not shrink from being despised, nor refuse obedience even to those who wish nothing but bad
05:29for me.
05:31Give me grace to have no feelings for the things of this world, but to think of and care for
05:36and love you alone.
05:39May you alone be my honor, my delight, my love, my glory, and my joy.
05:46Amen.
05:50O Lord, open our lips, and our mouths will sing your praise.
05:56Amen.
06:02O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be
06:09joyful in the Lord,
06:09Serve the Lord with gladness, and come in voice, and turn to hear your song.
06:19Be sure that the Lord, He is God.
06:25O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be
06:35joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord,
06:40O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be
06:50joyful in the Lord,
06:53O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be joyful in the Lord, O be
06:55joyful in the Lord,
06:55Lord of his name, for the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth
07:10from generation to generation.
07:20Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning,
07:35is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
07:59Amen.
08:25Amen.
08:57Amen.
09:06Amen.
09:33CHOIR SINGS
09:53CHOIR SINGS
10:36CHOIR SINGS
10:36CHOIR SINGS
10:47CHOIR SINGS
11:17CHOIR SINGS
11:26CHOIR SINGS
11:27CHOIR SINGS
11:51CHOIR SINGS
11:57CHOIR SINGS
11:58CHOIR SINGS
12:00CHOIR SINGS
12:20CHOIR SINGS
12:23CHOIR SINGS
12:35CHOIR SINGS
12:40CHOIR SINGS
12:41CHOIR SINGS
12:50CHOIR SINGS
12:53CHOIR SINGS
13:18CHOIR SINGS
13:20CHOIR SINGS
13:23CHOIR SINGS
13:26CHOIR SINGS
13:36CHOIR SINGS
13:38CHOIR SINGS
13:46CHOIR SINGS
13:48that of an angel. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
14:05The early church was growing rapidly and as might be expected, there were a few administrative
14:12problems beginning to arise which caused division between the Jewish Christian and the Jews
14:20of Greek origin. The Greeks were of the belief that they were being marginalised and felt
14:27the church was being run by the traditional Jewish Christians who had the advantage.
14:37The disciples tackled this by appointing deacons or administrators for the want of a better
14:42word and matters started to improve. The church continued, we read, to grow in leaps and bends.
14:52However, under the surface it seems that there were still jealousies and some of these were
14:58directed at steam with the dire consequences that were to come in the next chapter. The
15:09problem would appear to have been that too many of these early Christians had not yet learnt
15:14to be outward looking as opposed to inward looking. The Christian looks out to other people being
15:22concerned for them and less for themselves. These people were still looking inward at themselves,
15:29looking at what the church offered them and not what they could offer the church. We should
15:36take a lesson from this, for even today congregations are riddled with factions and cliques that look
15:43to serve their own interests as opposed to those of the church of God. The devil always looks
15:51for ways to make mischief, to divert our attention from God's work to our own needs and interests
15:57which he stimulates. We must pray for vigilance, that we can spot potential problems and the dangers
16:04that they are going to cause and steer a wide course around them.
16:13We learn today something of Stephen and we begin a recount of the events that were to lead to his
16:21martyrdom.
16:23First of all, we learn that this was a man who was full of the grace of God, who, apart
16:29from fulfilling
16:29the administrative function of deacon, also performed miracles in the name of God. We also read that it was
16:37impossible to get the better of him in arguments because his words were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
16:47A man as spiritually inspired and gifted as this was bound to attract the wrong sort of attention, and so
16:54it was to be,
16:55with several factions within the synagogue being angered by him. We are not told what it was exactly that had
17:04caused them
17:05to be so upset. But as much as anything, they were probably jealous of his gifts and his popularity with
17:12the people.
17:14Unable to get the better of them in lawful debate, these people turned to manufacturing evidence against Stephen,
17:22through false witnesses and the selective recall of words that had been spoken.
17:29Determined to make an end of him, Stephen was taken before the Sanhedrin by the Jews.
17:36It is perhaps worth noting that these were foreign Jews from different parts of Greece and Egypt and Asia Minor,
17:44who were from time to time living in Jerusalem. Saul, being from Tarsus, would have been a Cilician
17:52and would very well have been one of the original protagonists that we read of today.
18:00Collectively, they were determined that at this time, no wise words from Gamaliel would ever prevent
18:06the ultimate punishment for blasphemy from being hunted down. And so we read that the crowd was agitated
18:14against Stephen, as it had been against Jesus. The upshot was going to be a foregone conclusion.
18:22And we should perhaps note that on this particular occasion, the Jews had no qualms whatsoever
18:30about committing a capital penalty. So let us consider Stephen as a man. The third verse gives us to understand
18:42he was a man of honest report. Literally, a man well spoken of. The public bore him good witness.
18:52This means that he was an honest man and not only honest, but had a reputation for his honesty.
19:01But the words imply that he was a good man. He was good and he seemed good. A good character
19:09should be as clear as glass
19:10or to use a biblical illustration. As transparent as light. A character men can not only look at, but look
19:19through
19:20and see God lying behind and beyond. Stephen was a Christian. He was full of faith. He was full of
19:29the Holy Spirit.
19:33Stephen was a deacon. He was full of grace. And being full of grace, he was of necessity, full of
19:40power.
19:42Being full of his power, he did great wonders and miracles amongst the people. For a while he is the
19:49most promising
19:49and interesting figure in Christian antiquity. And if we were to possess a fraction of his grace, we should also
19:59inherit
19:59some of his power. And do great wonders if not miracles amongst the people. Stephen was a teacher.
20:10They were not able to resist the wisdom with which he spoke. And they were not able to resist the
20:15spirit
20:16by which he spoke. Stephen was a prisoner. His character as a prisoner is set forth in the eleventh and
20:26succeeding verses.
20:27His speech before his judges was remarkable. His bodily appearance more remarkable still.
20:35They all looking steadfastly upon him. They looked upon his face. And it looked as it being the face of
20:45an angel.
20:48Stephen was a martyr. Nowhere outside of the faith of the New Testament do we see such majesty and meekness.
20:57In the grim presence of death.
20:59In the grim presence of death. Pagans may die heroically. Christians die forgivingly.
21:08Heathens may die bravely. Believers in Christ only die divinely. Lord, do not put this sin to their charge.
21:25Let us pray. O God, our refuge and strength, who is the author of all godliness, be ready, we beseech
21:36you, to hear the devout prayers of your church. Grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain
21:44effectually. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
21:55May the Lord bless us and keep us from all evil, bringing us to everlasting life. Amen.
22:04God bless you and God bless you and kami.
22:04You and His work aged forever are so boring.
22:06May the Lord bless you so much.
22:09Amen.
22:09Amen.