Hidden In Plain Sight - Tim Timberlake

In this powerful message from Acts chapter 7, Pastor Tim unpacks Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin and reveals a timeless truth: God often hides His deliverers in plain sight. Through the lives of Moses, Joseph, Esther, David, Jesus, and others, we are reminded that being hidden does not mean being forgotten—it means being prepared. This message confronts idolatry, challenges political and cultural allegiances, and calls believers back to humility, repentance, and wholehearted devotion to Jesus alone.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, I'm Tim Timberlake, and I want to thank you so much for listening to the Celebration Church Podcast. I hope this message encouraged you, strengthened your faith, and gave you something you can carry into your week. If you'd like to stay connected, I encourage you to join us live every Sunday at 9 a.m. or eleven A.M. on YouTube. We would love to have you there. And if you're ever in the Jacksonville, Florida area, come see us in person. We have a seat saved for you. Thanks again for being with us. We're so grateful for you and see you next time. Acts chapter 7. Grab your word. Verse number 20 is where we're going to start. Want to welcome all of our family that are in the overflow. No matter what room you're in, the presence of God is here. You did not come to hear from a man, you came to hear from God. Amen. All of our family that are leaning in via celebration everywhere, all over the world. Thank you for joining us and being a part of this incredible family of God. For our first time visitors that are here, welcome to Celebration Church. Bless God for you. We're grateful for what Jesus is doing in our midst. I'm never going to take for granted what God is doing. And it never ceases to amaze me how he continues to send his sons and daughters from around the world to Jacksonville every single week. So thank you for being here. Whether you came from down the street, whether you came from the other side of the world. Thank you. Thank you.

unknown 1:44

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Acts chapter 7, beginning at verse number 20. It says it was at this time that Moses was born. And he was beautiful in the sight of God. He was nurtured for three months in his father's home. And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in speaking and in action. When he was approaching the age of 40, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. When he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. And as we continue through the Acts of the Apostles, today I want to title this text, Hidden in Plain Sight. Let's pray. We ask God that you would speak to us. We ask that you would move in this place. We ask that you would change things that need to be changed and deliver those that need to be delivered, set the captives free today. In the name of Jesus, we pray. And all that are grateful that He is still alive and well, one time, real loud, can you shout Amen?

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Amen and Amen. You can be seated.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

And for those that are just joining us on this journey through the Acts of the Apostles, this is Stephen talking to the Sanhedrin Council, standing on trial. He's not defending his life. He's testifying of the goodness of God, and he's testifying of the righteousness of Jesus. He doesn't give the Sanhedrin Council his opinion. He doesn't give them his mind. He doesn't give them his preference. He gives them scripture and he takes them from Genesis to Exodus, using some of the patriarchs and pillars in the Old Testament to remind them that they are repeating a cycle that has been going on for centuries at end. The cycle is this God's people are held captive. God sends a deliverer to set them free. They get free, they forget the deliverer that God sent, and they roam right back into captivity. And those that are being freed are being freed out of Egypt, and God's desires that Egypt would be delivered out of them. Stephan is teaching the Sanhedrin Council. You say that I'm blaspheming Moses, but you're doing the same thing that the children of God did to Moses after he delivered them. They turned their back on him and they forgot who the God of Moses was and they started worshiping false gods and false idols. You're doing the same thing right now to Jesus. You say you're waiting for the Messiah. The Messiah has come and you crucified him. And now his spirit is at work and you're rejecting the spirit of God. And Stephen is teaching the Sanhedrin Council that if you're not careful, you would do the same thing that got your people held captive for years and years and years when they did not need to be held captive. All they had to do was be obedient to the instructions that God gave them through the one that came to deliver them. Amen. And so this speech that Stephan is giving the Sanhedrin Counsel, it is not driven by politics, it is driven by spiritual diagnosis and a heart posture. And as we read this text today, one could think that I'm talking about politics, but I'm not. If you think that I'm talking about politics, you have idolized politics of your relationship with Jesus Christ. What I will speak about is the posture and the heart posture of men and women that are disconnected from Jesus. And so if that touches you and you feel convicted by that, I pray you identify your dire need for him. Amen. As we continue through the text, Acts chapter 7, it is not Stefan defending his policy or position, it is him defending the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he's doing so reminding the Sanhedrin Council that fear is driving their decisions. What fear is driving their decisions? The fear of losing power. And when there is a power at place that is fearful of losing that power, they turn people into problems. And image bearers become threats, and children become enemies. I just need you to understand this. I want you to look at me as I explain this to you. Jesus has never belonged to an agenda. It's okay if you don't talk to me, I'll talk to myself. Jesus has never belonged to an agenda. Agendas have always tried to belong to him. And whenever people use Jesus to justify hate, exclusion, or supremacy, they're not revealing Christ, they're recruiting him. Jesus is not a tool. He is our Lord and our Savior. And when Jesus becomes useful to our agenda, he stops being Lord and He starts becoming leverage. Just look straight ahead at me. It's gonna be alright, I promise you. And the Bible gives us clear instructions to speak truth in the face of injustice. Are you listening to me? Let's go back to the text and see what the text says. Verse 23 says, but when he was approaching the age of 40, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him. When he saw one being treated unjustly, he defended him. As Stephan is teaching this to the Sanhedrin Council, he never calls Pharaoh by name. He never calls out Caesar. For context, when we read this, we think Pharaoh is the name of the person in power. Pharaoh is not the name of the person in power. Pharaoh is the position this person holds. And so when Stephen is teaching the Sanhedrin Council, he's teaching them about the spirit that is possessing the person with the position. And he's teaching that this person missed it and they refused to repent. Okay, let us use this as an example of what God does to a people who remain unrepented. And they're no longer able to see what God is doing or hear what God is saying until they repent. Whether you did it or not. She was irate because of something that a volunteer did. And she was explaining to me what happened. She was emotional and she was getting kind of loud. I listened to her. I asked her what was the name of the volunteer. She didn't know what the name of the volunteer was. I asked her to explain what the volunteer looked like. She explained to me what the volunteer looked like. I apologized to her and I repented on behalf of the volunteer. I have no idea who the volunteer was. But this is what I know. That volunteer represents Celebration Church. And people are not going to leave this church and say, a volunteer hurt me. They're going to say, Celebration Church and Pastor Tim and Pastor Jen hurt me. And so that volunteer represents more than just that volunteer. I know that. So I asked her for forgiveness, although I did nothing wrong. I asked her for forgiveness, although I did not even know who the volunteer was. I asked her for forgiveness because God responds to repentance far faster than he will ever respond to pride. God is not asking you to double down on your stance to prove your point. God is asking you to be big enough to bow in repentance when it brings about the greater good for humanity. That's for all of us. If my mom could hear me from the fullness of my heart and posted something that was racist, I would get on the phone with her and I would say, you need to make a public apology for what you have done. I don't care who it is. Wrong is wrong. Racism is racism, and it will not be tolerated. This don't got nothing to do with politics. Don't got nothing to do with party lines. And if you think in red or blue or blue or red first, you have idolized politics over, hear me, the righteousness of God. So no matter which way you vote, wrong is wrong. And I'm not gonna duck no smoke according to the text. And if the gospel offends you, so be it. It is the gospel, whether you believe it or not. Scripture teaches us that we're supposed to speak scripture into injust situations and circumstances. I'm not talking to a person, I'm talking to a spirit. Are you listening to me? Don't get in the mud. Continue to fight the good fight of faith. What is the good fight of faith? The good fight of faith is reminder for the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. And Stefan is teaching the Sanhedrin Council this. He's telling them, hey, regardless of what you're trying to do to me, I'm gonna remain classy. I'm gonna remind you of what the word of God says. Not my opinion, not my perspective, not my preference, the word of God. He's reminding them that the bravest thing a leader can say is not, I meant no harm, but I was wrong. He's reminding them that repentance and turning away from the cycles and the things that you put in place that will eventually put you back in the same thing that your ancestors had to be delivered from is repentance. Repentance does not erase the past, but it redeems the future. What we have to understand as it pertains to Scripture is owning failure is not losing authority, it is re-anchoring it. And as we go through the text today, may we be reminded to stay humble. May we be reminded to keep the priority, the priority, and the little things, the little things. May we understand, no matter which way you vote, nationalism is not Christianity. Following Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus is, and there is nothing, hear me, that goes in the same sentence as that. Are y'all listening to me? I read in scripture what Stephen is teaching the Sanhedrin Council, and he's reminding them that when God saw Moses, he said something very specific, and he said something very, very important for us to look at. It was at this time that Moses was born and he was beautiful in the sight of God. This word beautiful is not talking about the outward appearance. This word beautiful comes from the Hebrew word tov, which means good. So when God saw Moses, he said, It is good. He is talking about his creation. This is the same word utilized in Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth and he finished after day seven and said, It is good. I need you to hear me when I tell you this. When God looks at you, he sees you as his creation and he declares over you and over your family, it is good. No matter what your skin tone is, no matter what your background is, no matter what your hair color is, no matter if you got glasses or you got contacts, no matter if you got hair, used to have hair, you buy your hair, it is good. It's good, it's good, it's good. And you need to be reminded of that today because society will tell you that because you are different, you are not good. You're not good enough. And you are because God made you. He said, Let us make mankind in our image. So you want to know what Jesus looks like? Look in the mirror. We sit over here arguing, was he black? Was he white? What did he look like? Look in the mirror. Because he should look like you and you should look like him. But it's hard to see what Jesus looks like when people meet you, they meet your preference and your politics before they meet him. Y'all don't want to talk to me. It's okay. I know it's tough, I know it's convicting, it's okay, it's okay. This is scripture. And it's sad we live in a day and a time where we have to define this person as a truth-teller. People say, Pastor Tim, he's a truth-teller. We should all tell the truth. But some of us can't because we're afraid of the fallout that happens from telling the truth. We're afraid of losing people and we're afraid of losing friends. And this person ain't gonna talk to me if I speak the truth. They're not supposed to be in your life, no way. You should be okay with the word of God convicting you.

unknown 17:16

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

You should be okay with the word of God cutting you and reminding you that you are not your own. You belong to the most high God. And when you belong to the most high God, he reminds you that when he sees you, he sees his good work. Stefan is teaching the Sanhedrin Council. A lot like what this room feels like right now. You need to be reminded, I'm not afraid of y'all. I'm not scared. Because when I get to the seat of judgment, God is not gonna ask me. Did you spare their feelings? He's gonna say, son, did you tell them what I told you to tell them? Did you tell them they're idolizing one country over another? Did you tell them they're worshiping a flag more than they worship me? Did you tell them they think they're better than other people because did you tell them? Did you tell them? Did you tell them? And hear me. If you searching them files more than you searching the word of God, you made those files in item. Y'all don't want to talk to them, it's okay. It's okay. It's all right. We're gonna be alright. Just keep looking straight ahead. We're gonna be just fine. I promise you. We're going somewhere. We're going somewhere. Point number one is this God hides his deliverers in plain sight. Why would God do this? So he can reveal what people truly worship. God hides his deliverers in plain sight so that he can reveal what people truly worship. Moses isn't hidden in a cave, he's hidden in the palace. And God does this all throughout scripture. Why? Because God is trying to prove a point. He wants you to see what you actually worship. In Exodus, he hit Moses in the palace. He was raised by Pharaoh. He was raised in the house of the oppressor, and he was raised in the very place that he would free his people from. This system designed to destroy Hebrew children, funded, educated, and protected Hebrews' future liberator. God hit Joseph in the prison to prepare him for the palace. He positioned him for power in the pit before people even realized who Joseph was. As a slave and as a prisoner in Egypt, God purposed him and he positioned him to prosper him for the betterment of his people and everyone that would come behind him. Joseph learned administration, discernment, and leadership long before influence, and he learned it in the pit, not in the palace. Why? Because God always hides his deliverance in plain sight. And what looked like delay was divine development. God hid Esther in plain sight. He hid her inside of a pagan empire in a beauty contest inside a godless place. Her proximity to power became the doorway to deliverance. And God will hide you in plain sight if you can remove your preference and your perspective and your politics and put his purpose and his priority at the forefront of your life. God hid Gideon in plain sight. He was hiding in a pit in fear. And God called him mighty warrior. He was hiding in the threshing blind press. And God hid him, not just in the wine press, but from his enemies. And God named him by his destiny, not by his condition. Why? Because God hides his deliverers in plain sight. God hides his deliverers, even if it's inside insecurity, because God sees who you're becoming and not who you're hiding. Y'all don't got to talk to him. It's okay. I'm gonna keep talking. God hit David on the side of a mountain as he was tending to the sheep, and he anointed him as king in the fields. He was a shepherd, but on the throne he was the king, because God hides his deliverers in plain sight. Israel's next king wasn't overlooked by God only by people. Because God hides kings where faithfulness matters most. Most of the time, faithfulness matters when no one else can see it. And if you have not already picked this up by scripture or by your own life, God hides deliverers inside of broken stories. Your past does not disqualify you from your current. God hid Sanemil inside of a dysfunctional house. He raised him around a corrupt religious system and inside Eli's dysfunctional priesthood. God elevated and raised Tanemail and God put it to the prophetic voice where leadership had failed. And this is what I've learned about God when I look at the life of Sanamiel. God put it to reformers inside of decaying institutions. Because God doesn't abandon broken systems, God sees seed on the inside of them and he put it to harvest when you cannot see it. Why? Because God has deliverers in plain sight. I got a little bit more for us as we continue to work through scripture. God hid me a mind in the palace with the corrupt king, and he became the cupbearer, and God hid him there and playing sight so that he could spare and save a generation coming beside him. So as he thought that he was only tasting wine, God was saying, Oh, tasting seed. That the Lord, God got to talk to him, and it's okay. Because what we have to remember is although we're in proximity of an earthly king, it is access that leads you to godly authority by your heavenly king. Because God has delivered in plain sight. John the Baptist he hid in the wilderness to prepare him to declare the works of the Lord and declare to the people repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand, and he kept them tucked away in the wilderness long enough to develop a boldness and a kingdom of thought and a confidence on the inside of him, so that when people saw him, they would not deter him based upon how he looked, and deter him based upon what they thought, and deter him based upon his diet, because scripture said he ate locusts and honey, which is a peasant's diet, but he stayed away long enough not to be deterred by what other people said about him because he heard the voice of God in the wilderness, because God hides his deliverers in plain sight, God hides deliverers in silence before he ever allows anyone to say anything about you. Because preparation, it often happens away from applause. God hit Jesus in plain sight. A conquered nation, an unremarkable town. God hid himself in flesh in plain sight. God's greatest deliverer arrived unrecognized, underestimated, and unnoticed. Simply put, God hid salvation in simplicity because God hides his deliverers in plain sight. God hid Paul in plain sight. According to Acts chapter 7 through 9, God used his education, his zeal, and his training for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, revealing to us that God hides deliverers inside of opposition. And sometimes the fiercest enemy can become the strongest advocate after they are repentant and turned away from their sin. Why? Because God hides his deliverers in plain sight. And today I believe God is hiding you in plain sight. Sometimes God hides you in an enemy system, he hides you in obscurity, he hides you in a broken home, he hides you in corrupt institutions, he hides you in fear, he hides you in silence, he hides you in weakness and he hides you in plain sight because deliverance is not about visibility, it's about readiness. And some of you are waiting to get ready so that God can reveal Himself in and through you. And God is saying, No, you need to be ready so that you don't have to get ready when I'm ready to reveal what I've done on the inside of it. And you're like, Well, God, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna wait on the Lord. I'm just gonna wait on the Lord. And God is saying, you need to be watchful while you wait, you need to be praying while you wait, you need to be preparing while you wait, so that when you get into your next, you're not preparing for your now. Why? Because God hides his deliverers. God will sometimes disguise deliverance to expose whether you want freedom or familiarity. God raised Moses in Pharaoh's house, and it forced Israel to confront how much Egypt still lives on the inside of them. Point number two is this deliverance often begins before the people are ready to recognize it. Moses acts at 40 long before Israel understands what God is doing. And Stephan says plainly, they did not understand. Which tells me God can anoint you before the crowd is able to interpret who you are. Being early can feel like being wrong when the people lack spiritual sight. Whenever you read the Old Testament and whenever you read some of the New Testament, every prophet died a false prophet. Are you listening to me? Because they did not see, and their generation did not see what God was speaking through them. And so they died false prophets. But the word of God came to life because the word of God never falls to the ground flat. It always produces, it always performs because it cannot return back into the heart of the Father if it does not do what he released it to do. And so I need you to hear me when I tell you this. There will be some things that you hear us say that seem like, I don't know, no, but that's far fest. It ain't gonna happen. And guess what? We may not see it in our generation, but the generation coming behind us will in fact see it because we are doing what God has called us to do, and we are saying what God has called us to say, and we'll continue to speak to into hard situations regardless of how we feel. And just because people don't recognize the move doesn't mean God didn't start it. This passage teaches us that many deliverers are rejected not for being false, but for being premature. False idols, blind people to God's actual deliverer. Have you ever noticed that whenever God chooses a person, people don't like it? And whenever people choose as a person, God doesn't like it. It's in the book. You read it. People wanted a king, they voted him, and God said, I had a better plan. There's a difference between God's perfect will and God's permissive will. I don't have time to explain it today, but I will tell you this be careful with who you put down and who you elevate. Because the people that you say you like, God may not. And the people you say you dislike, God may in fact have put them there to propel his purpose and plan in the earth. False idols blind people to God's actual plan and purpose. And Stephan is quietly telling the Sanhedrin Council, you missed Moses then, and you're missing Jesus now. And when idols are worshipped, deliverers are always misidentified. Did you hear what I said? When idols are worshiped, the deliverers are often misidentified. False gods promise safety, but still discernment. And if power becomes your idol, you'll crucify anyone who threatens it. And so I want to encourage you today. Stay hidden. Stay in the hand of the Father. Stay on purpose and stay in purpose and stop telling people what you think and start giving people the word of God. Why is that important? Because every generation, hear me, hear me. Every generation must decide whether it wants deliverance or dominance. I can't speak to every country because I don't stay in other countries, but I can't speak to this one because I stay here. Hear me. May we be never be known for our dominance. But may we be known as a people that God delivered and operate in humility and operate in peace and operate in unity. We may not agree on everything, and we shouldn't agree on everything, but we should be unified around one thing, and that is Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and He still reigns, and He still rules, and He's still the Alpha, and He's still the Omega, and as long as we remain hidden in Him, He will reveal Himself in and through us. At what point did you start believing the place that shaped you had the right to define you? This place does not define me. God defines me. I am not first an American, I am not first black, I am first a citizen of heaven, I am first a son of God, I am first a royal priesthood. This place does not define me. At what point did you start to believe that the place that shaped you has the authority to define you? When did rejection become proof of your disqualification instead of your preparation? When did it become proof that God had taken his hand off of you? When the rejection became your identity, when the rejection and people not being able to see what God had placed on you become what you identify yourself with. Rejection does not disqualify you. It did not disqualify Moses, it did not disqualify Jesus, it did not disqualify Paul, it did not disqualify Esther, it did not disqualify Joseph, it did not disqualify Jacob. It positioned them to be used in a greater way because people could not take the credit for what God could do. Remain hidden. Even if it means you remain hidden in rejection. And celebrate the fact that rejection means one season is ending and another season is beginning. Because rejection tells me that the season I am in is too small to hold me. Why didn't you assume that being hidden meant that God has forgotten you? Hidden does not mean abandoned. Hidden does not mean forsaken. Hidden does not mean forgotten. Hidden means that God is preparing you. You're not buried, you're planted. And God will keep you hidden long enough to reveal Himself in you in a greater way. So that when you are revealed, no one sees you. They see Him. The only reason we're talking about these patriarchs and matriarchs today is because they remain hidden long enough for God to remove them and allow His purpose and plan to proceed through them. Why did you assume that being hidden meant you were forgotten? Look at me. Stop crying over the people that could not see the greatness of God in and through you. If they close the door on you, celebrate. Because a closed door, it's direction to an open door. And if people close the door on you, it means the door was too small for God to use. Don't take on the identity of what people could not see in and through you. You remind yourself that God does his best work in hidden places. When did the system that tried to break you become the voice you trusted over God? You said, well, Pastor, I don't trust that voice. Yes, you do. Because you repeat it. And any voice you repeat, you start to believe. Why? Because as human beings, we are only committed to our confession. Did you catch that? That's why when you get married, the pastor says, Do you have vows? And you look at each other with goo-goo-gaga eyes, and you say, through sickness and health, good times and bad, until death does us apart, you are confessing. Why? Because you're only committed to your confession. That's why when you receive salvation, you confess your sins to the only one that can remove them out of your life. That's why when you get baptized, we ask you, have you confessed that Jesus Christ is your Lord and personal Savior? And you say yes, and we respond, upon your confession, we now baptize you. Because you're only committed to your confession. So if you don't believe the voice, don't repeat and confess it.

unknown 37:46

So good.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

You are only held prisoner to the prison you believe you're stuck in. And some of us believe the words that have been given to us and said to us and spoken to us by people who did not have the authority to put you in that prison cell, but you gave them the authority because you believe their words over the words of God. And so what you must understand is that false idols blind people to God's actual deliverer. How does this tie into today? Ideology, political parties, cultural narratives have become modern altars. And when those are protected at all costs, truth becomes negotiable, and deliverers become enemies. And Stefan is teaching the Sanhedrin Council a timeless truth. You can quote scripture and still resist God. You can honor past moves by rejecting present ones. And you can hate oppression and still cling to your idols. And so my encouragement for us today is that God would keep us hidden and plain sight until he prepares, he educates, he plans, and he gives us the purpose that he desires for us to carry out in the earth until he calls us home. By your hands. Close your eyes. If you're here today and you know you need to repent because you made idols out of things that God never intended to become an idol in your life. If you identify yourself with anything before son and a daughter, if you identify by your zodiac sign. You identify by your politics, by your skin tone, by whatever it may be. Before you identify yourself as a believer, a son and a daughter of God, there's no better opportunity for you to return to his heart. To ask for forgiveness. Whether you're in this room, whether you're in the overflow, whether you're watching online. Get it right today. Heads bowed, eyes closed. If you need salvation, you need to repent. I want you to stretch both hands to heaven right now. Stretch your mind. Repeat this prayer after me, Lord Jesus. I repent for my sin. And I ask you to forgive me. Cleanse me from my unrighteousness. Wash me and make me new. Take out of me everything that is not like you. I ask you for forgiveness. And I thank you for grace. Your mercy. Your steadfast love and kindness. Thank you for this opportunity to return back home. Right now. I confess that you are my Lord. You are my master. And I believe within my heart of hearts that you and you alone are my Savior. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. And amen. How many are glad for salvation?