Stephen, The First Christian Martyr: Part 4

Introduction

Main Point of the Text (MPT)

If you will, please open your Bibles to Acts 7. Again, let me speak…Let the story of Moses tell of His plan. That’s what Stephen is doing, so that is what I feel called to do as well.

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).

Last week we looked at how Joseph was a type of Jesus, that being, the rejected Jesus.

This week we will move on to Stephen’s next type of Jesus, Moses.

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 third 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 begins in Exodus 2 and ends in Deuteronomy 34 with his death, just like Joseph’s, it’s worth reading.

With Abraham’s and Joseph’s story he was responding to the accusation of him speaking blasphemous words against God as he continued to speak to his Jewish audiences history, showing that God has been orchestrating His plan of redemption, with Moses’s story it is no different, but that he is also responding to another one of the accusations that was made against him, the accusation that he was speaking blasphemous words against Moses.

Today, due to this passage of Scripture being lengthy, I will ask that you please follow along in your Bibles as we make our way through the text.

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:17-40

Prayer

Body

Moses’ story, per Stephen’s defense, can we broken into 40 year spans where in each one he plays a different role, a different type of Jesus:

First 40: Moses, the Designated (Acts 7:17-22)

Second 40: Moses, the Defender (Acts 7:23-29)

Third 40: Moses, the Deliverer (Acts 7:30-35)

Fourth 40: Moses, the Discarded (Acts 7:36-40)

First 40: Moses, the Designated

Scripture: Acts 7:17–22

Explanation:

First 40: Moses, the Designated, was God’s chosen one to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt and so as we look at our Scripture for today we will see how God puts Moses where He needed him to make that happen.

As Verse 17 begins, Stephen transitions to Moses’ story as he successfully finished defending himself against the accusation of blaspheming God, to now defending the accusation made against him of blaspheming Moses, by first mentioning the covenant between God and Abraham:

Stephen last statement in his section on Joseph ended with him telling us of where Jacob and his sons had died and been buried (Acts 7:15-16).

He then uses the word “but” to transition to his section on Moses, he says, “But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.”

By this time, the twelve patriarchs were dead (Hebrews 11:13), the number of Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, living in Egypt had increased and multiplied, being content there, they had not returned to the land God had promised them, but the time God’s promise to Abraham had arrived, and thus He sovereignly orchestrated a series of events to begin moving Isreal out of Egypt:

First, there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph (Exodus 1:8), Exodus tells us that he believed the people of the sons of Israel were more and mightier than them and so, to “deal wisely” with them, so that if war came they would not be join together with others who hate them (Exodus 1:9-10).

Second, Stephen tells us that this Pharaoh was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers.

Their solution to “deal wisely” with the Israelites were to make them slaves as the Pharaoh would appoint taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor, but God would not allow that to act against His promise to Abraham as Exodus tells us, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel” (Exodus 1:12).

Third, to deal with this problem he would expose their infants and they would not survive.

He did this by instructing the Hebrew midwives to put to death any male that was born and allow the females to live (Exodus 1:16).

But fearing God more than him, they did not do as he commanded them to do, but instead would allow them to live, causing the Israelites to multiply and become very mighty and so as a last ditch effort he instructed that every male who is born to be cast into the Nile (Exodus 1:17-22).

Fourth, the one who God’s designated for the job of taking Isreal out of Egypt would be born, as Stephen tells us, “It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, Exodus calls him beautiful (Exodus 2:2), and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home.”

Fifth, Moses could be hid no longer (Exodus 2:3), some versions tell us he was exposed, so his mother got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile (Exodus 2:3).

But after he had been set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son, imagine trusting in God this much.

It was through Jochebed’s trust in God, that the child Moses, the one God had designated to take Isreal out of Egypt would land in the arms of the Pharaoh’s daughter, that instead of killing him, would nurture him as her own son, God never ceases to amaze me.

Sixth, and lastly, God would ensure Moses was prepared for his journey, because as the Pharaoh’s daughter raised him, he would be educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and not only that but he had grown into man of power in words and deeds.

From a wicker basket to an educated man of power in words and deeds, God was preparing Moses for what was to come as...Stephen, then moves into Moses’ next 40 years...

Second 40: Moses, the Defender

Scripture: Acts 7:23–29

Explanation:

As we continue to unravel God’s sovereignly orchestrated series of events of how he moved Isreal out of Egypt, Moses’ Second 40: Moses, the Defender, Stephen would tell of a tougher time in Moses’ story where one decision would cause him to be pushed out of Egypt, but do not lose focus, even this is apart of God’s plan.

As Verse 23 inform us, as Moses was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

Scripture doesn’t tell us why, but for some reason after 40 years of living in Egypt he decided to finally go visit his brethren, I chalk it up to God putting the thought in his mind.

The next part of this story can be found from Exodus 2:11-25, as during his visit he saw one of his brethren being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

Moses would go out the next day, supposing that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand, seeing two Hebrews fighting, seeking peace, he would ask them, “Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?”, but the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed Moses away asking, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?”.

The Pharaoh would seek to kill Moses, but Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he would sit down by a well (Exodus 2:15).

But even as an alien God would provide for Moses, as he would send the daughters of a Midian priest to draw water at that well, where Moses would defend them against a group of shepherds causing him to find favor in the priest’s eyes and after Moses deciding to dwell with him, he would give his daughter Zipporah to be his wife, of whom, he would father two sons with (Exodus 2:16-25), but meanwhile, God’s Word tells us in Exodus 2:23-25, that the Pharaoh had died, but that the Israelites were still in bondage and He heard their groanings, being reminded His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it says He took notice of them.

From a wicker basket to an educated man of power in words and deeds, to a defender of his people, to being rejected by his people, to being forced to flee for his life, to now being an accepted alien in a foreign land having two children of his own…what would God’s plan have next for Moses as Stephen’s moves to into his next for years...

Third 40: Moses, the Deliverer

Scripture: Acts 7:30–35

Explanation:

As God’s sovereignly orchestrated plan of how He moved Isreal out of Egypt continues to unravel, Moses’ Third 40: Moses, the Deliverer, we will see God make a special appearance and have Moses return to Isreal to live out his destiny, as the deliverer of the Israelites from bondage.

This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible cause it’s funny to see how God presents himself to people sometimes, but at the same time, how serious God can be.

Verse 30, Stephen continues, “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.”

Here, Moses probably looks at his sheep, let’s just take a walk to the west side of the wilderness to Horeb, the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1), you know, a typical Monday morning walk, then boom, out of no where he sees a burning bush that was not being consumed even though it was on fire, imagine how that was for him, he probably looked at the sheep, took another look, was like, anyone else seeing this, oh well, being marveled at the sight, was like, I got to go check this out.

Stephen tells us, “and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’.

It says, Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look, what’s a man going to do, he already sees this bush on fire not burning down, and now a voice from no where who refers to Himself as Lord can be heard clear as day, I’d most definitely be freaked out as well.

God continues:

First He tells him, “Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

I bet that was the fastest Moses ever took off his sandals before. Like, yes, of course God (*sandels go flying*)!

Second He lets him know that his time to be the deliverer of the Israelites has arrived, "I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.”

40 years had come and gone, Moses had lived in peace, protected by God, but now, just as before with his birth, it was time for Moses to do the job God had planned for him since the beginning, but Moses wouldn’t go without voicing some of his concerns to God first as he would:

Question whether or not he was right for the job (Exodus 3:2).

Question what he would say to them (Exodus 3:13).

Even after God lays down the entire plan to him (Exodus 3:14-22), turns his staff into a serpent (Exodus 4:2-3), his doubt still consumes as he believes he couldn’t be the one to speak for God as he was slow of speech and slow of tongue (Exodus 4:10).

God’s like, I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say, but he keeps on begging God for another person to be the messenger, which finally ticks of God, but God’s like, okay just have Aaron your brother do it (Exodus 4:10-17), trust me, God had future plans for Aaron.

Trust me, God has a plan for everything.

5. Finally, Moses returns to Egypt and delivers God’s chosen people, the Israelites out of Egypt and Stephen begins his final point on Moses by speak of this...

Fourth 40: Moses, the Discarded

Scripture: Acts 7:36–40

Explanation:

As God’s sovereignly orchestrated plan of how He moved Isreal out of Egypt comes to an end, Moses’ Fourth 40: Moses, Discarded, Moses would deliver the Israelites out of Egypt just as God had promised Abraham he would many years before, but in the end, he would be discarded as he would be no longer considered useful to the Israelites.

Verse 36, Stephen tells them, “This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.”

He tells them of what God did through Moses, Moses’ entire story climaxes at the moment he and God delivers the Israelites out of Egypt through the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 5-14).

To the Council, it’s almost like Stephen is saying what Moses should have said to the Israelites many years before, basically asking, how do you not see God in all of this? How can you read of Moses’ story without the seeing God in action? How can you be so ignorant?

Beginning in verse 37, Stephen, knowing that the Jewish people revered Moses as a leader of their faith, a prophet, the one who helped to deliverer their people out of bondage, says:

“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’”

This was a fact, as in Deuteronomy 18, when Moses is speaking of false prophets to the Israelites, he says, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Stephen, without saying it, was saying that Moses was was speaking of Jesus, the one of who Stephen regarded as his Lord and Savior, the one he was now on trial for, the one he was willing to die for.

Stephen informs them that Moses is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you, God had done all of this so that you might see Jesus for who He really was, the Son of God!

But Stephen, knowing the hardness of the hearts of the Council takes a moment to compare them to the congregation that was with Moses in the wilderness as they too were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him, rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, “Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.”

Altar Call

Is this not the church today?

Unwilling to be obedient to him, we reject him, turn our hearts away from him...

Christ, the Designated.

Christ, the Defender.

Christ, the Deliverer.

Christ, the Discarded.