Purpose, Power Plan

Introduction

Good Morning! For those of you who don’t know me my name is Chaplain Danny Watton one of the Chaplains here on station. I want to start off first by thanking you for being here and I want to thank you for all your prayers. We know that it is hard sometimes being in the military and jumping around from church to church but the Chaplains here are seeking God to really be good stewards of the teaching and preaching here at the chapel so that His kingdom will be glorified and all will be edified and empowered to be good hearers of the Word and doers of the Word.

Acts is all about the missions and the church unifying together to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who don’t know Him. Our prayers have really been to create unity throughout this base to all airman that live and work here. So we would love to have you continue praying for the Chapel staff and for your ministry to the people around you.

Today we are continuing through the Book of Acts. We are going to be looking through Acts Chapter 6:8 through . I want you all to be patient today with me because we have a lot of text to cover and going into this sermon this week the Gospel service has agreed to give us more time. So over the next couple of hours we will unpack what God has to tell us through the life and death of Stephen.

Let’s Pray

MIssion’s - The Book of Acts is all about missions. Now I have heard sermons on Acts before and I have really got a lot out of them. I have been stretched to want to do more and be bolder for my faith telling people what it means to follow Jesus. I have a passion to tell people that the changing power that being a follower of Jesus is something that brings ultimate happiness and security that nothing else on earth will be able to provide. As we look at the life and death of Stephen we will see a Christian that has ultimate faith in Jesus. He had so much assurance in Christ that he became the first martyr for Christ.

So the question I am going to ask you is are you willing to die for Jesus?

Now you may be sitting there are saying, “Chaplain, we as Christians don’t have to worry about being killed for our faith. Christians only had to worry about that in the early church.”

Let’s look at a 2019 numbers of Christians being killed/persecuted for their faith in 2019 alone.

Now I get it. Living in the United States its really hard to answer that question of are you willing to die for Jesus. We don’t face the problem of worrying about going into work and dying for our faith. This is just not our reality unless God has called you to a high risk country. This is not to make you feel bad or to shame you because we don’t have to worry about this.

But the next question is, “Are you even willing to live for Jesus?” And to go even a step further I wan’t to ask you, “What are you living for?” What is the narrative that will be said about you? Are you living for Jesus or are you living for your version of the good life? What are you pursuing to give you the happy ending that you are looking for. Now that looks different to everyone. You could be living in such a way that make you rank driven! I must attain this career goal in order for me to feel fulfilled. Or I must find a spouse because that will make me feel like I have attained my happy ending. Whatever it is for you fill in the blank and search deep down to realize that the anxiety that causes you will reveal what you are actually willing to sacrifice for or die for. It is said, “If you really want to know what rules you..look at your nightmares”

What we see in and 7 is a story of Stephen who’s example is a beautiful witness of the one Lord that is worth living for and need be dying for. Stephen knew exactly what he was living for and what he was willing to die for. Let’s look at Stephen and see what he did right before he was stoned to death.

Stephen’s Ministry and Arrest

Please open your Bible’s with me to Acts chapter 6: 8.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

Stephen Is Seized

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 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. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 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, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 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.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 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. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

-Steven is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ that they did not know what to do with him. We see that he was full of grace and power and doing wonders and signs. Stephen was a powerful leader in the church. When he was being challenged by the Freedman Stephen would not be silenced or quieted because he was full of wisdom.

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. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

(The Synagogue of the Freedman - These were men who where set free from being prisoners of war or slavery.)

10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

However, they could not out debate him because he was full of the Holy Spirit.

11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

This sounds familiar. We see a lot of in the background scheming that they did to Jesus, they also did to Stephen. They were so frustrated with Stephen that…lookin verse 12

12 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, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,

13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,

14 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.”

- They conspired to bring charges against Stephen for Blasphemy. The witnesses where not outright liars because Stephen probably said the things they were accusing him of, However, they misinterpreted the intentions of the statements. Just like Jesus said the temple would be destroyed but He never said He was going to do it. And second, the Mosaic Law had to be temporary because Stephen saw the implications of justification through faith.

15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

The council that Stephen was in front of was the Sanhedrin. All 71 one of them were looking intently at Stephen to hear how he was going to respond and what did they see. They saw that his face was shining with glory. The only other two people that we see this happen too is Moses and Jesus.

Stephen’s Speech

Acts 7:1 ESV

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

- Stephens reply to, “Are these charges true?” is not a simple yes or no. The question we see Stephen answer is the relationship between Christianity and the law and to the temple. And Stephen answered it wonderfully. You see he argued that Judaism ands its relationship to God predated the temple, the law and even the land of Israel. All of these things were expressions of Judaism rather than its core.

So I don’t have time today to go through all of verses 2-60 so I encourage you to go back through this section with you family or during personal study to see the richness of what Stephen says but I can give you the highlights.

2-19

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- The first main section of Stephen’s speech he talks about Jewish history prior to Moses. Mainly Abraham and Joseph. The important point here is that Jewish religion is built on the foundations of God’s calling and promises. He made a covenant with Abraham saying that he would be a father of many nations, and through you I will bring blessing to the whole world. Thus starting the beginning of the history of the people of Israel.

- The accusation against Stephen also included the charge that the customs that Moses handed down would be changed. Stephen reminded his audience the customs they were so desperate to protect changed in their traditions. When Stephen was telling them Moses story he focused on their rejection of Moses and his message despite Gods approval.

- In this section of Stephen’s sermon he addressed the accusation of speaking against the temple and the customs of Moses as if this was the two permanent features of Judaism. Stephen reminded them that those two things where in conflict with each other. The temple itself was a change of the customs brought by Moses. God never wanted an elaborate temple built. He gave direction for the tabernacle to be built but the change to a temple God tolerated and did not initiate. For further study you can look at .

- Stephen then went into a fierce attack of his audience and said that it was them who were guilty of the charges they were bringing against him. Their false understanding of their own history and how that related to Jesus made them guilty. Their fore fathers rejected all the prophets God sent them.” You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in your hearts and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which 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 to you by angels and did not keep it.” Stephen did not hold back.

The Stoning of Stephen

Stephen probably wanted to say more but his audience was so enraged, gnashing their teeth at him, that the mob could not hold back their anger any more. But at this time Stephen saw a vision Read

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 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.

56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Normally we see Jesus sitting at Gods right hand but I believe that Jesus because He is such a personal God that He stood up to welcome Stephen

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

58 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.

They were so mad that they did not even wait for a trial. The Sanhedrin did not have the authority to kill Stephen. And we see further in this verse that the witnesses laid down their garments down at the young man named Saul. As we will see later in Acts Saul is converted on the road to Damascus and becomes a strong leader for Christianity.

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”60 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.

What is beautiful here is that we see Stephen as he is being murdered in such a hanous way that he does not curse the men that are killing him but instead looks to the example of His Savior Jesus and says, “Lord, receive my spirit” and as he was falling to his knees he advocated for them saying do not hold these sins against them. And then he fell asleep. Stephens death is the reason that the Gospel went out to Symeria, Judea and to the ends of the earth.

Conclusion

Church we see what Stephen was living for. He was willing to

Church we see what Stephen was living for. He was willing to

Church we see what Stephen was living for. We see that there is only one story. One story that is worth living for and ultimately dying for. I encourage you to not make the mistake of the audience that Stephen was addressing. They did not even know their own story that they didn’t even know their history of why they were doing what they were doing. If we don’t have full confidence in the Gospel then we will never be able to have full joy in our lives. We will always be living a different story that can never give you peace that only comes from Christ. Stephen was able to die knowing that he was being faithful to Christ. Stephen was not the hero is this story. Stephen was following the example of Christ. And unlike Stephens death, Christ death paid for much more. Christ death is unlike any other . Christ death saves us from the lesser gods that you and I live for everyday. I encourage you live in that Story. Live your life that is an example to others that when they look at you they see Jesus. If you have full confidence in what God did for us then you too don’t have to fear death because your story doesn’t end there. You will be in the presence of your savior and I believe that He will stand up from His throne to welcome you home.

I like what Spurgeon said. “

Believe, then, O Christian, that if you abide in Christ, the like will be the case with you.

You shall be undisturbed at the premonitions of decay; when the physician shakes his head your heart shall not fail; when friends look sad you will not share their sorrow. We wept when we were born though all around us smiled; so shall we smile when we die while all around us weep. The dying Christian is often the only calm and composed person in all the group which fills the chamber from which he ascends to heaven. “

Pray with me