Stephen Shows Us the Right Way to Live and Die

Acts 7:51-60

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Oct. 27, 2013

*Over the past few weeks we have been looking at a great Christian hero. His name was Stephen, and the Bible tells us that he was one of the first deacons. What a life Stephen lived! He was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, full of faith and power. What a life he lived, and what a death he died. Stephen shows us both the right way to live and the right way to die.

1. And as we study Stephen's life, we can see that we need his courage.

*Stephen had the courage to speak out for the Lord. We can see this in vs. 51-53, where Stephen called out those Christ-rejecting leaders. Stephen told them:

51. "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

52. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

53. who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.''

*Stephen took a bold stand for the truth, a strong, uncompromising stand for the "Just One," Jesus Christ. Now, sometimes compromise is a good thing. That's true when it’s just a matter of opinion or personal taste. But there are some things that cannot be compromised. You cannot compromise the truth.

*Two plus two is never going to five. And here's another truth that will never change: Jesus is Lord! We must never compromise this vital truth: Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

*I love the way C.S. Lewis put it in his book, "Mere Christianity." There Lewis wrote: "I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him. (They say) 'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.'

*That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

*You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool. You can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon. Or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about Him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (1)

*Christians: We choose to fall at Jesus' feet! We choose to call him Lord and God, because Jesus Christ is Lord of all! -- That’s the truth. People's eternal destiny will hinge on one question only: "What did you do regarding Jesus Christ?" That’s the truth.

*And we must have the courage to speak out about the truth. But where are we going to get this courage? We can get it from the same place where Stephen got it. Stephen wasn’t standing alone that day. The Lord stood with Stephen. He will stand with us too. And He will give us all the courage we need. So let's ask Him for the courage to speak out about Jesus Christ.

2. We need Stephen's courage. -- And we need his commitment.

*Stephen was so committed Jesus that he was willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of Christ. We see the full measure of Stephen's commitment in vs. 54-59:

54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

55. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

56. and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!''

57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

58. and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.''

*Those hateful, religious judges were so enraged at Stephen that they were literally gnashing or grinding their teeth at him. They were so filled with anger, malice and violence that they stood there snarling like a pack of wild dogs. But their intimidation could not break Stephen's commitment.

*In that flood of hostility, Kenneth Sauer asks us to "notice the faithfulness of Stephen in bearing witness to the truth. His purpose was not to escape condemnation, not at any price. He, of course, was not hoping to die, but he was not willing to deny the truth in order to live. What a testimony for those of us who may have to bear witness to Christ in difficult situations!" (2)

*Stephen knew that the cause of Christ is more important than our comfort, more important than our safety, more important than anything else in the world.

*Many Christians around the world are standing in Stephen's shoes today. The Christians in Syria certainly are. The civil war in Syria has been out of the news for a few weeks, but over 100,000 people have died in that war.

*Radical jihadist rebels are fighting against a government that is controlled by another Muslim sect. The government of Syria has a measure of tolerance for Syrian Christians. On the other hand, the rebels are mostly Al Qaeda terrorists. They are filled with murderous hatred for those who oppose their radical brand of Islam.

*This week the "Voice of the Martyrs" sent out an update on the situation in Syria. Listen to their report about a Christian couple named Samer and Liena. "It was so hard living in a place where terrorists were coming from other countries," Liena says. These men were saying, 'We will kill everyone who does not believe what we believe as Salafis and strict Muslims.'" Samer and Liena are leaders in a boldly evangelical church that has continued to meet during the civil war. The church is growing rapidly even as the violence escalates.

*Staying in Syria was not an easy decision for Samer and Liena. The couple knows, as do all Christians in Syria, that if their country falls into the hands of the radicals, Christians will be given three choices: Convert to Islam, leave the country or die. Yet they believe God has called them to be His light in the country for as long as He permits.

*They have even told their children this hard truth. One evening, they gathered their children to explain the reality of the situation, Liena pointed to the front door and said, "Look at this door. One day, God may allow someone from those terrorist people to come in this door. They will have a big beard and very threatening faces. Maybe they will have swords. They will put their swords on our necks, and you may see some blood. They will hurt us. We will have pain, but don't worry about this pain. We will close our eyes, and we will open them again in heaven. And we will be with Jesus, singing with the angels. Just tell these people, 'I forgive you, and Jesus loves you.'" (3)

*Many Christians around the world are standing in Stephen's shoes today, and God wants us to have that kind of commitment.

3. We need Stephen's commitment. -- And we need his consciousness.

*As he stood there facing death, Stephen was fully conscious that Heaven was at hand. We see this truth in vs. 55-56, where God's Word says this about Stephen:

55. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

56. and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!''

[1] These verses are incredibly important to us, and one reason why is because they remind us that God is very close to us.

*How far away is Heaven? Usually we tend to think it’s on the other side of the vast universe we can see, and that’s a long, long way.

*Thursday, Fox News reported that the most distant galaxy we can now see is 13.1 billion light-years away. To get an idea of that distance, know that our whole solar system is only about 11 light-hours across. That's about 7 1/2 billion miles. Now think about the 11 light-hours across our solar system compared to a galaxy 13 billion light-years away. (4)

*We live in an incredibly big universe! But when it comes to God's Heaven, don’t think distance, think dimension. The best I can tell, this supreme court of the Jews was meeting inside when this trial occurred. The Talmud says that the Sanhedrin met in a room attached to the Temple. But God just pulled back the curtain on our dimension and let Stephen look over into Heaven.

*By the way, the same thing is true if they happened to be outside. God just pulled back the curtain, and let Stephen look over into Heaven. Everything we understand about space is going to unravel one day when the Lord comes back. The universe is vast beyond our imagination, but that doesn’t matter to God.

*One day He is going to roll the whole thing up like a scroll. Revelation 6:12-17 tells us that. And Isaiah 34:4 says: "All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree."

*Hebrews 1:8-12 talks about Jesus folding up the universe like a coat!

8. But to the Son He says (i.e. God the Father says): "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.

9. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.''

10. And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands;

11. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment;

12. Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.''

*Bearing these Scriptures in mind, we know that it is nothing for God to pull back the curtain and let us see into Heaven. That’s what He did for Stephen. And when God does that, we see that He’s not far away. He’s right there. Close enough for us to see Him standing, and smiling to welcome us home.

[2] These verses remind us that God is close. -- They also remind us that God cares.

*God is busy. If anybody is busy, God is busy. But He wasn’t too busy to pay attention to what was going on in Stephen’s life. And He’s not too busy for us.

*Kenneth Sauer explained: "This is something to keep in mind. God is always present when one of his dear children is facing a crisis. Stephen had the promise of Christ and so do we: 'Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' And in Stephen’s moment of greatest trouble, God gave Stephen the most glorious testimony: 'Look!' he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!'" (2)

*Stephen could have said, "There He is! -- Right there!" And God wants us to have the same consciousness of His closeness and care.

4. We need Stephen's consciousness. -- And we need his character.

*The most wonderful thing about Stephen is that he had a heart like the Lord's heart. Stephen was like Jesus, and we see this truth at least a couple of ways in vs. 57-60:

57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

58. and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.''

60. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin.'' And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

[1] Verse 59 reminds us that Stephen was like Jesus in His faith.

*There, "they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.''' That sounds a lot like the last thing Jesus said on the cross. In Luke 23:46, Jesus said: "Father, 'into Your hands I commend My spirit.'''

*Stephen trusted in God, just as the Son of God trusted His Heavenly Father. Stephen knew he was going to a better place. He knew he was going to be where Jesus is.

*And Stephen was willing to die for Jesus, because he knew that Jesus had died for him. Stephen knew that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, the only "Just One" who died on the cross for our sins.

*Stephen also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus rose again from the dead. He knew that Heaven was waiting on the other side for him, because Jesus had forgiven his sins and given him eternal life. Stephen trusted the Lord even to the death, and that's the kind of faith we all need.

[2] Stephen was like Jesus in His faith. -- And in his forgiveness.

*What amazing Christ-likeness we see in vs. 60: "Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." Those words are another echo of what Christ said on the cross. In Luke 23:34, Jesus said: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

*And Kenneth Sauer said: "What a way to go! There is nothing more powerful! Stephen was actually filled with compassion for his killers. He wanted them to be saved too!

*And you know who was there in vs. 58, giving approval to Stephen’s death? It was none other than Saul of Tarsus, the terrible persecutor, who will also be saved in Acts chapter 9. Saul became the great apostle Paul! God answered Stephen’s prayer to forgive his murderers!" (2)

*Faith like Stephen's is contagious, and forgiveness like Stephen's is contagious. It can help reach the hardest cases.

*Please listen to a little more from the recent report on Syria from the Voice of the Martyrs: "Amid the chaotic civil war and tragedy in Syria, Christian churches continue to spread hope in the face of hopelessness. Before the outbreak of the war, an evangelical church in one of Syria's largest cities held several services a week for worship and prayer. Today, it holds twice as many services, and most are standing-room-only.

*Voice of the Martyrs contacts are reporting many encouraging stories of Muslims coming to know Christ in a variety of ways. More than 70 Muslim families have turned to Christ in an area of Syria where only a dozen or so Christians existed 18 months ago.

*A former mullah became disenchanted when he watched Muslim radicals from different Islamic factions kill each other while shouting "Allah is great!" And the mullah began to wonder, "What kind of god are we worshipping?"

*Then he visited a church and learned about the God who doesn't demand killing, but rather sacrificed His own Son for our sake. That mullah's heart was moved to follow Jesus. . ." (3)

CONCLUSION:

*And it happened because of some Christians who are standing in the shoes of Stephen. Church: That's where we need to stand too. We need Stephen's courage, commitment, consciousness, and character.

*Let's ask for these things, as we go to God in prayer.

(1) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Joel Smith - SOURCE: C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity", pp. 55-56

(2) SermonCentral sermon "Christian Power" by Kenneth Sauer - Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60

(3) From "The Voice of the Martyrs" - Special Update - Fall, 2013 - "Syria: Christ amid the Darkness"

(4) http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/10/24/galaxy-far-far-away-is-farthest-ever-seen/