Iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold. Don't let your love wax cold. It's a dark time in our nation. And there is iniquity abounding in so many places. Remember that the Lord is in control.

He has everything in His omnipotent hand, and find time to praise Him for the good that you see Him doing in your life, in your family, and in the world. The title of the sermon today is something that I've never done before, something like this. The title of the message is The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. Let's read in verse 29 together. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word.

Amen. Let's pray. Father, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Praise is awaiting you, O God, in Zion, and unto you the vow shall be performed, as your word says. By your word, O Lord, were the heavens made, and the hosts of them by the breath of your mouth.

Our help, O God, is in your name, O Lord, maker of heaven and earth. All our springs are in thee. Lord, our hearts are heavy this day, as we mourn the death of a beloved brother in Christ, Charlie Kirk, who was slain for the name of Christ and the service of Christ. Father, we pray for the ministering of divine comfort by the Spirit to all those who are mourning, but most especially for his grieving wife and children. And Lord we ask that the fullness of the peace that surpasses understanding might flood their lives in the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And we trust, O God, that though the enemy come in like a flood the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him Grant unto your servants. Oh God as we read from your word that with boldness we may speak the truth, we may speak your word. For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. Be seated. Our beloved brother, Charlie Kirk, entered the registry of the Christian martyrs four days ago on September 10.

He survived by his wife Erica and their three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. In this hour of great mourning, we weep with those who weep, and we mourn with those who mourn. We weep with his family, and we mourn with them, along with the millions worldwide who love Christ and who love the Kirk family. Blessed be God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. As I was thinking about the life and witness of Charlie Kirk yesterday, I started thinking about Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and how all the martyrs of history share this pattern of a bold proclamation of the truth, even up to the moment of death.

Like Stephen, Charlie Kirk, he loved our Lord Jesus. He wasn't ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He spoke the truth publicly, and he spoke the truth boldly, and he spoke the truth in love, in love. Like Stephen, he didn't make fun of those that opposed the truth. He just graciously exposed their error.

It's a real inspiration to the people of God and a real example to the people of God. He just graciously exposed their error and we see how the world responded. And the movement that he was a part of has grown and grown and grown. And the opposition has grown more and more violent. Earlier this year, Charlie Kirk said, we are, as of right now, the most targeted and attacked organization in America.

He wasn't really holding anything back from this massive organization that he was the head of. What I want to do in our time that we have together this afternoon is to look at the martyrdom of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and the events that led up to his martyrdom, and I want to draw some comparisons. And I don't think that I'll probably have to draw those comparisons for you. I think as we look at the unfolding of the martyrdom of Stephen, that you'll be thinking, wow, so many similarities. So many similarities.

There seems to be a pattern in the lives and ministries of those whom the forces of hell single out for destruction. A pattern of communicating truth that's so aligned with the Word of God and so full of the wisdom of God and so assisted by the Spirit of God that the adversaries find their positions utterly unable to be defended and so many times resort to other Means to get their point across Jesus told his disciples in Luke chapter 21 verse 15. I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist. Other verses say, a mouth of wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or contradict. Enter Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Turn with me to Acts chapter 6. We won't go through the entire chapter. There's many, many, many more verses than we can go through, but I want to draw your attention to Acts chapter 6, beginning with verse 9. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the Synagogue of the libertines, also known as the Freedmen, and Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. Stephen is preaching Christ, the scripture says, full of faith and power, full of faith and power, And he's speaking truths that a lot of people don't want to hear.

He's saying things that they just do not want to hear. And what happens? Well, it says there arose certain opposition arises and it says that they rose up to dispute with Stephen. Okay, that's good. We're good so far, right?

There's dialogue, there's conversation. They rise up to dispute with Stephen, to argue with Stephen, to speak against the things that he is saying, against the truth of Christ that he is boldly proclaiming publicly. And then look at the next verse, just what we read, a fulfillment of what we read from the words of Jesus. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. They rose up to dispute with him, to argue with him, but they weren't able to resist the wisdom.

They weren't able to resist the Spirit by which He spoke. Jesus gave Stephen the wisdom by which He spoke. We see that from the prophecy that we just read, that He would give them a mouth and wisdom, those whom he sent. Jesus gave Stephen the wisdom by which he spoke. Jesus gave Stephen the power of the Spirit by which he proclaimed Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

And our Lord gave it in such a manner with such a mouth and wisdom that his adversaries were utterly unable to withstand or contradict what Stephen was saying. And Stephen begins, look how he begins, men, brethren, fathers, it's, listen to me. It's a gracious introduction. It's not inflammatory. It's courteous and respectful.

And then what follows is 52 verses in a row where Stephen lays down the truth about their history and about their forebears. I just keep thinking of Charlie Kirk here. About their history and about their forebears and exposing their error and exposing their sin. And they don't interrupt him. They can't refute a single word that he said.

They just don't have an answer. The mouths of their best scholars and debaters amongst the libertines have been shot. And there's no more willingness to argue their positions because their positions have been destroyed and all their arguments defeated, rendered absurd. The scripture tells us that, quote, when they heard these things, that's when they heard the words that Stephen was saying. It's just words.

Dialogue, conversation. When they heard the words that Stephen was saying, they were cut to the heart. And with every martyrdom there seems to be this same pattern. The people of God speak truths that the wicked do not want to hear. They just don't want to hear it.

And they're cut to the heart. They're cut to the heart. To be cut to the heart is literally to be sawn or cut through. That's what the Greek word means. It is to be sawn or cut through.

Those who oppose the truth, here are Christians speaking words of truth, even gracious words of truth, not inflammatory words of truth, just words of truth. But those who oppose the truth, that here are Christians speaking words of truth, words that they cannot honestly contest, justifiably refute, or logically contradict, cuts to the heart, cuts through the heart is the picture. Many times words that they know have application to them personally. He's talking about me. Words that bring many times a flood of guilt upon the conscience.

Conscience has stopped. I wish he would just shut up. If Stephen were in our modern age, he'd be on Facebook and many videos and they'd be circulating everywhere. When those who oppose the truth hear a Christian speaking words of truth, they can't refute, they can't contradict, they're cut to the heart, They many times cede the application to them personally. The flood of guilt is brought upon the conscience.

They can't refute those words, and they refuse to indict themselves, though pierced with guilt. It's like a skill saw running 5, 000 rpms ripping through their inmost being. That's what the Greek word pictures. It just cuts through the heart and provokes a response. The response of the unrepentant is always the same.

Notice I say the unrepentant, many repent. Some repented in Stephen's day. We've seen many repent in our day when Kirk and others, apologists and preachers preach hard truths, speak the truth in love. We've seen repentance and it's a wonderful thing to see. But when they don't repent, it's always the same.

Look at what follows. The scripture tells us that these men gnashed on Stephen with their teeth. The Greek word here means to grind or clench one's teeth in rage. That's what it means. To grind or clench one's teeth in rage.

They don't have an answer. They don't have any more response. They don't have an argument. They're enraged. They're cut to the heart.

The skill saws ripped through the center of their heart. They're now responding with hatred boiling over into fury. And it's the pattern of history we've seen exhibited against Christians by the wicked in every age since. Every age since Stephen, all the way to Charlie. So we've seen.

And you can just look at the martyr, read the stories of the martyrs down through history. Here's this pattern, here's this pattern, here's this pattern. When all their assertions and all their propositions and all their arguments have been openly and clearly and conclusively defeated, What do they do next? What do we read next? The next thing we read is that Stephen's opponents cried out with a loud voice.

They tried to use the volume of their voices in unison to drown out the truth. That one man spoke. Have you noticed that in our time, how the opposers of truth think that if they could just get enough people proclaiming their indefensible positions loud enough, if we could get enough people to give our position, even though we know it's been refuted, it's been destroyed and rendered observed, if we could just get enough people to say it loud enough, maybe we can drown out the words of this man. Maybe we can prevail, but the truth always rises above lies. The truth is louder than the thundering chorus of lies.

The truth Stephen spoke rose above the volume of the loud and angry voices of the masses that were unable to deny the things he was saying. So what do they do next? Look at the text. So the next thing we read is that they they stopped up their ears. Imagine an obstinate, incorrigible, unruly toddler stomping his feet and putting his fingers in his ears because he he doesn't want to hear what his mom or dad or somebody else says.

This is the picture. They stopped up their ears. Just imagine them stomping their feet and yeah, you know what they'll do, right? Only it's not funny, is it? But the truth that he spoke kept cutting them to the heart and sawing through their inmost being.

And so, swallowed up with manifest guilt and knowing the effect those words were having on the people who were listening. It's a big part of it. Pride. All these people are hearing this. They all know we have no argument, no defense.

We can't refute anything that he's saying and everybody's hearing it and I can't stand it. It's not enough to just put your hands over your ears and stomp your feet and scream loudly with your voice. You know, a whole bunch of guys together doing that to try to drown out that person. It's not enough. We have a conscience, however seared it may be.

And enraged that they were unable to refute a single word he had spoken publicly, and knowing that everyone knew it too, They ran upon him with one accord and they cast him out of the city and they stoned him. They murdered him with the intent to forever silence him. That's the first Christian martyr. And they stoned Stephen calling upon God. And This has been the pattern of every Christian martyr martyrdom since.

Sitting under the tent where he was assumed to pass away, assumed to pass into the presence of God. This was the second question before the last. We were responding to a question about Jesus Christ. Someone had asked about, you know, the validity of Christ, and we hear these questions often, and he was taking that question, and was he a real person, that sort of thing, and he was giving his answer and in his answer, at the end of his answer, this is just minutes before He passed into the presence of the Lord. Speaking of Jesus, Charlie Kirk said, quote, He lived a perfect life.

He was crucified, died, and rose again on the third day. And he is Lord and God over all." Close quote. That's the gospel. Believe this and you will be saved. Everyone knows The last question Charlie Kirk answered before the shot heard around the world was about trans violence, as they call it.

It was a question about all the mass murders of men, women, and children, his children, committed by so-called transgenders. I don't use that word myself, but for the sake of communication here people who pretend to be the opposite sex and expect everyone around them to play pretend with them. Charles Kirk was, after answering that question and really in the middle of the answer that question, was then murdered in custody, a 22 year old homosexual living in a sodomitic relationship with another male who pretends to be a woman. There's a pattern since Stephen, the first martyr. Think about Charlie Kirk here.

When they heard, these are quotes from scripture we just read, the things he was saying. They were cut to the heart, cut through the heart. They gnashed on them with their teeth. They cried out with a loud voice. They stopped up their ears and unable to refute the things he said and unwilling to deal with the guilt of a God-given conscience, they resorted to murder, with the intent to forever silence the messenger.

But the messenger, you know, they've said it for so long, I've heard this since I was a child. You can kill the messenger, but you can't kill the message. But still they try. If we can just kill the messenger, then we'll destroy the message. We'll stop the message.

That's been resorted to ever since Stephen and it's always failed. The blood of the martyrs is the seedbed of the church. That's the way it's always been. The wicked never learn. They think in their hearts if we kill the messenger we can kill the message but the opposite always happens.

The opposite always happens. In the words of Charlie Kirk's wife Erica Kirk, Friday night, quote, you have no idea what you've just unleashed across this entire country of the world you have no idea what you have just unleashed across this entire country and the world you have no idea You have no idea the fire that you have just ignited within this wife. Cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry, those quote. And I think it's true And we've already begun to see evidence of that. The hits on the internet of videos and podcasts and all of Charlie Kirk are through the ceiling, through the roof, spreading like wildfire.

We could never learn. The fire that you've ignited is burning across the entire country of the world. You have no idea, she said. So as with Stephen, so it's been with the martyrs of history, and so it will be with the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk. The fire of Christian love and gospel proclamation, proclamation of the truth, ignited by his martyrdom, will burn hotter and spread faster now than ever.

We started and I'll end with Acts 20. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word. Oh Lord, let it be so. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together. It was an earth-shaking prayer.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness, with boldness. Brothers and sisters, as the fire continues to burn on earth, as the truth continues to go out, as the gospel continues to advance and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ advance, Remember that the messenger is in heaven, this messenger that we just lost. He's in the presence of his Lord, in the presence of our Lord in heaven, reaping the rewards of his labors on earth. Brief life is here our portion, we've sung the hymn before. Brief sorrow, short-lived care, the life that knows no ending, the tearless life is there.

Oh happy retribution, short toil, eternal rest, for mortals and for sinners, a mansion with the blessed. And martyrdom hath roses upon that heavenly ground, And white and virgin lilies, or virgin souls, abound. Their grief is turned to pleasure, such pleasure as below. No human voice can utter, no human heart can know. And now we fight the battle, but then shall wear the crown, Of full and everlasting and passionless renown.

And he whom now we trust in shall then be seen and known, and they that know and see him shall have him for their own. Now he watches struggle, now we live in hope, in Zion in her anguish with Babylon must cope. But there is David's fountain, a life in fullness glow, and there the light is golden in milk and honey flow. The morning shall awaken, the shadows flee away, and each true-hearted servant shall shine his death today. Their God our King in portion and fullness of his grace we then shall see forever and worship face to face." That's where Charlie Hurk is right now.

So we in the midst of our mourning and our grieving and sharing in the mourning and grieving of others can also rejoice. Our brother is in heaven with the Lord. Now, it's our turn. Let's pray. Oh, Father, we thank you, God, the eager expectation of our hearts, that we will be one day face to face with you Lord, In that dear land of rest, as the hymnist said, in the mercies of Christ brought to be with him, who is with the Father and the Spirit ever blest.

Oh Lord, We look forward to the end of the toil and the pain and the sorrow and the atrocities of this life. Lord, we also look forward to God to serve you in this life. Oh, empower us by your Spirit. Oh Lord, encourage us by your Word. Instruct us by your word.

Oh God, raise up 10, 000 in the place of Brother Charlie Kirk, who will stand for truth in whatever capacity and whatever realm they can stand. Lord, raise up 10, 000 and 10, 000 times 10, 000, Lord, who will speak the truth of your word and not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and proclaim liberty to those who are captive in sin. Lord, raise up thousands, oh God, for the glory of the name of your son, Jesus, for the advance of this kingdom. We pray him, amen. Amen.