God Alone Can Turn Sorrow Into Joy

Sunday Morning February 18th, 2007

*Acts 6:8-15 & 7:54-60

            Stephen was one of the seven selected by the apostles to perform special service with the church.  Some have called them the first deacons, a name that fits them well as they were servants to the flock.  Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and faith that he could not keep silent, even under penalty of death.

            The Jews questioned him in an attempt to discredit him but were foiled in their efforts by the Holy Spirit.  It was then they decided to use the same tactics employed against Jesus.  They used lies and slander to bring him to trial so that he would ultimately condemn himself with what they believed blasphemy – he named Jesus the Son of God!  Stephen was given an opportunity to declare the gospel to those seeking his death.  His message was a Spirit led discourse on the history of God’s dealing with the human race.  At the message’s conclusion, Stephen accused the court of being stiff-necked and evil.  Then looking upward, he declared himself able to see the throne of God and Jesus standing at the right hand.  Those present were so enraged that they forgot their fear of the Roman authorities.  They dragged him from the court and stoned him to death.  Stephen’s last words were very similar to those of Jesus, “Lord do not charge them with this sin.”

            There are many messages in the words of Stephen.  Even more important, in my view, were his actions.  He demonstrated the truth of his beliefs in his willingness to die for the lost.  One of those present that day had his life forever changed by the things he witnessed.  That man was Saul of Tarsus. 

I.                    Paul’s Introduction to Christianity

A.    First impressions are lasting

1.      It was Paul that told this story to Luke

2.      Stephen’s testimony made a very strong impression upon Saul

B.     Stephen was everything Saul thought himself to be

1.      A man of faith and principle

2.      A man willing to lay down his life for his beliefs

3.      Like Sergei Kourdakov, he saw the truth

II.                 Some Ask Why God Allows His Saints to Hurt So

A.    Sin was mankind’s choice

1.      Sickness, sorrow, pain, and death are the result of that choice

2.      Our unwillingness to accept the blame for sin and its effects makes our suffering all the harder

B.     God alone can turn sorrow into joy

1.      Stephens’ death was a tragedy to the early Church, but from among those that killed him God raised up his successor

2.      If God close one door He will inevitably open another

III.               The Memory of a Troubled Past May Serve Us Well

A.    It is good to remember what we were

1.      It keeps us humble

2.      To break our hearts over the tragedies we see in the lives of others

B.     We build upon the experiences of our lives – both good and bad

1.      How could I ever appreciate salvation had I never known the terror of being lost?

2.      How could I face the next difficulty without the experience of God’s care and deliverance in the last?