Stephen, The First Christian Martyr: Part 3

Introduction

Main Point of the Text (MPT)

If you will, please open your Bibles to Acts 7.

Stephen, one of the seven chosen to be in charge of the tasks of serving tables (Acts 6:5), a man who had a good reputation, who was full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, full of grace, and full of power (Acts 6:3; Acts 6:8) was performing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).

At the beginning of Acts 6, we learn that during this time a group called the Synagogue of Freedmen, a synagogue comprised of Cyrenian, Alexandrian, Cilician, and Asian Jews who were once in slavery but had been set free, rose up and began to argue with Stephen (Acts 6:9) which led to Stephen being dragged away and brought before the Council (Acts 6:11-14), of which he accused of:

Speak blasphemous words against Moses (Acts 6:11).

Speak blasphemous words against God (Acts 6:11).

Speaks against this holy place, holy place being the temple (Acts 6:13).

Two weeks ago we took a look at the first 7 verses of Stephen’s Defense where he began to answer the high priests question of “Are these things so?” (Acts 7:1) by:

First, establishing common ground with his audience by calling them brethren, due to him being a former Jew, and fathers, showing them respect as leaders of the Jewish people (Acts 6:2).

Second, Stephen would begin the first part of his defense by summarizing Abraham’s story (Acts 6:3-7), showing how God’s plan of redemption started with Abraham.

I mentioned that the flow of Stephen’s defense will be this: Abraham > Joseph > Moses (Joshua) > Temple (David and Solomon) > Murderers of Jesus

Today, we have arrive at Stephen’s second part of his defense, his retelling of the story of Joseph from the OT, of which, I will touch on, but for your personal reading, I will encourage you to go home and read his story that can be found from Genesis 37-50, it’s worth reading.

As he was with the retelling of Abraham’s story, with Joseph’s story he is responding to the accusation of him speaking blasphemous words against God as he continues to speak to his Jewish audiences history, showing that God has been orchestrating His plan of redemption since Abraham and as we will see today as we compare Joseph’s story to Jesus’, that God’s redemptive plan can even be seen through the lived experiences of this prominent OT character that the Jews revered.

And so, if you are able, let’s stand as we read what Stephen said to the Council concerning Joseph.

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:8-16

Main Point of the Sermon (MPS): Joseph is a type of Jesus: the rejected Jesus.

We will support this by looking at 7 ways Joseph’s story was like Jesus’.

Prayer

Body

Comparison 1: Part of a Chosen People

Scripture:

Acts 7:8 “And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Explanation:

As Acts 7:8 informs us, to Abraham was given the covenant of circumcision.

This covenant was established in Genesis 17:10, that every male among you (Abraham and his descendants) shall be circumcised.

The circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham marking them as God’s chosen people, but anyone who was not circumcised was cut off from God’s chosen people (Genesis 17:11-14).

So, just as Abraham would be circumcised marking him as someone who was apart of God’s chosen people, so would his son Isaac on the eighth day after his birth just as God had commanded (Genesis 17:12), then Jacob, and so would Joseph and his eleven brothers, the twelve patriarchs of Isreal, the sons of Jacob.

This covenant of circumcision would continue, even with Jesus, being a Jew himself in the lineage of Abraham, as Luke informs us in his Gospel, Luke 2:21 tells us, “And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

Since Jesus was Jew living under the law as a child, he would have been circumcised just like any other Jewish child.

In fact, His mother Mary, before returning to Nazareth after presenting Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:22-38), would ensure that they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord before returning home (Luke 2:39).

Jesus, just like Joseph was considered to be one of God’s chosen people, a Jew, an Israelite, just like those who would eventually seek to take His life.

Comparison 2: Sold for a Price and Handed Over Due to Envy

Scripture:

Acts 7:9 “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt...”

Explanation:

Verse 9 reminds us that after Joseph’s brother had became jealous of him that they sold him into Egypt.

This story can be found in Genesis 37, as we learn that out of the twelve sons of Jacob, it was Joseph that Jacob loved more than the rest, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a bvaricolored tunic (Genesis 37:3).

If that wasn’t enough to be hated by then, Joseph went and had multiple dreams where he basically told them they were going to bow down to him, which caused them to hate him more (Genesis 37:5-11).

This would lead them to plot against him to put him to death, but they would ultimately decide against killing him and settle with throwing him in a pit, leaving him there, where eventually some Midianite traders would find him, pull him out of the pit, and sell him to a caravan of Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver (Genesis 37:18-28).

Jesus would to face the same fate, when in Matthew 26, Jesus’s own people, Jews just as He would plot to kill Him, as Matthew tells us that the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him (Matthew 26:3).

But it would eventually be Judas, one of Jesus’ own, out of his twelve disciples, twelve patriarchs, had to connect the two there, but Judas, would betray Jesus for just thirty pieces of silver (Genesis 26:14-19), leading them to His location in the Garden of Gethsemane so that they could arrest him (Matthew 26:47-56).

And it would be Pilate who would eventually see the reason Jesus had been brought to him and placed on trial when in Matthew 27:18 it tells us that Pilate knew that it was due to the Jew’s envy, their jealousy, that they, the Jewish chief priests and elders, had delivered Jesus to him. They wanted Jesus dead.

Comparison 3: Sentenced to Death, but Rescued From It

Scripture:

Acts 7:10a “Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions...”

Explanation:

Despite Joseph’s brothers attempt to rid themselves of Joseph, not really knowing what had happened to their brother as they had left him in the pit and upon returning to it Joseph was gone (Genesis 37:29), the beginning of verse 10 tells us, “Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions...”.

Because God would place Joseph right where He wanted Him to be as in Genesis 39 we learn that the Ishmaelites would sell Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, allowing him to become a successful man for the Lord was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2). Then, the Lord would put into place the perfect sequence of events that would allow him to one day meet the Pharaoh.

God would do the same for Jesus, as the Jewish crowd would call for Jesus to be crucified, Pilate handing Him over to the crowd, Jesus would then be taken, be mocked, be beaten, be nailed to a cross and crucified on that skull shaped hill called Golgotha (Matthew 27:33-56).

But just like Joseph, God wasn’t done with His Son just yet, as Jesus would be buried in a tomb with a large rock against it’s entrance (Matthew 27:60).

Three days would come and go, when two women would arrive at the tomb only to find that His body wasn’t there, for He was alive (Matthew 28).

But it wasn’t Jesus who was the only one who had been rescued, it was us as well.

Comparison 4: Rejected by His Own People, but Accepted by Gentiles

Scripture:

Acts 7:10b “...and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt...”

Explanation:

As Joseph’s story continues, Joseph ends up getting imprisoned where he hears and interprets the dreams of a cupbearer and a baker (Genesis 39-40:23). This would eventually lead him interpreting one of the Pharaoh’s dreams as the cupbearer would eventually remember him, two years later (Genesis 41:1), yes, you need to go read to find out what I mean by that, that dang cupbearer...

Joseph would interpret one of Pharaohs dreams that no one else was able to interpret, where he would give the Pharaoh dire advice to overcome the famine they were about to experience in Egypt (Genesis 41:14-37). The Pharaoh’s, a Gentile, as he was not a Jew, his next actions would show his acceptance of Joseph as a man of God.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, Jews would constantly reject His claims of being the Messiah, the very claims that led to His death.

Many Gentiles though, the women at the well (John 4), the Centurion (Matthew 8; Luke 7), being a few examples, and many other Gentiles would come to belief in Christ throughout His earthly ministry.

Even after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, many, not all, but many Jews would continue to reject Jesus, thus why Stephen was on trial himself for claiming that Jesus was the Messiah.

But as we will see, with Stephen’s death would be the catalyst to the Gospel message being spread past Jerusalem, beginning in Acts 8, where many Gentiles would come to faith in Jesus Christ.

God’s kingdom would extend past His chosen people where all people, Jew and Gentiles alike, you and I, would get a chance to experience eternal life with Him by accepting the name of Jesus.

Comparison 5: Humbled, then Exalted

Scripture:

Acts 7:10c “...and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.”

Explanation:

Following Joseph interpreting the Pharaoh’s dream, the Pharaoh knew that Joseph had a divine spirit that he could find in no one else, so he made placed him over his house, giving him the authority to command all his people, with only himself being considered greater than Joseph, making him governor over Egypt (Genesis 41:38-49).

Joseph had been humbled, once living the great life as his father’s favorite son, to being thrown in a pit by his brothers, sold to Potiphar in Egypt, imprisoned, and forgotten.

But it would be God, who after allowing Joseph to be humbled, would exalt him to the second most powerful person in all of Egypt where he would eventually get the chance to reconcile with his brothers.

Christ too, was humbled and exalted, as Philippians 2:5–11 tells us, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

It wasn’t man who humbled Jesus, it was He who allowed Himself to be humbled so that He might become like us, 2 Corinthians 5:21 telling us, that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Like who would do that?

Who would go to that extreme for someone like me?

Only He could and He did.

Comparison 6: Rejected the First Time, Accepted the Second

Scripture:

Acts 7:11–13 “Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh.

Explanation:

Joseph’s dreams may have been rejected by his brothers the first time as their hate for their brother would never allow them to see a world in which they bowed down to him, but little did they know, God had other plans, as verse 11 tells us the famine finally arrived over all Egypt and Canaan.

Due to Joseph’s wisdom, of which, God had granted him, Egypt would have grain after Joseph had put into place a way for them to store grain for when the famine arrived.

Jacob would hear of their grain and send his eleven sons to get some (Genesis 42), some stuff would go down that would eventually lead them to visiting Joseph in Egypt a second time, you need to read the story to get the deets (Genesis 42-44), but during this second visit Joseph would reveal himself as governor of Egypt to his brothers and Joseph would disclose his family to Pharaoh (Genesis 45).

Joseph was rejected the first time by his brothers, but this time, as governor of Egypt, the position in which God had placed him, there was no rejection as without him, his father and his brother’s families would starve.

This time they had no option but to accept him for who his dreams so long ago said he would be, someone they would bow down too.

Just as Joseph, Christ to was rejected the first time, being put to death after claiming He was the long-awaited Messiah, but the second time He comes, rejection will not be possible, because when he comes back, this is how God’s Word tells us he will rule when he returns, Revelation 19:15–16 says that from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

When He comes back, He comes to rule and take back what belongs to Him, all those who have believed in Him and I do not say this to scare you, but because it is truth from God’s Word, but for those who haven’t accepted Him, as Jude tells us, He comes to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him (Jude 1:14-15) as all those whose name’s are not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

With Jesus’s second coming comes acceptance, because there will be no denying that He is the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16) as Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, tormented for all of eternity (Revelation 20:10), and the victory is His!

Comparison 7: Was Wronged, But Forgave

Scripture:

Acts 7:14-16 “Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

Explanation:

As the worship team comes...

The beauty of Joseph’s story is the ending when he sends word and invites Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

It was Joseph who had been wronged by his brothers, but it would also be Joseph who would forgive them as well.

In the end, Jacob would go down to Egypt and be reunited with the son he thought he had lost, he would finish out his life there and so would Joseph’s brothers as with Joseph’s forgiveness came hope, a future that would lead to a long life where under their brothers authority, they would be able to live out the rest of their lives.

With our sin, we have wronged Jesus, it is us who helped deliver Him to the cross as it was our sin that placed Him there, but it was Jesus’ forgiveness, his want to sacrifice himself that we can have hope, a hope rooted in Him, a hope for a future beyond this sometimes beautiful, but sometimes dreadful life we have, and it this hope that we must continue to fight each and everyday.

Whether you believe it or not, your eternity with Christ begins when you accept Him and each and everyday we must fight against our flesh, against the world, and against Satan and his demons, because there is a war going on and my friends, you are on the front line, but with Jesus you will find victory for the war has already been won and the end has been written!

Altar Call