The Arrest of Stephen- Acts 6:8-15

We come to a focus on Stephen that stems from his appointment as one of seven deacons. Stephen, as we will learn over the next few weeks, is an incredible man of God. He stands for truth gracefully, courageously standing firm in the face of opposition.

His life provides us with a wonderful example to pursue. He is deeply involved in the Scriptures (meaning he reads and applies them). He is gracious in his demeanor, no doubt a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). He is bold in his witness, certainly fulfilling the prophetic utterance of Jesus in Acts 1:8.

What we see in Stephen’s life that we must imitate is that...

In order to be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution, we must be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

You see, it is persecution that will be the main action in chapters 6-8. The Lord, ever in control of His church, will utilize this persecution, including the death of Stephen, to build His church. Yet, what we need to learn is that being bold does not mean simply bunkering down and getting angry. Being bold means standing for the truth in a gracious and loving way.

I. Stephen was arrested while doing God’s Word- 6:8

The first thing we see in Stephen’s life is that he was working for the LORD. That was a characteristic of his life. Like Daniel in Daniel 6:10, “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.”

In other words, Stephen was a faithful Christian. We need to be careful with our own lives on two fronts.

First, we must be consistent in our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot serve him part time. Our lives should be so filled with the sweetness of obedience that others draw encouragement or challenge from our lives.

Second, we must be careful that, when opposition comes, we do not disobey simply to be obstinate. We know people like this. They never think twice about shopping at Target, though the organization supports ideas and views contrary to the teachings of Scripture. Yet, when Star Bucks comes out with red cups, they are boycotted. We think we are staying true to the faith when we do that. We should be in the pattern of obedience and consistency before persecution comes. If we are not, that does not demonstrate faithfulness, rather it demonstrates rebelliousness.

In order to be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution, we must be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Stephen is ministering for the LORD and receives opposition. But who is opposing him? Is it the religious leaders? (cf. 4:1-3, 5:17-18)

II. Opposition Came From Jewish Proselytes- 6:9a

A list of countries attached to the Freedmen synagogue (more like members of various synagogues). There is a difference in people who are opposing the work of the LORD, though. While it was the high priests, Sadducees, and temple guards that had previous attacked the apostles, now we see an entirely different group of people opposing the work of Jesus.

What is interesting is the mention of Cilicia. If you look at Acts 22: 3, we learn that Paul was from Cilicia. We also know from 8:1 that Paul was present at Stephen’s execution. However, we get ahead of ourselves. Opposition comes from an entirely different group of religious people. Now, they hold to the same theological views, as we will see shortly, to those of the leaders of Jerusalem. However, they are different. The point that I want to draw out is that opposition is not limited to one particular group or denomination or organization.

John warns us in 1 John 3:13, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” The world, that collective expression of rebellion against God and His Messiah, comes in many forms and shapes and sizes and intensities. I am working on a book where I peruse Scripture and draw out the various manifestations of the world. It has been a fascinating and enlightening study, because the world, that which opposes God, comes in almost an infinite variety. We need to be aware of this, brothers and sisters, for the world lurks everywhere, even in trusted institutions and churches. But even though opposition comes...

In order to be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution, we must be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

The question we ask, though, is why did these religious folks oppose Stephen?

III. Anger Abounded Over Theological Concerns- 6:9b-14

Their opposition centered around theological concerns, concerns that involved the Scriptures and their views. This will become clearer in the following chapters, but they give some key points to their objections, which we will now look at.

A. Their opposition centered on Jesus Christ- 6:14

Their opposition, when you boil it down to the cause, centers around Jesus Christ. This should not come as a surprise, either. Scripture has, from the beginning, touted a Coming One (i.e., the seed of the woman in Gen. 3:15), which, as Psalm 2 reminds us, brings opposition. The religious leaders hated Christ, as we saw in 4:17 and 5:28.

Why? Why does the world hate Jesus so much? The Scriptures, as a whole, describe this opposition to God’s plan. Satan, in Isaiah 14, attempts to usurp the throne of God. From that point on, Satan and the world, aim to dethrone the Lord, including His Messiah. They hate the work of God, and the work of God is wrought through Jesus (i.e., in His name).

B. Their opposition mixed a little truth with a lot of falsehood- 6:11, 13

What we see in this opposition is that they mixed a little truth with a lot of falsehood. The truths that they mixed in involved the words of Christ. In John 2:19 Jesus tells the Jewish people he will give them a sign. If they destroy “this temple,” referring to His body, “I will raise it up” in three days. The leaders that would crucify Christ brought his accusation up against Jesus, too, in Mark 14:58. Stephen, no doubt, followed the teachings of Christ as He commissioned in Matt. 28:18-20 in sharing this with the Jewish proselytes.

But there was a little more truth mixed in, involving the Law of Moses. There is a moral, or natural law that runs throughout human history. We established this back when we were beginning our series in Genesis. The 10 Commandments provide the meat, if you will, of God’s Law that all must obey. Jesus boils it down further to two (love of God and neighbor). However, as many of you are who are familiar with the first Testament, God’s Laws to the people of Israel, while summarized in the 10 Commandments, were expanded to cover every area of their lives as the nation of God.

We see a natural division in the Law, one that was not a possibility to the Jewish people (as Paul will mention in Gal. 3:10, quoting a reference from Deut. 27:26, that to be a covenant-member of Israel, they must obey all the law, including the civil, moral, and judicial.

It is that division that comes, along with our obligations to obey, that the Jewish people had a difficult time distinguishing after Christ’s work was completed. Paul presents the results of Christ’s work in the book of Galatians more fully than anywhere else.

I find these words from the Baptist Confession of Faith helpful in understanding the problem the Jewish people have with Messiah Jesus and Stephen’s preaching (as well as Paul’s teaching, when we get to that in Acts).

Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures, hearts, and lives, so as examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against, sin; together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of His obedience; it is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin; and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although freed from the curse and unalloyed rigor thereof.—19:6

Now, those are the truths, what about the lies? They misunderstood the work of Christ, and thus presented falsehoods: Christ never claimed He would destroy the physical temple. That was a lie. In addition, the apostles, and now Stephen, and soon to be Paul, all held a high view of the Law. They did not speak against it because it was God’s Word, and Paul reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God (see 2 Tim. 3:16).

We can positively attest to this because they had to “secretly instigate” false witnesses. They got the ball rolling with a false accusation that Stephen had blasphemed Moses and God.

What can we take away from this? When we are actively serving the LORD, attempting to present the truth of God while being bold and graceful, opposition will and does come. At times, our words will be used against us. We say one thing, and it is taken out of context. Or, when we speak the truth in love, someone assumes we are filled with hate.

That, I think our present experiences demonstrate, is what we will face today. How will we respond to that?

In order to be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution, we must be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

What happens next? Stephen, who must be unsettled by these accusations, how does he respond? Stephen responded under the ruling of the Holy Spirit, as a result, God’s grace abounded.

IV. God’s Grace Abounded All the More- 6:15 (cf. Rom. 5:20)

The council views Stephen, they gaze at him. They observe him, perhaps weighing the accusations they knowingly and falsely brought before all, to see how he would respond.

How would you respond? I can tell you how I would respond, I would be livid. I would be angry that my preaching and ministry was so misaligned, and falsely so, that I would be visibly moved and aggravated.

Stephen though, is a man full of grace. It is overflowing. Like a bucket out in a rain storm running over with water, Stephen was running over with grace. The love of Jesus Christ poured out of him. Listen to Paul’s words from Colossians 1:27, which I think are evidenced here by Stephen,

“…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Christ was in Stephen, and his demeanor demonstrated it.

In order to be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution, we must be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Are we filled with faith and the Holy Spirit? You see, it is that basis from which Stephen could be bold for the LORD in the midst of persecution. And Stephen’s boldness was not mean, or arrogant, or divisive, his boldness was full of grace. The question remains, how do we get to this point?

We must be absolutely, solely, and madly in love with Jesus.

We must be prayerful students of the Word of God.

We must graciously preach and live the Word of God.

We must submissively follow the Lord in every area of our lives, up to, and including, persecution.