Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduce the series

Introduce Stephen

He began as one chosen to ‘serve tables’ but he did not stay there.

Explain serving tables....

The bible tells us that he was full of faith and power and did great wonders and signs and that those that apposed him were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

So, like Jesus, he was seized and taken to the council charged with blasphemy against Moses and God.

When asked if he was guilty, Stephen answers with a 50 verse sermon in which he goes from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Joseph to Moses and the people of Isreal and he ends it by calling out the people who are charging him with blasphemy.

As you can imagine, this didn’t go over well with the council.

Look at their response.

Have you ever been that angry?

So mad that you can’t even say anything, you just gnash your teeth?!

Stephen has been brought before the same group of people that sentenced Jesus to death on the cross.

They thought that the death of Jesus would be the end of His ministry, the end of His influence, the end of His truth, the end of His promise, the end of His kingdom, but as they now hear Stephen preaching the same truth, they begin to realize that the death of Jesus was not the end.

I want you to look at the person next to you and give them this mornings sermon title.

Tell them ‘This Is Just The Beginning’.

Stephen cut them deep, which is what the Spirit does to us.

It penetrates us to the heart, and going back to our last sermon series, its our response that makes or breaks us.

They didn’t respond well.

But I want to spend a little time on the next few verses.

What a beautiful and breathtaking sight that must have been.

Stephen is surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, but instead of fear, he is experiencing awe.

Acts 7:57-

The Holy Spirit allows us to experience God in an unimaginable way, and things are revealed to us that others cannot see.

We are filled with a light and a love that we cannot imagine, nor can we manufacture.

It changes our lives church!

Let’s read the rest of the chapter, you’ll see what I mean.

Acts 7:

The mob acted like a group of spoiled kids that didn’t get their way.

We tend to see alot of that in the news today don’t we?

They didn’t like what they heard and they had nothing to counter with, so they respond with anger and violence.

But still, Stephen’s response echoes the response of Jesus as he asks that his spirit be recieved and that the people not be charged for this sin.

That’s not a natural response for us church.

Marriage illustration......

That type of love, care, concern, that type of heart can only come from the Spirit of God filling us and leading us daily.

That’s when we understand that there is nothing that this world can do to us that will ever separate us from the love of God and there is nothing we should ever fear!

But we have to allow it, we have to ask for it and we have to surrender to it.

The devil pushes us every single day in attempt to get us to lose our focus, lose our testimony, and to respond in anger or hate.

Brother irritating sister......

Stephen’s shows us what it means to be completely surrendered.

When Stephen closed his eyes in this place, he opened them in glory.

Some may say his life was over, that this was the end, but for Stephen, this was just the beginning.

I don’t know about you, but that’s how I want to leave this world, seeing the glory of God and knowing that my battle has been won, and that now I can begin my true life, my true purpose and take my rightful place in heaven.

Stephen’s shows us what it means to be completely surrendered.

When Stephen closed his eyes in this place, he opened them in glory.

Some may say his life was over, that this was the end, but for Stephen, this was just the beginning.

Now we say hello to Saul.

(I thought we were gonna talk about Paul?) Don’t worry, we’ll get to that.

I promise.

Now we say hello to Saul.

(I thought we were gonna talk about Paul?) Don’t worry, we’ll get to that.

I promise.

Verse 58 tells us that the men laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul as they murdered Stephen.

We see just a little more about Saul as we read the next 3 verses.

Just a quick note here, did you notice how the church was referred to as ‘they’?

Saul was there

There isn’t a lot said about Saul in these verses, but there is enough to let us know his heart at this point.

He watches and approves as Stephen is unjustly murdered and he plays a significant role in the capture, imprisonment, and murder of Christians which shows his hatred of Christians.

Saul was involved

There isn’t a lot said about Saul in these verses, but there is enough to let us know his heart at this point.

He watches and approves as Stephen is unjustly murdered and he plays a significant role in the capture, imprisonment, and murder of Christians which shows his hatred of Christians.

Its important to see where Saul began, because as we continue through this series, we will see that even for Saul, this was just the beginning.

For the people of Israel, it didn’t end with Abraham, it didn’t end with Joseph, it didn’t end with Moses, because God had something bigger in mind.

For Stephen, it didn’t end when he was chosen to serve tables, it didn’t end when he was put on trial, and it didn’t even end when he was murdered and closed his eyes, because God had something bigger in mind.

For Stephen, it didn’t end when he was chosen to serve tables, it didn’t end when he was put on trial, and it didn’t even end when he was murdered and closed his eyes, because God had something better for him.

For the pharisees and elders, it didn’t end when they murdered Jesus, it didn’t end when they murdered Stephen, and it didn’t end when they hunted down and imprisoned and murdered Christians because God had something bigger in mind.

And I can tell you with all certainty this morning, that no matter what you think about your life, your family, your relationships, your church, your situation, this is not the end because God has something bigger in mind for you as well.

This is just the beginning church!

But the question is, “will you take the next step, the first step, towards God’s promise for you?”

I don’t care where you started this morning, this is not the end.

Challenge

Prayer