Stephen

We’re Doing a Series Titled: Imitators

In This Series, We are Looking at Imitators of Jesus in the Book of Acts

Our Goal is to Learn How to Be Imitators of Jesus as Well

Last Week We Looked at the 7 Servants the Apostles Put in Charge of the Daily Distribution

One of Those Men was Named Stephen

That’s Who We are Going to Talk About Tonight

Stephen was a Part of a Wonderful Ministry, Helping the Hellenistic Widows

But We’re About to Learn that that Wasn’t His Only Focus

Acts 6:8–10 (NAS)

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Stephen Had a Ministry Given to Him By the Church

But He Also Had a Mission Given to Him By Jesus

Like His King, He Went About Proclaiming and Demonstrating the Kingdom

We Already See Stephen Imitating Jesus

We’ve Spent Enough Time Talking About How We Need to Be About this Same Mission…

In Our Lessons From Matthew On Sunday Mornings

We All Need to Do Our Part in Ministering to the Church (My Lesson Last Week)

But We Also All Need to Do Our Part in the Mission of the Kingdom

We Need to Imitate Stephen as He was Imitating Jesus

Stephen Experienced Much of the Same Reaction as Jesus

Some Jews From a Local Synagogue Began Arguing with Stephen

But They Were No Match for Him

He was Full of Wisdom and the Holy Spirit

It was Easy to Tell Who was Winning Those Debates

So, the Rest of Chapter 6 Explains How They Began Telling Lies About Stephen and What He was Teaching

This Brought Him to Being On Trial Before the Jewish Supreme Court (The Sanhedrin)

So Now Stephen is Expected to Give a Defense for Himself

But Instead of Trying to Save Himself From Their Slander and Judgements…

Stephen Chose to Defend Jesus

He Begins By Retelling the Story of Their Fore-Father Abraham

How He Trusted in and Obeyed God

How God Promised to Bless, Multiply, and Give Land to His Descendants

This Summary of Their Family History Eventually Led to Joseph

Acts 7:9–10 (NAS)

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

See if this Sounds Familiar:

God Chooses a Faithful Man to Rule Over the World

But His Own People, Out of Jealousy, Reject Him

They Get Rid of Him, But it Only Leads to His Enthronement and Rule Over All the World

And Because of His Rule Over the World, the World is Saved

That is the Story of Joseph, But it is Also the Story of Jesus

We’ll See By the End of Stephen’s Defense…

That He is Comparing the Jews of His Day to Their Fore-Fathers

“They Rejected Joseph Just Like You Rejected Jesus

Then Stephen’s Defense Continued Down the Family History Until He Reached Moses

Acts 7:22–27 (NAS)

22“Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23“But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24“And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

25“And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. 26“On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ 27“But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?

See if this Sounds Familiar:

God Chooses a Man of Powerful Words and Deeds to Visit His People in Their Affliction

He Sees the Injustice They Face at the Hands of the Evil Forces of the World

He Also Sees the Injustice They Practice Toward One Another

He Wants to Help Them and Reconcile Them to One Another

They Should Have Recognized the Obvious Truth:

That God Sent this Man to Be a Deliverer, Ruler, and Judge Over Them

But They Rejected Him

This is the Story of Both Moses and Jesus

Again, the Forefathers of Stephen’s Jewish Audience Rejected Moses…

Just Like They Rejected Jesus

Stephen Continues with Moses

Acts 7:35–39 (NAS)

35“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36“This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’

38“This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 39“Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

Moses Led the Israelites Out of Egypt and Through the Wilderness with Amazing Signs and Wonders

He Passed On the Law of God to Them

But They Were Unwilling to Obey His Commands From God

They Rejected Him and Desired to Be Back in the Slavery of Egypt Over Being with Him

Again, Stephen Reminds the Jewish Crowd of Their Fore-Fathers’ Rejection of God’s Chosen One

And He Also Reminds Them that Moses Told the Israelites that a Prophet Like Him Would Come Along

Stephen Obviously Adds This as a Reference to the One He’s Defending

Stephen’s Main Point of His Defense of Jesus is Made Clear When He Said:

Acts 7:51–53 (NAS)

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

“You are Just Like Your Fathers!”

“You Reject the Holy Spirit, Just Like Them”

“They Persecuted the Prophets, and You Betrayed and Murdered the One They Prophesied About”

Acts 7:54 (NAS)

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

Instead of Allowing Stephen’s Message to “Pierce” Their Hearts, Like in Acts 2

It Cut Them to the Quick in Their Hearts

Instead of Feeling Guilty, They Felt Angry

Stephen Now Has the Supreme Court Angry at Him for Speaking the Truth

In this Situation, We Might Be Tempted to Read the Room…

And Shy Away From Saying Anything Else Too Controversial

Acts 7:55–56 (NAS)

But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently 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 up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

This is One of the Most Precious Passages in Scripture

Stephen May Not Know Exactly What is About to Happen…

But Jesus Does

And Jesus Stands for Stephen

Acts 7:57–60 (NAS)

57But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen, Like Us, Knew the Teachings of Jesus

Teachings Like:

Matthew 16:24 (NAS)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Stephen was a Trailblazer for All Persecuted Christians to Come

Because He was the First to Take this Command All the Way

Stephen Wished to Follow/Imitate Jesus

Stephen Denied Himself

Stephen Took Up His Cross

And Stephen Followed His King

Even While Stone Upon Stone Smashed into Him, He Wanted to Imitate His King

He Wanted the Full Experience of Imitating Jesus in Death

He Asked Jesus to Receive His Spirit…

Which, No Doubt Jesus Did

And Then He Prayed for the Forgiveness of Those Who Were Killing Him

2 Prayers that Jesus Spoke While on the Cross…

Stephen Spoke to Jesus While Being Stoned

Stephen was an Imitator of Jesus

And He Fell Asleep that Day

Asleep Represents the Temporary Nature of Death

Until the Return of Jesus, the Spirit of Stephen is Resting Peacefully…

With the King of Heaven and Earth Whom He Saw Standing in His Honor…

Moments Before He Would Give His Life for the Cause of His King

There’s Hardly Been a Greater Imitator of Jesus

He Served His Siblings in Christ

He Proclaimed and Demonstrated the Kingdom

He Defended the Honor and Truth of His Lord and King

He Bravely and Boldly Spoke of Jesus, Even Before a Hostile Crowd

He Continued to Love Those Who Hated Him

He was Willing to Die Because of His Faith/Allegiance to His King

Stephen is a Man Worth Imitating