A Reason For Our Hope

Acts 6 & 7

There are so many throughout the history of the church of Jesus Christ, that have given their lives in the service of their Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The main idea for them was that the Gospel message was worth dying for and they lived out their lives as Paul did Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

I love this quote from a western: “There are certain things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.”

That is certainly true for many servants of Christ that was killed for Jesus’ Name sake! Except dying to a Christian is gain!

The boldness these had and hopefully we still have comes from the power of God, through His Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit gives us the confidence and hope that is reality!

Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this Gospel is the TRUTH and in It reveals the POWER of GOD which is LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY!!!!

That brings us to the life of Stephen........we will begin at his intro into the history of the church of Jesus Christ.

Acts 6:1-15.........

Important parts of this chapter, to understand the reason for Stephen’s hope.......verse 3, they chose men filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom........

All of the men chosen were full of faith and by that they were filled with the Holy Spirit!

Spurgeon said this of Stephen............“Although the onerous duty of serving tables might well have excused him from other service, we soon find him, full of faith and power, doing great wonders and miracles among the people;.......”

The fulness of the Spirit affects all areas of life, not just speaking boldly.

Stephen presented all of the attributes of the Spirit, which main function is to reveal Christ!

However, just like Jesus told the disciples, the Jewish leaders rose up against him because of His declaration of Jesus Christ!

John 15:18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.”

Spurgeon spoke again of Stephen’s service: “........and not even content with that, we see him defending the faith against a synagogue of subtle philosophical deniers of the truth. These, with their allies, made the valiant deacon the object of their attack, and he at once rose to be an irresistible witness for the gospel. Stephen the deacon became Stephen the preacher. This holy man not only used such gifts as he had in one department, but having abilities for a more spiritual form of service, he laid them at once upon the altar of Christ..........

As Stephen went right amongst the most stubborn the “hyper-religious” in the synagogue.

The were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit which was speaking through Stephen!

You can do 2 things when presented with this powerful Spirit of truth......

You can hate it

You can love it

They dragged him away and brought Stephen before the council and accused him.

One of the most amazing things is that when they had him before the council and was accusing him, verse 15 tells us that they were all looking at him and Stephen’s face was like an angel......

One writer wrote about Stephen’s face: “Pure, calm, unruffled, composed, reflecting the presence of God!”

Then the high priest ask Stephen..... “Are these things so?”

Basically...... “How do plead?”

He began the greatest defense of the truth of God throughout the history of the earth!

He gave a masterful, detailed defense of the Christian faith from the OT and concluded by condemning the Jewish leaders, for rejecting Jesus!

Let’s skip this detailed defense......(read it later) and let’s look at his condemnation of the religious leaders....

Verses 51-53.......stiff-necked and uncircumcised heart and ears......

uncircumcised heart and ears, not willing to hear and believe the truth

They cannot separate themselves from the world!

So much so they continue to resist the Holy Spirit....which these leaders have rejected Christ and their fathers have rejected and killed the prophets of old the prophesied of Christ as the Messiah!

Lastly we read of his martyrdom.......verse 54-60........they were so angry that they were gnashing their teeth like animals.......what did they hate so much???

They were wrong and they were exposed or they loved their lie and wasn’t willing to give it up?????

It got worse.....in the fullness of the Spirit........a comfort for us that when we stand for the truth and present the Gospel, the Lord will be with us.....

The Heavens opened up and Stephen saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s Right Hand.....

Jesus is normally through Scripture pictured sitting at God’s Right Hand, but now He is standing as He is receiving Stephen.

Stephen declared what he saw...........this enraged the council more.....they drove him out of the city and stoned him

Laying their robes at Paul’s feet.......which Acts 8:1 says that Paul was in hearty agreement with the councils killing of Stephen!

Spurgeon also said about Stephen: “Nor is this all, he had a higher promotion yet—when he had thus become Stephen the wise apologist and brave defender of the faith, he did not stop there, but he mounted to the highest rank of the Christian army; he gained the peerless dignity, the foremost nobility, the brightest glory—I mean the martyr’s name and honour. Stephen the deacon is first Stephen the preacher, and afterwards Stephen God’s faithful and true witness, laying down his life that he may seal his testimony with his blood....” .Charles Hadden Spurgeon

Lord Jesus receive my spirit......standing to receive one His faithful!

One other thing, from this circumcised heart of Stephen, you take on the heart of Christ and he asked the Lord to not hold their sin against them........

The greatest truth ever told.....the forgiveness of our Father through His Son!

In the heart of tomorrow’s day that is set aside to remember sacrifices made in defense of our country.....let us also remember the reason, most importantly remember Stephen and all others who gave their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.....

1 Peter 3:12-22.........Stephen had a reason for his hope whether as a follower, deacon, minister, even in death, he had a reason and the was Jesus Christ, who also suffered for the unjust......The Just For The Unjust!