Sermon Tone Analysis

Main Idea

Demonstrate your knowledge of the truth

I want to begin today with a quick bit of Bible trivia.

Of all the characters in the book of Acts, who delivered the longest sermon?

Though we have seen Peter deliver multiple sermons, and we know Paul could get longwinded, Stephen is actually the one who gave the longest speech on record.

Nearly all 60 verses of chapter seven are Stephen’s words (verses 2-53, 56, 59-60, to be precise).

As a friend often says about scripture, “There is much meat on the bone, and we don’t want to leave any behind.”

I aim to present you with three giant drumsticks representing Stephen’s sermon.

We will take big bites together on Sunday, but you must chew on it during the week to digest and benefit from it.

Passage

Outline

I - Events of Abraham

II - Events of Joseph

Throughout Stephen’s sermon, he references parts of Israel’s history, and in doing so, he builds two bridges and rotates through three rhythms.

We will see it today, and we will see it in the coming weeks as we work our way through his monologue.

BRIDGES

1. Savior bridge.

God’s leaders from history point to Christ.

2. Resistor Bridge.

The opposition to God’s leaders points to Stephen’s accusers.

RHYTHMS

1. God acts and provides wherever his people are.

2. The Israelites are prone to reject God’s established leaders.

3. God is in control of historical events.

Keep in mind that Stephen was accused of two major sins: Blaspheming Moses and God, and this was done primarily through speaking against the Temple and the Law (paired with its customs).

As we work through his defense, I want you to put yourself in the position of his accusers.

Pretend you are the one hurling accusations at him… You are seated among the Sanhedrin… you are the one who is trying to uphold the correct view of God and His law.

Then, as we go along, try and follow Stephen’s logic and see if his defense would persuade you.

I - Events of Abraham

Off to a good start

Remember how Stephen had a good reputation and followed Peter’s advice (that he would eventually write down) to honor Jesus as holy… be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you… and do it with gentleness and respect?

We see that very clearly in the way he begins his discussion.

He doesn’t point a finger and accuse his accusers.

He doesn’t spew vitriol the way it was thrown at him.

He addresses the Council by saying, “Brothers & fathers.”

He opened up with an acknowledgment of their unity in the Jewish faith/culture and their leadership (fathers likely referring to their leadership positions and not their status as literal fathers over their families).

The guy just had class.

The God of Glory

Once he addressed the Council, he opened his monologue by speaking about the God of glory.

Indeed, this description of the one true God would have delighted everyone.

God’s glory was of utmost importance to everyone present, and speaking of it would likely have summoned a host of miraculous deeds to mind.

But this was also likely a reference to Psalm 29, which is the only other place in scripture where this term is used, and it is a majestic Psalm that ascribes great power, honor, and glory to the God of Israel:

Psalm 29 (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

11 May the Lord give strength to his people!

May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Remember, Stephen was accused of blaspheming God, so he wisely began his talk by accurately referencing and portraying the God they said he was blaspheming.

Hopefully, now, he has positively captured their attention.

From here, Stephen will launch into a historical overview, from Genesis to Isaiah, applying to the present-day leaders.

What we are about to witness is Stephen’s wisdom in full form.

He brilliantly lays out his case succinctly and accurately without once mentioning himself.

Because, again, he wasn’t concerned about his well-being but about the proclamation of the gospel.

The Call of Abraham

And he begins with the Father of the Faith: Abraham.

Stephen launches into a summary of God’s promises and covenant with Abraham.

These events were the inception of the nation of Israel.

First, God called Abraham from Ur and Haran to a land promised to him.

At the moment of the call, Abraham didn’t know where he was going.

This was an incredible act of faith on his part, trusting in a sovereign God.

The initiation of God’s covenant people happened outside of Jerusalem because God acts and provides wherever his people are.

He doesn’t just operate in the Holy Land.

That is easy to see here since the Israelites were not yet given the promised land, but the truthfulness of the idea begins here.

The first leader displayed the proper standard of faith

Eventually, the promised land would be given to the Israelites, but Abraham was not given a single foot’s length of that land.

He had no inheritance or land there.

Rather, it was for future generations that God promised Abraham would produce, despite the reality that he had no offspring at the time.

The nation that would bear God’s name was planted in the fertile soil of faith in a sovereign God who controls human history.

There were genuine barriers to the promises of God.

There was a far-off land to possess and an entire nation of people that didn’t yet exist and would seemingly never exist due to Abraham and Sarah’s barrenness in their old age, and yet, Abraham never wavered in his faith.

That faith would be stretched as God predicted 400 years of mistreatment for Abraham’s descendants in a foreign land before they would enter into the Promised Land.

Isn’t it interesting that God would establish and plan blessings and suffering?

Before this came to pass, God knew it, ordained it, and planned it for a purpose.

He would be the great deliverer of His people and ultimate judge over their oppressors.

Upon their deliverance, God would give them their promised inheritance and be worshiped as they enter into that promise.

It foreshadows what this same God would do thousands of years later through the incarnation of Jesus and die on the cross for the sins of his new covenant people.

God’s covenant of circumcision

That was the promise given to Abraham, and it was sealed through the covenant of circumcision.

This was the outward sign that every Jewish male belonged to God.

Even though Abraham had a son - Ishmael - through Hagar (Sarah’s servant), the promised son would be conceived through the covenant of circumcision.

This was yet another sign that despite human shortcomings, God was in control of the future of His people.

And the child born after the covenant of circumcision was Isaac, who was also circumcised according to the custom God established.

Isaac was the father of Jacob, and from Jacob came the 12 Patriarchs (or tribes of Israel).

This covenant will come up again, so be sure to tuck it away in the back of your mind.

What does it mean?

Now that Stephen has given an accurate historical account of Abraham, you might be asking yourself, “Okay, that is great, but what does it mean?”

1.

First, Stephen shows the religious leaders that he is not blaspheming God.

It is clear from Abraham’s story that God was in control and directing Abraham (spiritually and logistically), establishing a covenant with him, supernaturally giving him offspring, establishing an inheritance to his offspring after a period of hardship, and judging their oppressors.

Stephen was faithful to the scriptures and his representation of God, and even quoted three passages in this first section (v. 3, 6, & 7).

2. Secondly, he showed them God works anywhere.

Through Abraham’s story, Stephen explains how God is not confined or obligated to operate from a single building or city like the temple in Jerusalem.

He is with his people wherever they are.