Sunday, May 14, 2017

Sermon Notes 5/14-Acts 7, John 14, I Peter 2

May 14
Acts 7:55,The first time I really dug into this section of Acts was for a  our bible study on the book in its entirety. Stephen (crown,honor, reward  literally that which surrounds) was the first deacon.Stephen sees Christ standing, rather than sitting, at the right hand of God (7:55, 56).for them this was Jesus Christ exalted to a proper station.Despite the hostile violence wrought against him, Stephen prays for his enemies.. According to Roper,More have I not to say (my Lords) but like as the blessed Apostle St. Paul, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, was present, and consented to the death of St. Stephen, and kept their clothes that stoned him to death, and yet be they now both twain holy saints in heaven, and shall continue their friends for ever, so I verily trust and shall therefore right heartily pray, that though your Lordships have now in earth been judges to my condemnation, we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to our everlasting salvation .For Søren Kierkegaard,.  Father, do not hold this sin against them.. He prayed for them. He had prayed for himself again and again; his whole life to the very end, his sufferings, were praying for himself.Now there is only a moment left, a minute: he prays for his enemies … we learn from him -- to pray for ourselves, to pray for our enemies -- and then to fall asleep … Ps. 31 God as a fortress, stronghold, tower of strength-place of safety
I Pet. 2:2-spiritual architecture/engineering Deffenbaugh-the household of God is where those nourished on Christ will "grow into salvation" (2:4) through the formation that takes place in community through the work of the Spirit. Here is where the metaphor of being built up( 2:5) into a spiritual house. We have to wonder if the recent memory of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, Though the traditional dwelling place of God is gone, a new house has in fact arisen in its place with a royal priesthood in attendance. While the old stones appear to be dead, the living stones of the church, founded on the cornerstone of Christ, will now be the light that overcomes the darkness.    "living stones" reference to the church's grounding in the Word of God,.As John H. Elliott explains in his exhaustive commentary, in antiquity objects that were perceived as firmly rooted in the earth were often referred to as "living." Imposing megaliths, for example, seemed to possess an inherent integrity; their vitality was a function of their being rooted in place.

John 14:1-14 many mansions many dwelling places includes the congregations as well as the possible heavenly accommodations we have place don John 14 often read at funerals. on peace-the way you are going monai= dwelling, abiding places- for encouragement-In the capacious love of god there is always plenty of room. I think of the Levittown houses that started looking the same but sprouted dormers and additions to handle growing families.I detect a bit of exasperation in Jesus here-the truth and the life explain the way? Arkein-issue of satisfy/enough difference between a good life and the good life-Miller High Life. Maternal matrix, a place for life to sustain and flourish.Early this month people gave the awful pun, may the fourth be with you. God is like a force field that envelops us, like the force in Star Wars-It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.", .

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