WHEN TRUTH HAS THE FINAL WORD

Acts 7:54–60

Introduction

Good morning, church.

If you have your Bibles, would you turn with me to Acts chapter 7.

As you're turning there, let me briefly remind us where we've been.

Last week we saw the early church face one of its first internal challenges. There was tension surrounding the care of the widows, and the apostles instructed the church to select seven men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom to care for the needs of the church so that the ministry of prayer and the Word could continue.

One of those men was Stephen.

Now what's fascinating to me is that Stephen wasn't chosen because he was a gifted preacher.

He wasn't chosen because he had influence.

He wasn't chosen because he had a platform.

He was chosen because he was faithful.

He was a man full of faith, full of wisdom, and full of the Holy Spirit.

Stephen's ministry didn't begin on a stage.

It began by serving.

But before Acts chapter 7 is over, Stephen becomes the first Christian martyr.

So what happened?

The answer is simple.

Stephen faithfully proclaimed the truth of Jesus.

And every person who heard that truth had to make a decision.

Would they surrender to it...

or would they resist it?

Church, that's still the question every one of us must answer today.

Because whenever God's truth is proclaimed, someone wants the final word.

The question is...

Who gets it?

Today I want us to see that no matter what accusations come...

No matter what suffering we experience...

No matter what opposition we face...

Jesus always has the final word.

Let's read Acts chapter 7, beginning in verse 54.

(Read Acts 7:54–60)

Let's read Acts 7:54-60.

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged[o] 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.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Opening Illustration

This past week we had an incredible time during VBS.

One of my favorite moments every year is simply standing in the back of the room and watching children worship.

They're singing.

They're dancing.

They're smiling.

They're excited about Jesus.

I love it.

But every now and then, we're reminded that they're still children.

Maybe they're tired.

Maybe they're frustrated.

Maybe they don't get what they want.

And you'll watch one of our leaders kneel down beside them and calmly explain why the answer is "no."

And in that moment something changes.

The child realizes...

"This conversation is over."

"This person has the final word."

And what often happens next?

The fists tighten.

The frustration rises.

The tears begin.

Sometimes they even lash out.

Why?

Because they've realized they are no longer in control.

Church...

Spiritually speaking, isn't that often what happens when we encounter God's truth?

The issue is rarely information.

The issue is surrender.

Sometimes we don't resist because we don't understand.

Sometimes we resist because we understand exactly what God is asking of us...

and we don't want to surrender.

That's exactly what's happening in Stephen's story.

The religious leaders understood what Stephen was saying.

The problem wasn't that they lacked knowledge.

The problem was that they refused to submit to the truth standing right in front of them.

And that brings us to our first point this morning.

Point 1

Live the Truth

Point 1

Live the Truth

Truth must be lived before it is proclaimed.

Before Stephen ever stood before the Sanhedrin...

before he preached his longest sermon...

before he became the first Christian martyr...

he was known for his life.

Acts 6 tells us,

"Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people."

Notice what Luke emphasizes.

Not Stephen's personality.

Not his popularity.

Not even his preaching.

His character.

His dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Church, before people heard Stephen's message, they saw his life.

His life gave credibility to his message.

And that's an important reminder for us today.

We live in a world where everyone has something to say.

Everyone has an opinion.

Everyone has a platform.

But before we ask, "What am I saying?" we should ask, "What is my life saying?"

Because our lives are preaching long before our mouths ever open.

Truth must be lived before it is proclaimed.

If someone followed you around this past week, would they see evidence that you've been with Jesus?

Not perfection.

But grace.

Humility.

A growing love for Christ and for others.

Church, one of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is proclaiming a truth we're unwilling to live.

Stephen's life matched his message.

Before we proclaim truth boldly...

we must first live truth visibly.

Because people may question our words...

but it's much harder to question a life that consistently reflects Christ.

But of course, as you live your life more consistently, the more opposition you may have. But in the midst of the opposition, my encouragement for all of us is that we would not be afraid, but to speak the truth.

Point 2

Speak the Truth

Look at Acts chapter 6,

9 Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

Think about that.

They couldn’t refute his message.

They couldn’t deny God’s work.

They couldn’t overcome the wisdom God had given him.

Truth was winning.

So instead of confronting the truth, they attacked the messenger.

False accusations.

False witnesses.

Rumors.

Labels.

Church, when truth cannot be defeated, it gets labeled.

And not much has changed.

We live in a culture where people are often labeled instead of listened to. If someone speaks biblical truth, they may be called hateful, judgmental, intolerant, or lacking compassion.

Now hear me carefully.

How we say something matters.

Scripture calls us to speak the truth in love. We should be gentle, compassionate, patient, and humble. We should never use truth as a weapon or confuse harshness with faithfulness.

And sometimes, if we’re honest, Christians have earned some of those labels because we have spoken truth without grace.

We should repent when that happens.

But we must never become so concerned with how we say something that we stop saying what God has called us to say.

Truth confronts.

Truth exposes.

Truth calls us to surrender.

And sometimes people are not offended because we lacked love. Sometimes they are offended because truth itself is uncomfortable.

That was Stephen’s situation.

His life reflected Christ.

His words honored Christ.

Yet they still rejected him.

Not because he failed to love them, but because they refused to surrender to the truth he proclaimed.

Church, our goal is not to win arguments.

Our goal is to faithfully represent Jesus.

That means conviction and compassion.

Grace and truth.

Never sacrificing one for the other.

Because truth without love can make people miss our Savior.

And love without truth can comfort people on the road that leads away from Christ.

The gospel calls us to both.

Grace and truth.

Just like Jesus.

Eventually, the whispers became accusations.

The accusations became a trial.

And Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin.

Most of us would have spent that moment defending ourselves.

But Stephen does something remarkable.

He barely talks about himself.

Instead, he talks about God.

And that brings us to our next point.

Point 3

Know the Truth

Stephen, for the next fifty verses, preaches about the history of Israel and God’s faithfulness.

Stephen wasn't trying to protect his reputation.

He understood something we often forget.

When our identity is secure in Christ...

we don't have to spend our lives defending ourselves.

We simply point people to God, to Jesus.

Truth doesn't need defending as much as it needs declaring.

Church, notice where Stephen's confidence came from.

He knew God's Word.

He knew God's character.

He knew God's faithfulness.

That's why he could stand before the Sanhedrin without fear.

Can I ask you something?

Where are you finding your confidence today?

Because many of us spend more time listening to culture than we do listening to Christ.

We spend more time scrolling than studying.

More time consuming opinions than consuming Scripture.

And then we wonder why we're easily shaken.

Stephen wasn't shaken because Stephen knew God.

The deeper he went into God's story...

the more uncomfortable the religious leaders became.

Because truth has a way of exposing what we'd rather keep hidden.

Finally Stephen reaches the climax of his sermon.

He stops talking about their ancestors...

and starts talking about them.

He says,

51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”

Church...

Stephen isn't trying to win an argument anymore.

He's extending an invitation.

An invitation to repent.

An invitation to surrender.

And I believe that's the same invitation the Holy Spirit extends to us today.

Because history doesn't repeat itself simply because people lack knowledge.

History repeats itself because people refuse to surrender.

And that brings us to our fourth point.

Point 4

Surrender to the Truth

Stephen has spent almost an entire chapter walking through Israel's history.

Abraham.

Joseph.

Moses.

The prophets.

And every story leads to the same conclusion.

God speaks.

God sends a messenger.

People resist.

History keeps repeating itself.

Then Stephen does something incredibly bold.

He stops talking about their ancestors...

and he starts talking about them.

"You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, so do you."

Church, can I be honest with you?

That is one of the hardest things any of us can hear.

Because none of us likes hearing that we may be repeating unhealthy patterns.

None of us likes hearing that we might be resisting God.

And as I studied this passage this week, I couldn't help but think about something I shared with our students and young adults at the beginning of the year.

I don't like going to the doctor.

Anybody with me?

I don't wake up excited thinking,

"Today's the day I finally get to go to the doctor."

Because I already know what's coming.

They're going to run tests.

They're going to ask questions.

And eventually they're going to have a conversation I probably don't want to have.

Earlier this year I finally went.

They ran some blood work.

A few days later the doctor sat down with me and said,

"Eli, your tests show that you have a fatty liver."

Then he started asking questions.

"Tell me about your family."

"Is there diabetes?"

"Heart disease?"

"High blood pressure?"

And I remember thinking...

"Yeah...

there's a history."

Then came the part I really didn't want to hear.

He didn't simply give me information.

He gave me a decision.

He told me,

"If you want this to improve...

your lifestyle has to change."

My eating habits.

My routines.

Some of the things I enjoy.

If nothing changes...

nothing changes.

And if I ignored what he was telling me...

it wouldn't simply stay the same.

It would get worse.

Now here's what never crossed my mind.

I never walked out thinking,

"My doctor hates me."

I never thought,

"He's judging me."

I never thought,

"He's trying to ruin my life."

I knew exactly why he told me the truth.

Because he cared enough to tell me what I needed to hear...

not just what I wanted to hear.

Church...

the difficult part wasn't hearing the truth.

The difficult part was surrendering to it.

Because surrender always requires change.

And change is uncomfortable.

I think that's exactly what Stephen is confronting in Acts chapter 7.

These religious leaders knew these stories.

They knew Abraham.

They knew Joseph.

They knew Moses.

They knew the prophets.

Stephen wasn't giving them new information.

The issue wasn't knowledge.

The issue was surrender.

Stephen wasn't saying,

"Here's a history lesson."

He was saying,

"History is repeating itself."

Your fathers resisted God.

Your fathers rejected His messengers.

Your fathers ignored His warnings.

And now...

you're doing the same thing.

Church...

history doesn't repeat itself because people lack knowledge.

History repeats itself because hearts resist surrender.

And if we're not careful...

history can repeat itself in us.

Can I ask you a difficult question this morning?

Is there an area of your life where the Holy Spirit has been speaking...

but you've become so familiar with His conviction that you've stopped listening?

Have we become so comfortable with what we've always known...

that we've stopped asking God to do something new in us?

Some of us grew up in wonderful Christian homes.

Praise God for that.

Some of us had parents who taught us God's Word.

Who prayed over us.

Who faithfully brought us to church.

What an incredible gift.

But church...

hear me carefully.

We cannot live off someone else's faith.

One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is borrowing someone else's relationship with Jesus instead of cultivating one of our own.

The people standing before Stephen were incredibly proud of their heritage.

"We're descendants of Abraham."

"We follow Moses."

"Our fathers..."

"Our ancestors..."

Stephen says,

"Yes...

and your fathers also resisted the Holy Spirit."

Church...

God has no grandchildren.

Only sons and daughters.

Your parents cannot walk with Jesus for you.

Your grandparents cannot seek God for you.

Your spouse cannot pursue holiness for you.

Your pastor cannot know Christ for you.

One day every one of us will stand before God...

not because of our family's faith...

but because of our own response to Jesus.

So let me ask you...

When people look at your life...

do they simply see the reflection of your upbringing?

Or do they see someone who has been walking with Jesus this week?

Can they see the fruit of the Spirit?

Can they see grace?

Humility?

Compassion?

Can they see someone who is still being changed?

Or have we become comfortable saying,

"This is how I've always done it."

"This is how I was raised."

"This is what my family believes."

I don't want to simply inherit someone else's relationship with Jesus.

I want to know Him.

I want Him to keep correcting me.

Keep shaping me.

Keep convicting me.

Because conviction is not God's rejection.

Conviction is God's invitation.

Just like my doctor wasn't trying to shame me...

God never convicts His children to condemn them.

He convicts us because He loves us too much to leave us where we are.

Listening to truth hurts. Ignoring truth kills.

The religious leaders ignored the truth.

Stephen embraced it.

And because Stephen embraced the truth...

while everyone else was looking at Stephen...

Stephen was looking somewhere else.

He was looking at Jesus.

And that's where we arrive at our final point. We are called to…

Point 5

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

The religious leaders ignored the truth.

Stephen embraced it.

And because Stephen embraced the truth...

while everyone else was looking at Stephen...

Stephen was looking at Jesus.

Listen again to Acts 7.

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged[o] 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.

don't miss how Luke describes Stephen.

Even in his final moments...

he is still full of the Holy Spirit.

He began his ministry full of the Spirit.

He lived full of the Spirit.

And he died full of the Spirit.

What a testimony.

Church, can I ask you something?

What comes out of you when life squeezes you?

Pressure doesn't create character.

Pressure reveals it.

Stephen didn't suddenly become full of the Spirit when the stones started flying.

He had been walking with Jesus long before the stones ever came.

That's why when his life was squeezed...

peace came out.

Grace came out.

Forgiveness came out.

Because that's what had been filling him all along.

Then Stephen sees something incredible.

He looks into heaven...

and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Normally Scripture tells us Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand.

But here...

He's standing.

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly why, so we shouldn't be dogmatic.

But I can't help but think of Jesus' promise:

"Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)

Stephen had faithfully confessed Christ before men.

Now Christ stands to receive His faithful servant.

The crowd rushes Stephen.

They drag him outside the city.

They begin throwing stones.

Yet even then...

Stephen doesn't curse his enemies.

He prays.

"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Then...

"Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Those are the words of someone who has truly been changed by the gospel.

The same grace he received...

became the grace he extended.

And then Luke writes these beautiful words:

"He fell asleep.", but he woke up with more peace and joy and life then ever before becuase was now with the king of kings and lord of lords.

the stones didn't have the final word.

The Sanhedrin didn't have the final word.

Death didn't have the final word.

Jesus did.

And you know how i know?....

Conclusion

Notice Before Luke finishes the story, he includes one final detail.

He tells us,

"The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul."

That isn't just a random detail.

In Jewish custom, those carrying out the execution would lay down their outer garments so they could throw the stones more freely. Placing them at Saul's feet signified his approval of Stephen's death.

Those garments represented death.

They represented judgment.

They represented Saul's agreement that Stephen deserved to die.

But church, that's the beauty of the gospel.

The man who approved Stephen's execution would one day encounter the very Jesus Stephen died proclaiming.

The persecutor became the preacher.

The enemy became the missionary.

The man who once approved death would be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and spend the rest of his life proclaiming the gospel he once tried to destroy.

That's what the gospel does.

It changes people.

And that brings me to one final question.

What made Stephen willing to die?

I don't think it was extraordinary courage.

I think it was an extraordinary Savior.

Stephen had encountered Jesus.

The gospel had become so precious...

so life-giving...

that Jesus was enough.

Enough to live for.

Enough to suffer for.

Enough to die for.

Church, have you encountered that same gospel?

Not just heard about it.

Not just grown up around it.

But truly encountered Jesus?

Has the gospel become so real to you that you can honestly say,

"Jesus is enough."

Because when you've encountered Christ...

death no longer has the final word.

Jesus does.

And because He has the final word...

there is forgiveness for sinners,

hope for the broken,

and eternal life for all who trust in Him.

Let's pray.