When Pain Invades - Acts 7:54-60

Intro - In Stephen’s martyrdom we can see alot. A lot of what happens when the truth of God is brought to bear on people’s lives and how they respond.

Power of Perspective (v. 54-56)

Acts 7:54–56 ESV

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.”

There are two things that we can do with truth, we can use it in light of man or in light of God

Truth in Light of Man - “When they heard these things”

truth in light of man will produce shame, anger, self-centered pride, selfish ambition, etc. because we view it in comparison to other people.

When they heard the truth of who they were it produced an emotional response.

All the while they believed that they were the holy ones, the ones that were doing right.

As they traced Stephen’s account they believed that they were the persecuted and not the persecutor...

The truth that should have set them free instead became a source of crippling pain. They had adopted the heart of an oppressor and that is one of self-righteousness.

When lies/false expecations are adopted, truth becomes painful. We live in a culture that equates pain to lies. If it hurts it must not be right.

The truth that should have set them free instead became a source of pain. They had adopted the heart of an oppressor and that is one of self-righteousness.

I must be right! I am the standard for righteousness or at the very least my poor behavior is excusable because of my circumstance.

Let’s not think that we are too far out. The Pharisees started out noble. During the time between the Book of Malachi and Matthew they fought for the Word of God.

The truth was relational....not to God but instead to their sense of self and therefore it was painful.

1 Corinthians 4:3–4 ESV

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

“they were enraged”

Truth in Light of God - “full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God”

truth in light of God produces godly repentance, rich encouragement, depth of humility and heavenly joy.

Contrast Stephen with the Sanhedrin. Stephen saw the truth and it was the glory of God, Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Stephen being under the influence of the Holy Spirit had preached truth and now beheld truth…the truth of reality.

TR: For those that are have their perspective on self they’ll have to deal with the power of pain... Stephen being under the influence of the Holy Spirit had preached truth and now beheld truth…the truth of reality.

The truth of reality is that Jesus is beholding us and is at the right hand of the Father.

This is the truth that should pierce everyone here…that Jesus is beholding you. Not to condemn but to correct and encourage.

While the Sanhedrin were beholding a man Stephen was beholding God. Who do you think is seeing things rightly?

What if I told you that the person that aggravates you the most, has betrayed you the worst, has misused you greatest, etc. isn’t the problem, it’s how you respond to them that is.

You want vengeance that’s called justice, omission of sin called forgiveness, self-gratification called love, etc. all under the pretense of truth! So when a situation happens, it exposes who you are beholding....self or God.

TR: For those that have their perspective on self they’ll have to deal with the power of pain...

Power of Pain (v. 57-58)

The power of pain in this passage is two things, it is disruptive and it is deafening.

Pain is Disruptive - “they were enraged…ground their teeth at him”

The truth of Stephen’s statement was interpreted as blasphemy.

Be amazed at how the truth of what Stephen was saying should have set them free! Yet at this point their hearts had been so hardened by self-righteousness that it was considered to be the exact opposite....as blasphemy against God!!!

When you encounter truth the pain from it is disruptive and emotional.

The right assessment of them caused them to feel as though they were ‘sawn in two’ is literally the Greek.

They were uncontrollably angry. And in their rage, in their pain, they sought to inflict pain.

Pain makes you do funny things. It disrupts who you think you are, what you think the situation was, etc., one when your perspective isn’t of God it makes you want to bend that pain outward to something else.

There was a time when I was working in a warehouse and I was resposible for picking the smaller items from the warehouse and putting them on the conveyor belt. I tried to do it as fast as I could and so I would duck under the shelves to get to them. One day I came up too soon after I had ran under one and I smacked my head. Immediately, in the heat of my pain and anguish I became infuriated that I had hit my head....so I turned around and punched the metal shelf.

When your eyes are set on self or others, hurt people hurt people. Broken people break people. Angry people anger people. You bend your disposition outward!!!

It mentions, Saul here, who later we will come to know as the Apostle Paul, is also swept along in their rage.

That pain, disrupts you in a foundational way and it makes you want to fight the source of it with everything in you.

Some of us are spending so much energy right now fighting the source of our pain because we don’t like what it’s saying....that’s for somebody here.

Pain is Deafening - “they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears”

Truth that brings pain, when your perspective is of self/others, is deafening. You can’t tolerate it any longer.

It must be silenced at all costs! Even if it means breaking laws, principles, moral codes, to get it done.

There was a legal way to kill Stephen if they Sanhedrin wanted to do it. Yet this was an act of mob violence.

The Romans did allow execution, see Jesus as an example. Note the difference in the executions. But because they were so enraged they muted everything to pour out their animosity....

Sounds like counseling sessions I have had in the past. “I’m justified in behaving this way!!!”, why??? “because I feel pain!!!” and then we silence everything to the contrary.

It is dangerous how deaf we are to anything that attacks our sense of self. However, when self is god, when comfort is god…that’s what you’ll feel.

TR: However, when your perspective is on God…the power of pain will be overcome by the power of peace...

Power of Peace (v. 59-60)

Peace foresees and forgives.

Peace foresees; unity with Jesus and views everything in light of it.

“and as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’”

Stephen had the fervent expectation that as the pain was being inflicted that it would consummate his union with Jesus completely.

Many of us have suffered, obviously none of us to the point of death. Yet, when you are focused on God, not self, you begin to see how the pain of this world just hastens your unity with Jesus.

The ability to forgive through the pain is dependent on the perspective of the person. Are you focused on your idol or on the reality of

It molds you into His image. It challenges your responses and gives opportunity for Christlikeness.

It strikes at your sense of self and yet doesn’t demoralize but deepens your dependence on Him!

Romans 5:3–5 ESV

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

So what does this mean? It means that in the midst of pain (emotional, physical, psychological) I can have peace because I know it is working something in me!

I foresee the image of Jesus, welcoming me into His presence and I know the pain is hastening that reality...

It doesn’t make the source of pain righteous but because your perspective is on God, what man intends for evil God uses for your good.

My mom was the focus of a lot of trauma from her father. She bent that outward toward me unintentionally. In my pain I bent it back toward her in vengence. However, when I changed my perspective to God in her life, I was literally overwhelmed with peace. And that enable me to overwhelm my pain with the peace of God.

Peace forgives; in light of consummation w/ Jesus.

When pain comes to a believer, one that is full of the Spirit, the response to pain isn’t to inflict pain but to consider it and if wrong, forgive it.

The ability to forgive through the pain is dependent on the perspective of the person. Are you focused on your idol or on the reality of

The ability to forgive through the pain is dependent on the perspective of the person. Are you focused on your idol or on the reality of Jesus.

Can you look past the source of your pain and see Jesus???!!! Pain can be blinding at times, it dulls that senses.

And yet because Stephen was focused on Jesus, he not only fervently awaited his union with Him but also, knew that the Sanhedrin would be following him in death soon enough and STILL desired the best for them.

How? Because PEACE OF GOD FORGIVES! Even when it costs you everything.

When your focus is on self, pain robs you of what is actually most valuable…having peace.

When we hear the truth of God, when we’re exposed to His reality, are we enraged by it? Do we stop our ears to it?

The Book of Acts chronicles truth invading people’s lives. Some set in religious ideology, business, politics, every intersection of life. We’ll get to read how they respond…but first how will you?

When we’re exposed to the pain in others do we hold it against them?

Only in Jesus can you look past the pain, forgive the wrong and have the peace of God overwhelm our hearts.