Stephen’s Story
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning, welcome to CHCC. Last week we unpacked seven verses as we began chapter 6. And while short in terms of words, it does not diminish its importance. Chapter 6 begins with the church’s inception of deacons. A complaint was raised within the church body that the Hellenist widows were not receiving their proper daily allotment.
The church’s growth had been explosive to say the least. They grew from their initial 120 in the upper room to thousands upon thousands in a very short time. Pentecost also brought with it a wide collection of believers from many different cultures and backgrounds. And one such group were the hellenists—that is Jewish people who lived and worked and grew up in Greek culture. They didn’t speak Hebrew but instead spoke the common language of the day—Koine Greek.
Many Jews looked down upon them, the Pharisees being some of them. And because of this, perhaps these Hellenist widows felt there was some favoritism going on. However, the issue was very real and it needed to handled with humility and tenderness, which is exactly what happens.
The apostles realized very quickly that if they were to tackle this issue on their own that it would pull them away from what they were specifically called to—which was the ministering of God’s Word and to prayer.
So instead of overfilling their own plate they call the full number of the disciples to select seven leaders within them to head this task. The requirements of these men? To be of good repute and full of the Spirit. I think it is very important that we highlight that. The apostles don’t prioritize skillset, resumé, popularity, or ability. While gifting can be very beneficial, it was their character that was most important. And so they select the seven and the first one listed is the man in our passage this morning. A gentleman by the name of Stephen.
And today’s reading will be quite a bit more extensive than last week as we look at Stephen’s story. You may know him as the first recorded martyr in the history of the Church. However, we will read the entirety of his ministry—his life and death as a follower of Christ. We will come across his sermon that really pinpoints the follies of the Pharisees belief system as well.
Acts 6:8-7:60 shows us the final day in the life of Stephen; it shows us how he lived, what he said, and ultimately, how he died. And through it all it shows us a man whose heart beat in rhythm with the heart of Christ.
Stephen’s example is one of courage, boldness, faithfulness, and obedience. It serves as an example for us and an encouragement for us to walk in faithfulness and boldness as well. In the midst of persecution, Stephen stood tall. In the face of severe opposition, Stephen held fast to the truth and refused to mince words. In a culture that shows more and more opposition to God’s Word, we would do well to find the application in the text this morning.
If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Acts 6, beginning in verse 8.
PRAY
STEPHEN ARRESTED
STEPHEN ARRESTED
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
The name Stephen means “a crown” or “a garland.” It was the same word the Greeks used for a reward given to a civic leader or in regard to the crown given to the victor at the Olympic games. Seems very fitting for our character here in Acts.
Stephen shows us how to live and die victoriously. R. Kent Hughes contends:
Never do we see the meaning and worth of life more clearly or more poignantly than in the final moments of a faithful Christian’s life on earth.
Right off the bat in our passage, we see that Stephen lived life in the same way Christ did.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Stephen was full of grace—the most simplistic definition of this is God’s unmerited favor poured out on us through Christ. And in turn, that grace that poured out over Stephen was, in turn, being poured out upon those he ministered to.
What is more, this word grace in the pre-Christian was used to describe the charm of one’s speech. The background of the word would suggest beauty, rhythm, and elegance.
So with this understanding we can see that Stephen had a charm, an elegance that was touching the people and impacting them. So filled with grace that verse 15 describes how he appeared before the Sanhedrin.
And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Possessing the very Spirit with which Christ ministered, Stephen moved the people in a similar way—drawing them in and pointing them to Jesus.
Grace is such a marvelous gift. Not only is it by the grace you’ve been saved, it also changes us. How wonderful if we were all like Stephen—”full of grace.”
What is more, verse 8 also revealed to us that Stephen shared Christ’s power. In fact, in this verse describing Stephen’s ministry it describes him very similarly to the ministry of Jesus in Acts 2:22.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
It is important that we distinguish the power with which Stephen ministered. It was not his own—rather it was the power of the Holy Spirit; it was the very power that Jesus promised His disciples.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
And it was by this power that he would give a sermon that would tear down the false pillars of the Pharisees’ religion. We will come to see a beautiful myriad of similarities between Stephen and Jesus throughout our passage this morning—even in his death.
As R. Kent Hughes so simply states:
Christ’s power enables us to do what we ought and to be what we ought.
What is more, by this Spirit, Stephen also shared Christ’s wisdom. Let’s continue—verse 9.
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
There are times in which Scripture will use the word “wisdom” in different ways. Here, specifically, it is the idea of insight; his words carried deep spiritual insight and discernment—something we should all strive for.
Note as well that it was this wisdom in the Spirit that the council was unable to withstand. Stephen took to the offensive through the power of the Spirit as we will come to see in his recorded sermon in chapter 7.
The enemy cannot withstand the power of Christ. He could not hold him in the grave and he could not keep the truth of Jesus under wraps. He cannot hold back His Church from spreading the Gospel.
Another similarity that Stephen shared with Christ is the rejection he faced.
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Do you recognize the similarities here with Stephen and Jesus’ trial before His crucifixion? False accusations of blasphemy, stirring the people up into a fury, creating false witnesses to create a false conviction. When you see the similarities you can see where this is headed for Stephen.
What is more is that Stephen was also a Hellenistic Jew. We discussed this last week and how the Hellenists were detested by the Pharisees. Sadly, verse 9 reveals to us that it was actually a Hellenistic Synagogue and Hellenistic leaders that delivered him over in order to avoid rocking the boat. And carrying this further, it was the Hellenistic leaders that brought up the false charges of blasphemy.
In keeping track with the similarities here between Stephen and Jesus we should also note that this court that Stephen stood before was the same one the Jesus stood in front of. It even had the same high priest. Taking that into consideration we can see the writing on the wall but Stephen will drop the truth upon their heads before his time is up.
What we will read is that Stephen will bring to light the three flawed pillars of Judaism that the Pharisees held in such high regard; the land, the Law, and the temple.
Let’s dive into it. We got a lot of reading here, so we will read each section and then discuss them in turn.
Stephen’s Sermon
Stephen’s Sermon
THE LAND
And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ 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.
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’
“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.
So let’s break this down. This section is Stephen’s argument against the Pharisees teaching of the land. According to the teaching of the religious leaders of the day, God gave special spiritual privileges to those who lived on the Palestinian land. So in order to bury this idea, Stephen brings it back to their patriarch Abraham in verses 2-8.
And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
What a simple yet profound example. He’s telling them, hey, God met Abraham before he ever set foot in this land. He explains this further in verses 4 and 5.
Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.
So Abraham received God’s blessing even though he did not occupy even a foot of the land for himself. The important thing to get from all of this that Stephen is saying is that the land is not the blessing that the Pharisees made it out to be.
Stephen then goes on to give more stability to his argument by telling the story of the twelve sons of Jacob. God blessed them through Joseph in Egypt even though the only part of the Holy Land they possessed was the family tomb.
And lastly, Stephen concludes with the story of Moses which may be the strongest argument of all. Because the story of Moses is all about God meeting him and taking care of His people outside of the Promised Land. Moses was raised in Egypt (vv. 17-22). He fled and matured in the land of Midian (v. 29). He was given his calling near Mt. Sinai, and God called the area “holy ground” (vv. 30-34). Therefore, we can rightly conclude that “Holy ground” is wherever God meets his people, and not just inside the borders of Palestine. We should note that the greatest miracles of Israel happened in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert—not in the promised land.
The next pillar Stephen brings down is that of the Law and the veneration of Moses.
THE LAW
This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“ ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
You took up the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
Stephen points to the very words of Moses (v. 37) who told the nation of Israel that God would raise up “a prophet like me among you.” In other words, Moses was telling them that their hope of redemption would not come from the Law itself, but rather from a Messiah—that being Jesus.
In fact, Paul would go on to explain that the purpose of the Law was not to give life and righteousness, but rather to reveal to us how sinful we really are and our desperate and dire need for a Savior. (Galatians 3).
Similarly, Stephen is telling the Pharisees the same thing, but through the very words of Moses. The Law could not save them, but a prophet (Jesus) would come.
THE TEMPLE
The last pillar Stephen tears down is the temple. Perhaps at this point in Stephen’s sermon the council was thinking, “Well, at least we have the temple. Surely this is where God meets His people.”
Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
“ ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
Did not my hand make all these things?’
Stephen once again brings down their misconceptions and false teachings by quoting the Scriptures—this time from the book of Isaiah.
What He is saying is that God does not require houses (temples) made by human hands to be present. Why would a perfect God need imperfect man to make Him anything in order that He may dwell among them? In fact, anything that man makes, is not all the resources created by God Himself?
After tackling these pillars, Stephen then turns his attention and fervor directly at the Sanhedrin.
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
You could say that with these words, Stephen put the nail in his own coffin, but it was entirely the truth. The leaders continual refusal throughout the generations to hear and accept the truth is recorded throughout the Bible. Those before them murdered the prophets for their words. Their generation killed the Messiah and failed to uphold the heart of the law as Jesus would point out on many occasions.
This is great and all, but what does it have to do with us? Well, perhaps we believe that since we live in such a privileged nation that was founded by godly men and reared many more godly men and women that we deserve God’s blessing.
Maybe we don’t cling to the Law today as the Pharisees did in Stephen’s, but how many of us highlight the Word of God, carry it with us, piously carry ourselves about with it, but truly fail to let the truth of it take root in our hearts?
And the temple? I think it can be easy to assume that since we go to the place where God has chosen to meet His people that we will receive special blessing. But the reality is that we can have all of these things and still be utterly lost.
So Stephen calls out the religious leaders in verses 51-53. They needed to know, just as we all do, that they were sinners in need of a Savior.
Stephen’s sermon was a warrant for his death, but he remained faithful and steadfast to the very end.
Stephen’s Stoning
Stephen’s Stoning
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
I heard one pastor once say that a preacher knows he’s in trouble when he sees the congregation frowning, but he’s in boiling water when they begin to grind their teeth at him.
I think verses 57 is very significant because it shows us the response of these men to hearing the truth.
But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
They covered their ears, they cried out, and attacked him. Some will hear the truth, fall on their knees, repent of their sin, and come to faith in Jesus. Others will be filled with an anger, refuse to hear or accept it, and others still may be moved so deeply with rage that they attack the truth and even its messenger.
When we think of stoning, I think we can all agree it is awfully barbaric. It is violent and brutal. It is likely that they threw him down an embankment, had the witnesses publicly repeat the charges, and then began to hurl great stones upon him. To get the picture, Frederick Buechner explains it this way:
Stoning somebody to death, even somebody as young and healthy as Stephen, is not easy. You do not get the job done with the first few rocks and broken bottles, and even after you get the man down, it is a long, hot business. To prepare themselves for the work-out, they stripped to the waist and got somebody to keep an eye on their things till they were through. The man they got was a fire-breathing young arch-conservative Jew named Saul, who was there because he thoroughly approved of what they were doing.
Yet even in such a grotesque death, there is awesome beauty to be seen.
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
I think it is worth noting that throughout Scripture it describes Jesus as sitting at the right hand of God. But here, at Stephen’s martyrdom, it describes Him as standing. Can you picture it? Arms spread wide, standing to welcome the first martyr home.
From the first time we read of Stephen as a deacon to his martyrdom, he lived with remarkable Christlikeness. Even at his death, his final words almost mirror those of Jesus.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
And just as Jesus requested forgiveness for those who sinned against Him, so too did Stephen ask the Father not to hold their sin against them.
We talked earlier about the Lord’s grace over Stephen, and this most certainly is an outpouring of this grace. Death will ultimately reveal what each of us truly is.
Stephen lived his last hours as Christ would and did. He spoke his last words as Christ would and did. He died a martyr’s death as Christ would and did. He stood tall through the matchless grace of God!
Stephen’s story serves as an example for those who desire to be faithful followers of Christ. There is a cost, and ultimately for Stephen it was his life. What are we willing to sacrifice for Jesus? I really want us to consider that question. I think many of us would say we would give Jesus everything, but when the rubber meets the road will we stand boldly like Stephen for the truth? I pray that we would.
No doubt this moment of martyrdom had an impact on a young man overseeing the cloaks of the stone throwers. Saul oversaw the death of Stephen and would eventually carry the torch of Gospel preaching until his own martyrdom.
It is the amazing grace of God that not only can our lives have an impact for kingdom work, but so too can our death.
If today were our final day, what would others write about us? Something for us to consider.
PRAY
