The Church's First Martyr

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to church.

We are continuing our series in the book of Acts this morning. Going back to review, you’ll remember that we met the Deacon Stephen, who was one of the first group of men named as deacons to help with the distribution of food to the needy in the church.

Stephen ran afoul of the members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen in Jerusalem. These freed slaves seized Stephen and dragged him before the Sanhedrin Council of religious leaders in the temple.

Stephen began to tell these priests of the Sanhedrin the very same things that he had heard from Peter and the other apostles, That Jesus was the Messiah, killed at the hand of these same religious leaders.

He used religious language calling them stubborn people who put on a show of being holy, but actually being corrupt and unredeemed at their very core. He said that they were the same as their ancestors who persecuted God’s prophets. He blamed them for corrupting the Law and claimed that they murdered the long-awaited Messiah, when they had Jesus Christ crucified on a Roman cross.

This enraged the priests and drove them to act against him. We pick up the account in Acts 7:54...

Acts 7:54–60 CSB

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.

[pray]

This passage documents the first martyr of the Early Church—other than Jesus Christ, himself.

Even though we see mistreatment of the apostles and even saw the lengths that these religious leaders went to in order to see Jesus removed, it can be surprising to us to see this kind of activity happen to good people like Stephen at the inception of the Early Church

We sometimes are still surprised by this in our advanced and so-called, “enlightened” age today, where we can see attempted assassination and name-calling and cancel culture taking place in our political conversations. We also see shootings and bombings and hostages being taken and even murdered over politics or religion.

While we sometimes like to look at scripture and think to ourselves that we’ve moved beyond such behavior, we can still see it take place today and we know that humankind has not changed in 2000 years and cannot be changed through any means other than the grace of God.

Stephen experienced the glory of god and saw Jesus waiting to receive him into heaven.

I. Jesus Warned His Disciples of Persecution

This event sparked a great persecution among believers in Jesus Christ, who lived in Jerusalem. This great persecution scattered of the Jewish believers in Christ as they spread throughout the known world in their search to escape persecution.

Interestingly enough, Jesus had warned of this great period of persecution. He taught his disciples as he was preparing to send them out as missionaries in Matthew 10...

Matthew 10:16 CSB

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.

That’s a pretty stout warning for a group of first-time missionaries, isn’t it? He goes on to give them a warning of what they will experience...

Matthew 10:17–20 CSB

17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts and flog you in their synagogues. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.

Doesn’t this sound exactly like what we’ve been reading about in the Book of Acts, ever since the Day of Pentecost. We’ve seen these apostles, and now Stephen, standing up and challenging the religious leaders only to be brought before the courts and the synagogues.

This is exactly how it happened in the Synagogue of the Freedmen when Stephen spoke about Christ’s words regarding the Law and the Temple. They drug him before the tribunal court in the temple and levied charges against him.

Jesus was still with his disciples when he gave them the warnings in the book of Matthew though he refers to a time when the Spirit will speak through these apostles and missionaries (verse 19).

Jesus went on to describe the effect that this sort of trouble would have in families and in personal relationships.

Matthew 10:21–22 CSB

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

When Jesus said this, he was talking to his disciples that he was sending out on a missionary journey to parts of Israel. We have no record of any persecution that happened during this missionary trip. Which begs the question, Who was Jesus talking about when he talked about this persecution?

Additionally, Jesus speaks of a ministry to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish believers), but this trip in verse 10 was only to Israel.

Most scholars say that Jesus was using the event of this trip to prepare his believers for persecution that was to come repeatedly throughout the history of the church until his return. Jesus was not only talking to these disciples, who would become his apostles and found the church, he was preparing us for a time of impending persecution.

II. Response to Persecution

The event of Stephen’s death kicked off a persecution of Christians in Jerusalem and by the Roman government served to spread Christianity throughout Israel and into the known world.

When we look at the remainder of this speech, we can see a few simple reminders at the core of what Jesus was teaching his followers. I want to spend our time today looking at these simple responses to persecution.

A. Fear God More Than Men

First, Jesus reminded his followers to not fear men, but fear and respect God.

Matthew 10:26 CSB

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.

Simply put Jesus is saying here that we don’t need to be afraid of those who might persecute us. We should not be afraid of those who disagree with us or reject what we have to say when we are founded in Christ and sharing our faith.

I have told you before that it is often our family’s practice to offer prayer to waiters and waitresses who are serving us at a restaurant. It is not uncommon for us to encounter young people who don’t really know what to think when we offer prayer. In particular, they don’t know how to answer us when we ask them, “How can we pray for you?” I think many of them have never had anyone offer to pray for them before. Often we have to prompt them by asking them if they are in school or if they have a family at home. We have never, not even once, had someone tell us, “No, I’d rather you didn’t pray for me.” They may not know how to pray or how to ask for prayer, but they always appreciate the prayer, even if they don’t understand it.

There is no need to be afraid to engage others in these kinds of conversations or to have any fears that they might reject you or your offer to care for them spiritually.

This persecution that Jesus was addressing, was levels of measure beyond what we’re talking about here. Persecution is not simple rejection, but closer akin to physical harm or attack...

Matthew 10:28 CSB

28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus promises his believers that he will protect us like he protects the birds of the air, and should the Father allow some harm to come to us it will be part of his will and he will use it in his own ways...

Matthew 10:29–31 CSB

29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

IMPORTANT: Fear is a huge thing for Christians. It immobilizes you in your responsibilities to Christ and it is the primary tactic used by the enemy to take you out of the battle.

Fear of man

Fear of death

Fear of the enemy

Fear of abandonment

Fear of impoverishment

All of these things take the fight out of the warrior for Christ. And honestly, the enemy knows that. Jesus echoed clearly what God had been telling men since the very beginning: Do not be afraid for I am with you until the end (Matthew 28:20).

B. Acknowledge Christ

More than a mere reminder to fear God, Jesus went on to remind his followers that acknowledging him before others is an important part of our work as Christians...

Matthew 10:32 CSB

32 “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

This promise to be remembered before the Lord God, our Father in Heaven, is balanced by the warning against denying God...

Matthew 10:33 CSB

33 But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.

Jesus never promised us a rose garden. He knew that the life of serving him would be difficult. And, honestly he also knew that there were those who would fail to live up to their promises to follow him and obey him.

He warned of conflict and split families and split priorities.

Matthew 10:34–38 CSB

34 Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37 The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

It’s not unusual for family members to think poorly of other family members. Jesus experienced this with his family at the height of his ministry. The book of Mark talks about a time when Jesus was being pursued by the crowds early on in his ministry...

Mark 3:20–21 CSB

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

Jesus’ own family attempted to have him certified mad and possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul. This likely refers to his extended family as those who were closest to him knew of his birth and believed in his claim to be the Messiah.

I can recall extended family members that questioned my calling to go to Africa so many years ago to reach the people there with the message of Jesus Christ. I had an uncle in particular that openly challenged my decision to travel to Africa. I’m pretty sure that he thought I was crazy to make such a foolish journey.

But Jesus made a different kind of promise to those who would choose to follow him...

Matthew 10:39 CSB

39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.

More than knowing Christ, we have to claim him. More than claiming him, we have to know him. More than to knowing him, we have to be willing to give up our very lives to take radical steps to follow him and make his ways our ways.

Knowing and acknowledging Christ takes the power out of any fear that the enemy holds over us.

Did you know that Satan has no power over you?

C. Welcome the Prophet

Furthermore, Jesus gave a blessing for those who would bless the prophets, those who would carry God’s message to the world.

Jesus says that any time we are welcoming and hospitable to his prophet (or teacher or righteous person) we are earning rewards of righteousness...

Matthew 10:40–42 CSB

40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me, and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

Stephen was granted the opportunity to see Christ glorified before God, the Father at his right hand.

Even though he was stoned to death—this means he was literally pummeled by stones until he was dead—Stephen forgave his attackers, asked the Lord to forgive them and asked God to receive his spirit into eternity.

Stephen quoted Psalm 31 as the crowd of priests took out their rage against him.

III. Christ Remembers the Persecuted Saints

I believe that Jesus’ statements in his Missionary Discourse of Matthew 10 refer in some way to all Christians who have believed and acted on that belief throughout time. But I think they hold a special meaning for a time to come. I think they refer to the time of Great Tribulation that is to come before Jesus returns.

We call these people martyrs, which we get from the Greek word for “witness”. The Bible holds these persecuted witnesses in the highest regard.

We have proof that Christ continues to remember those who were persecuted for his name. The Apostle John reveals this to us in the vision of his visit with Christ.

John wrote in Revelations 20...

Revelation 20:4 CSB

4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

These faithful believers in Christ are the ones who endured and suffered for their faith. These are the ones who resisted the temptation to worship the beast, the one we know to be the Antichrist.

Scripture says that these believers will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years before the remainder are brought forth out of death.

I don’t want for this to veer off path into an end-time eschatology lecture. I merely want to point out that these faithful believers in Christ will be placed in a position of honor.

Conclusion

We as believers must be able to be tough-minded and tender-hearted as we stand against the opposition that is bound to come...

Matthew 10:16 CSB

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.

[pray]