Just A Closer Walk With Thee | Earth, Wind, & Fire

One of my favorite hymns we just sang just a

closer walk with me with thee Granted Jesus is

my plea daily daily walking close to the be let

it be their dear Lord. Let it be It's an amazing

lyric in the sense of My plea when do we plea

in life when we plea for something what comes

to mind? When we get to the point where we're

pleading for something, it might be for a newborn

going to sleep. I know a lot of parents, and

if you haven't, you're lying, that they just

are pleading, please just go to sleep. When else

do we plea? What? For forgiveness. That was a

really, really good answer. That, I may have

to, oh man, that's a big one. Others. Desperation.

Others. Peace. Plea for peace. Oh, absolutely.

Man, okay, you guys are in the back. For money.

That took a turn, right? Said from a kid and

immediately looked at his parents. I thought

that was interesting. For money. And then looked

right at mom. Yeah, we could do that. Anywhere

else do we plea? For answers. Absolutely. There's

one I'm looking for. Healing? Sure, getting closer.

Strength? Backing away. A plea bargain in court?

Wow. Really good. Not what I was looking for,

Randy, but that was really good. Others? To God?

You thought that would be the easy answer, right?

Yeah, welcome back from your hunting trip, but

that was wrong. Actually, I'm going to incorporate

it. Unbeknownst to the elk, right? You were shooting

elk? What were you shooting? Fine. Mule deer,

right? In Greek, mule deer means elk. I guarantee

you that if that mule deer knew what was about

to happen, that mule deer would what? Plea for

its life. I know. That just took a really weird

turn. Knowing that we're talking about Stephen's

martyrdom. We also none of us have probably ever

been in that situation where we are pleading

for our life But desperation is really what has

all of that Kind of impacted in it that when

we are granted Jesus is my plea that my plea

in life this side of eternity because we know

we're gonna have a closer walk with the with

Jesus in heaven but think about it if the plea

in my life is that I would just walk closer with

Jesus if that was really the plea in our life

I think our life would look a lot differently

because we all have different pleas you've mentioned

them Right? Things that we think we need more

of or we need to be closer to. Success, money,

fame, all the things, relationships. But if our

plea in life could be a closer walk with thee,

with Jesus, I wonder how our lives would look.

I wonder how it would be to live in those lives.

But before I transition us to the heart of the

sermon, there's a big chunk of Acts we're not

going to read. Mainly because of time, but I

can also kind of summarize It's Stephen's speech

in the beginning of chapter 7 because if you

notice we kind of went from 6 to the middle of

7 without doing the beginning of 7 because the

heart of the sermon is Stephen's death, but we

got to see how we got there So before we pick

up at verse 51 I'm just going to summarize kind

of the first 50 verses of chapter 7 because it's

important to understand what has been happening

in the verses 1 to 50 which leads us up to where

we're going to start in a couple minutes to 51.

Stephen has just given the longest recorded sermon

in the book of Acts and actually the second longest

in the entire scriptures outside of Jesus's sermon

on the mount. It's a sermon that that costs Stephen

everything And we may think that it's you know,

he's gonna get a bad name in the town He's maybe

gonna lose money on something. No, it costs him

his life when Stephen was brought to the council

We talked to that about that last week. They

accused him of speaking against Moses the temple

the and the law and In his response Stephen doesn't

defend himself. He defends the gospel. There's

something we can learn in that too He doesn't

defend himself first, he defends the gospel.

He takes the council on a journey through Israel's

history from Abraham to Solomon showing how God's

presence and purpose were never confined to one

place or to one people. He reminds them that

God called Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,

that Joseph found favor in Egypt, that Moses

met God not in a temple, but in the wilderness

with a burning bush, and that even David longed

to build a house for God, yet the Most High does

not dwell in houses made by human hands. So in

Stephen's words, his sermon, his speech, if you

will, declares a massive truth and this is where

we see him getting in trouble quote -unquote

God has always been on the move his grace can

never be contained his presence no longer is

bound to the temple because now through Jesus

the true temple has come what a declaration for

us today it doesn't mean much We don't worship

a temple. We don't have to come here. You don't

need me to be the mediator between you and Jesus.

That Jesus makes his grace available to all of

us, right? That relationship with a savior, you

don't need to do it through a church. You don't

need to do it through sacrifices. You don't need

to do it through the priesthood. And this is

what enrages the council. If Stephen is right,

everything changes. The temple, the priesthood,

the sacrifice, the very structure of religious

power. We see that throughout our history, right?

Those that speak out against power usually get

silenced. His sermon ends not with an attack,

but with an invitation to see Jesus as the fulfillment

of all God's promises. What if what if the temple?

Received that what if they said you're right

We got to change all of the ways that we have

perverted this religious system the temple the

sacrifices the money all the things what if Unfortunately

don't get that I would have loved to see that

would be a lot easier sermon to preach But we

don't Rather than repent what do the people do

they resist? the truth that should have set them

free only hardened their hearts and that's where

we step in today we're going to start with verse

51 of chapter 7 at the moment where truth meets

fury where faith meets fire and where Stephen

walking closely with Jesus becomes the first

to follow him all the way to his end so we're

going to jump in into chapter 51 The words we

sang just a closer walk with thee should bring

comfort and commitment To walk closely with Jesus

is to walk the same path He walked a path of

obedience a path of courage a path of love and

sometimes suffering Stevens final moments show

that when we walk closely with Jesus we can even

face death with peace forgiveness and unshakable

hope yet for a lot of us. This is hard to say

because I have to look at myself first. When

life and death is on the line, I wonder how many

of us, myself included, will compromise. I wonder

how many of us will be able to stand courageous

even with that stone being tossed to our head.

So let's jump in. Let's jump into Stephen's prophetic

kind of confrontation, as I'm calling it. We're

going to be in verses 51 to 53 first. So Stephen

is going to preach. Well, it's more of a speech,

because he wasn't a pastor. He wasn't seen as

that. He wasn't seen as one of those that would

preach. But Stephen's speech cuts to the heart.

He says, you stiff -necked people. uncircumcised

in heart and ears you always resist the Holy

Spirit as your fathers did so do you which of

the prophets did your fathers not persecute and

they killed those who announced beforehand the

coming of the righteous one whom you have now

betrayed and murdered you who received the law

as delivered by angels and did not keep it He's

not mixing his words. He's cutting straight to

the heart you stiff necked people Who does that

sound like? Hmm Israelites and who said it? No,

God said it not someone in the back. God called

the Israelites you stiff -necked people You're

nothing people but through you I will get the

world to know that I am Yahweh through you if

you kind of want to continue it to 2025 November

16th through us We're still stiff -necked. We

still lose our way But he calls them uncircumcised

heart you always resist the Holy Spirit like

the prophets before him Stephen speaks truth

even when it costs him everything even when it

costs him everything he charges the council with

rejecting God's messengers and God's Messiah

and we know all the messengers right all the

prophets we're gonna get into the minor prophets

in the beginning of January are gonna point to

the Messiah to Jesus His words fulfill what Jesus

warned in John 15 if they persecuted me they

will persecute You also they will persecute us

if we're standing for Jesus and Again, what if

they received it? But unfortunately didn't they

raged against it the rage of the crowd comes

in verse 54 Now when they heard these things

they were enraged and they ground their teeth

at him. It's kind of a weird way to say that

they were enraged. I don't know how many people

grind their teeth when they're mad. That's a

lie. I bet I'll have more than you do. But thank

you, Joel, for being honest. I'm sure I do, right?

Cleance draw, right? You grind your teeth when

you get mad. You want to say something, you want

to do something, but you don't. When they heard

these things they were enraged another translation

says they gnashed their teeth at him the gnashing

of teeth right the again I don't fully know what

that means if you got if you go into the Greek

they bear their teeth and when they bear their

teeth It's because they're angry and mad which

makes us sound more like a pack of wolves and

human beings But they gnashed they grind their

teeth. It was it meant they were mad at something

specific Right? The Greek word here, deprario,

means to be sawn through, their hearts were cut.

And usually in life when you're cut to the heart,

you get remorseful, you get respondent, you maybe

go to repentance, but they respond with fury.

Because we have to remember, the same gospel

that melts some hearts also hardens others. But

then he gives the vision. I love this in verse

55, this vision from heaven, this heavenly vision

he gives in verse 55, but he full of the Holy

Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of

God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God

and he said behold I see the heavens open and

the Son of Man standing at the right hand of

God. So this goes all this harkens back to the

book of Daniel when he sees a vision like a son

of man this goes to Luke chapter 3 and 4 when

Luke 3 · chapter mention

when Jesus Talks in first person that he is the

son of man. He is the son of God Normally scripture

speaks of Jesus sitting at the right hand. We

see this also in Hebrews 3 1 3 but here he stands

As if to welcome his faithful witness home. I

think about this when my loved ones have gone

to glory, what that would be like. A lot of this

comes, and I've said this before when we lost

my sister in 2019, right? That what it looked

like for her to get up there, right? I don't

think Jesus is just sitting. I think he's there

to walk with her and hug her and hold her. We

see Jesus standing. This is the climax of Stephen's

closer walk. We're being brought into court side

seats. Even as the world rejected him, heaven

is about to receive him. The Belgian Confession,

Article 37, affirms that Christ will come bodily

and visibly to judge the living and the dead

before the believer. That sight is not fear,

it's joy. Stephen sees us not as his judge, but

as his Savior. This is an intimate moment and

we're being brought into it. And then the judgment

comes, the earthly judgment comes. The stoning,

and again we know this, stoning was even you

being thrown to rocks, or rocks being thrown

at you, but it doesn't really matter. The stoning

comes in verse 57 and 58. But they cried out

with a loud voice and stopped their ears and

rushed together at him then they cast him out

of the city and stoned him and The witness laid

down their guardments at the feet of the young

man named Saul the mob Dragged Stephen outside

the city echoing how Jesus was crucified outside

the camp Saul later Paul okay that was too easy

for lunch Saul later Paul appears for the first

time watching and approving Showing how God can

later redeem even those complicit in evil another

rhyme for another time But here we see we see

the murder we see the death it's tragic isn't

it that they had an opportunity to receive but

instead they reject they reject so strongly that

they're like you know what the world would be

better without whatever this guy is selling whatever

this guy is believing the world would be better

with him not in it I'm here whether I'm your

pastor or you're seeing me for the first time

if you are sitting here or watching online I

want you to know one truth that I have about

you even some of you I don't know the world is

better with you in it But the world is so in

this is so raging against the gospel that changes

everything They'd much rather see him dead Now

I kind of fell into my flesh a little bit That

that maybe if I'm Stephen and I see those rocks

coming It might be the last second chance to

maybe do something in my flesh Right maybe to

say something or to give some kind of gesture

or something Right in my flesh because I know

the end is coming but for the believer That's

not how it's supposed to go and I have to fight

against that and so do you daily? The prayer

a prayer comes There's a part of me that thinks

I would curse those that are about to do this,

but that's not our job. Our job is to forgive,

even in the midst of the rocks coming to our

heads, the prayer of forgiveness in verse 60.

And falling to his knees, he cried out with a

loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against

him. I'm sure 80 % of us, for a stat I just made

up, When we see those words Lord do not hold

this sin against them go to where think of what?

Jesus on the cross where he says what father

for they know not Father forgive us for we know

they know not we know not what we do sometimes

in life We know that Jesus is Lord. We believe

it. We walked in it. We've maybe even made profession

of faith before We have maybe been an elder or

a deacon committee member Sunday school teacher

rocked a baby in nursery We know who Jesus is

we live for Jesus yet still sometimes we go to

curse than we do to forgive Saw or sorry Stephen

is taking this all the way to the end just like

Jesus did Stephen is not Jesus But Jesus is in

Stephen as all this is happening Lord, do not

hold this sin against him. This is the power

of walking closely with Jesus, friends. Even

when it's uncomfortable, even when it's hard

to forgive the unforgivable because you've been

forgiven beyond measure. How many of you have

been forgiven in your life? Every hand better

go up. Chandler, you're dozing off, it's alright.

You all have been forgiven if you've never been

forgiven if you're living a perfect life. I love

you. You're dismissed You don't have to be here

what we all have in common here at Munster Church

Whether you're a member a guest a visitor online

is you are a sinner in need of a Savior One that

is going to walk with you in life. Even if that

means someone else takes your life That is the

power of walking closely with Jesus to forgive

the unforgivable because we've been forgiven

beyond measure. So not only do we see a prayer

of forgiveness, even in the midst of his death,

we see a peace, a peace of surrender, peace of

surrender. And when he had said this, he fell

asleep. There's a paradox here. You know what's

about to happen? you know why it's happening,

that in the next couple moments, it's gonna hurt.

How many of you have ever gotten a rock thrown

at you? Anyone with, yeah, absolutely, that way

more I'm sure have. This was not just, this wasn't

just you and your buddies at a park tossing rocks

at each other. The intent, I don't know why that

was funny, but the intent of this wasn't to hurt

you. This intent wasn't to just paralyze you.

The intent here was to keep throwing until you

are dead. Yet he falls asleep. Luke's phrase,

Luke's writer's phrase, isn't accidental. For

believers, death is not the defeat, but rest

is. When we lay a loved one to rest means something.

His walk with Jesus ends with the same fate as

it began. Trusting the one who conquered death

itself. It's a weird account to read. If it makes

you uncomfortable, I get it. It makes me uncomfortable.

But what can we learn from this? Well, walking

close means something. Walking closely with Jesus

means standing firmly for truth. It means not

wavering. Now, it doesn't mean that you bash

that truth over the head to others, but you live

it out. Right? Through your words. You live it

out through your actions. You live it out through

your thoughts. That walking closely with Jesus

means standing firmly for truth. Stephen's faith

didn't waver when the costs rose, when the pressure

was put on, when things got uncomfortable. The

closer you walk with Christ, the steadier your

steps in crisis. Second, the Spirit gives courage

to speak, not just comfort to feel. Stephen's

words weren't reckless. They were Spirit -led.

The Spirit empowers truth not to be timid. To

stand for truth. Right? Now, that doesn't always

mean you debate. Sometimes you might. But you

stand. And he gives you the words. The third

one I want us to kind of hear today, that heaven's

applause matters more than earth's approval.

Sit in that for a second with me. Well done,

good and faithful servant. That should be the

goal for all of us. But I know for my life that

isn't always that. Success, finances, popularity.

not being boring on stage, all of those sometimes

get put ahead of that thought. Well done, good

and faithful servant. What does that mean when

you get up there? That means you stood for something.

It wasn't the numbers in a bank account. It wasn't

your notch on the corporate ladder. It wasn't

that you raised an honor student. It was that

you stood on truth. You walked with people as

Jesus did. When the crowd condemned him, Christ

stood to commend him. The opinions of people

will always fade away. The presence of Jesus

endures. 20 years doing this. Almost 100 funerals.

When I'm in the funeral home. Right? When I'm

seeing the line going through at Smiths or Schroederlauer

or wherever. Rarely do I see if ever someone

come up to the loved one and go, you know what,

he still hold me 50 bucks. I've never heard it.

I don't think I will. Because at the end, the

funeral isn't for the deceased. The funeral is

for closure for us, for remembering our life

with that individual, the things we wish we could

have said, the things we wish we could have done.

But now we pay our respects as we lay them to

rest. I love that there's a sacred moment in

that but it doesn't matter Heaven's applause

the well -done's the good and faithful servants

will always mean more It will always be more

when we witness and that's the fourth one friends

and this one's hard You come and ask me. How

can I give ultimate witness to Christ? Forgive.

Be someone who's known for forgiveness, not manipulation,

not deceit, not drama, not twisting words, not

holding grudges, not wanting the pound of flesh,

but forgiveness is the ultimate witness. When

Stephen prays for his killers, the gospel shines

brightest. Walking closely with Jesus means reflecting

his mercy even towards his enemies. And that

is hard to do. Because we want to live by Hammurabi's

code, don't we? Eye for an eye. You did this,

I want to do that. You hurt me, I hurt you. And

that could just be in marriage. That could just

be your relationship with your kids. We even

let that junk damage those relationships, let

alone... the co -worker that got the raise and

you didn't, right? The neighbor who still hasn't

done anything with his leaves. Forgiveness is

the ultimate witness. You get so upset about

their leaves, ask them if you could go do it.

I'd say just go and do it but they may hit you

with trespassing and then you end up in jail.

But probably not for doing leaves, I get it.

But understand we speak into forgiveness all

the time Yet we struggle with it too and fifth

as I land the plane Death is not the end for

those who belong to Christ this I want to spend

a minute on Don't get me wrong the plane still

descending right the wheels are still coming

out Do you believe this This is a hard one Death

is not the end for those who belong to Christ

some of you might be so uncomfortable right now

because the thought of death scares you But let

me permit you one conversation I got to have

that I'm gonna try not to cry when I say this

and I can't look over to Where is where are they

to Joel and Jess? But I remember I was asked

to come to Nuria White's room two and a half

years ago Because at 90 just she was about 96

at that but at that point she was 96 I think

that comes before 97, right? Okay All of her

friends were dying because at 97 96 years old

that's what happens Exactly. They all start to

wail and cry and die She had no peace The things

she thought she knew, the things the way she

thought she lived or believed in life weren't

finding her comfort at all. And I remember starting

the conversation reading Lord's Day 1 of the

Heideberg Catechism. Nuria, what is your only

comfort in life and in death? She had no answer.

She didn't know how to respond. She talked about

family. She talked about history. She talked

about all those things, but nothing was giving

her peace. Friends, when you make it that long

in life, You know that death is looming, right?

If you're here today, 40, 45 years old, you're

not thinking that way. And if you are, let's

talk about that, right? Because that's not something

we should be constantly thinking is looming,

though today could be the last day. We don't

know. But those in faith, right? Those that have

Jesus, that are trying their best to closer walk

with thee, that, can you go back to that last

point? This point should be where we find comfort.

Death isn't the end. Well, Pastor, what happens

to you when you die? I lovingly try to give answers,

but I start by saying, I don't know. I've never

died. What is it like when you get up to heaven?

I appreciate you think I know that. I don't.

I've never been there. I read in scriptures,

and I really like the Ray Bolz song. But that's

all I got. If you don't know, thank you by Ray

Bolz. Thank you later. Death is not the end for

those who belong to Christ. I can't fathom not

being in this world We just welcomed our first

kid. We just had our fifth kid or for the Schleichers

We just had our whatever number kid that they're

gonna have I Just got a new job. I just found

the career. I wanted I just met the girl I'm

going to marry whatever it is. We love to put

those things on there I can't go until these

things happen. That's for someone who thinks

death is the end. Friends, that's why this is

so hard. Death is not the end for those in Christ.

I love what Luke's writer says, he fell asleep.

Those words remind us the grave isn't final,

friends. Resurrection hope should be our firm

foundation. Just a closer walk with thee Granted

Jesus is my plea Stephen didn't just live for

Jesus He died walking closely with him his final

words were not anger, but love His final sight

was not of pain, but it was glory That's the

power of a closer walk with Christ The world

can't take your comfort though. It will try It

can't take your reputation, though it can, even

your life. But the world can never take your

Savior. Munster Church, the closer we walk with

Jesus, the more we'll look like Him. Courageous

in truth, gentle in love, steadfast in hope.

So may this hymn become our prayer, our purpose,

and our peace. Just a closer walk with thee granted

Jesus is my plea Please stand if you are able

and we will close together with our prayer of

unison our prayer in unison People of God, let's

pray together Lord Jesus Christ our Savior and

friend Grant us a closer walk with you when trials

rise and the world resists your truth Fill us

with courage to stand for grace to forgive help

us see beyond this world to your glory and live

each day with eternity in view strengthen us

to walk faithfully until we see you face to face

amen and until that time may the Lord bless you

and keep you make his face shine on you be gracious

on you lift up his countenance upon you give

you his peace which always passes our understanding

in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit

we all agree and said amen