How Are We To Live Our Lives – Like Stephen
(Acts 7:54-60)
Introduction:How are we to live our lives? That is the question that we have been considering in a number of evening services. The basis for the progression of this series is from the Winter 2005 issue of a publication called “Today’s Christian Preacher.” There was a page that said…
During This Year…
- I will, like Paul, forget those things which are behind and press forward.
- I will, like David, lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence comes help.
- I will, like Abraham, trust implicitly in my God.
- I will, like Enoch, walk in daily fellowship with my Heavenly Father.
- I will, like Jehoshaphat, prepare my heart to seek God.
- I will, like Moses, choose rather to suffer than enjoy the pleasures of sin.
- I will, like Daniel, commune with my God at all times.
- I will, like Job, be patient under all circumstances.
- I will, like Gideon, stand firm even though my friends be few.
- I will, like Isaiah, consecrate myself to God’s work.
- I will, like Andrew, strive to lead my brother to a closer walk with Christ.
- I will, like John, lean upon the bosom of the Master.
And then the next line says…
13. I will, like Stephen, manifest a forgiving spirit toward all who hurt me.
Tonight, in order to answer the question of how we are to live our lives, we are going to look at the example of a man named Stephen.
Forgiveness can be a difficult thing.
Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn’t sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. “His help came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor,” Corrie wrote, “to whom I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks.” “Up in the church tower,” he said, nodding out the window, “is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the sexton lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging. First ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there’s a final dong and it stops. I believe the same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we’ve been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn’t be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while. They’re just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down.” “And so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a couple of dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the force—which was my willingness in the matter—had gone out of them. They came less and less often and at the last stopped altogether: we can trust God not only above our emotions, but also above our thoughts.”
In May 1970, Ray Stedman preached a sermon from this very passage in which he said…
Stephen, you remember, was one of the seven chosen by the congregation of the early church to be apostolic helpers. Another was Philip, whom we meet again in chapter eight. These two men, like the apostles, did mighty signs and wonders among the people in that early day. We pick up the story in the sixth chapter of Acts, beginning with Verse 8:
(Acts 6:8-15) And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. {9} Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. {10} And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. {11} Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. {12} And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, {13} And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: {14} For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. {15} And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Here Dr. Luke ties together certain very interesting observations which, if we read between the lines a bit, will give us background to understand how the murder of Stephen occurred. Stephen, you remember, was one of those Greek-speaking Jews called the Hellenists in this account, one who had been born in another country and who spoke not Hebrew or Aramaic but Greek. He was among those converted by the witness of the apostles and so he had become a Christian. There were in the city of Jerusalem a number of synagogues that had been formed by Greek-speaking Jews from various parts of the world. To these synagogues Stephen evidently went and preached in Greek, thus giving testimony to his faith in Jesus Christ. Dr. Luke records five of them. One was the synagogue of the Freedman (or the Libertines). That sounds as if it would be something almost Christian in emphasis, but these were not spiritually freed men; they were physically freed. This synagogue was founded by Jews who had been slaves in the Roman empire and had later been set free. Then there were two groups from Africa: the synagogues of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians. Also there were two from what we presently call Asia Minor, or Turkey: Cilicia, and Asia, two of the Roman provinces of that day.
Now it is interesting that the capital of Cilicia was Tarsus, and undoubtedly in this synagogue was a young man named Saul of Tarsus who was among those who disputed with Stephen when he came preaching Jesus Christ. Saul also was among those of whom it is said here, “But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he (Stephen) spoke.” Here was this brilliant young Jew, Saul of Tarsus, later to become the Apostle Paul, who, as a Jew, was tremendously stirred by the things that he heard Stephen say about Jesus Christ. He arose and disputed, but he could not answer Stephen. That must have been a gall to this young man, a blow to his pride, that he could not answer him from the Scriptures, since Saul prided himself as an authority on the Scriptures because he sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the great teacher.
When these men could not answer Stephen, they resorted to tactics often employed by people bested in an argument: When you cannot out-argue an individual, you usually try to out-shout him. When he still won’t be silenced you have to try yet other tactics, as these did. They set about to charge him officially before the court, and to find false witnesses to testify against him that he had blasphemed Moses and God. It is interesting to me that they put Moses first here, making him more important than God. They stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they seized Stephen and brought him before the council.
So here is Stephen, standing before the same Sanhedrin that condemned the Lord Jesus to death and that had just had such difficulty with Peter, John, and the other apostles. By the time Stephen came before the council the official charges had been narrowed to two very specific offenses, that he was saying threatening things: Against the temple (“This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place ... for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place”), and against the law, (“and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us”). In other words, Stephen was accused of threatening the establishment, represented by the temple and the priesthood, and of attempting to change the status quo.
Does that sound familiar? Yes, you say, these are the very charges leveled against the radicals and the demonstrators in our own day. We say of them, “You’re threatening to change the establishment, and you’re out to change the status quo.” And, as today, these charges against Stephen were partly true and partly false. Stephen probably had said something very similar to what was alleged here, but not exactly. What he said could have been taken this way (as it evidently was), but he did not mean it that way. So it was impossible for him to answer with a simple “Yes,” or “No,” when the high priest read him the official charges and asked, “Are these things so? i.e., how do you plead: guilty or not guilty?” Stephen could not say “Yes,” or “No,” he had to explain what he meant. He had said something about Jesus’ coming, and that the worship of the temple was changed. He had said that the customs which Moses had given would be altered, but he wanted to make clear what he meant. Therefore there follows, in Chapter 7, the longest sermon in the book of Acts. It is Stephen’s brilliant defense of what he believed, and is really a review of the history of the people of Israel.
I. Let’s Notice Stephen And The Synagogue
A. We Have The Description Of This Man
1. We See His Character
(Acts 6:3-5) Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. {4} But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. {5} And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
(Acts 6:8) And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
2. We See His Countenance
(Acts 6:15) And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
B. We Have The Disputing Of This Message
1. It Was Disputed In A Collaborative Way
With people from five different synagogues disputing with him.
(Acts 6:9) Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
2. It Was Disputed In A Controversial Way
disputing – Greek 4802. suzeteo, sood-zay-teh'-o; from G4862 and G2212; to investigate jointly, i.e. discuss, controvert, cavil:--dispute (with), enquire, question (with), reason (together).
C. We Have The Deception Of This Mob
(Acts 6:10-14) And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. {11} Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. {12} And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, {13} And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: {14} For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
1. We Notice Their Fighting Ways
(Acts 6:11-12) Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. {12} And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
suborned – Greek 5260. hupoballo, hoop-ob-al'-lo; from G5259 and G906; to throw in stealthily, i.e. introduce by collusion.
stirred up – Greek 4787. sugkineo, soong-kin-eh'-o; from G4682 and G2795; to move together, i.e. (spec.) to excite as a mass (to sedition).
II. Let’s Notice Stephen And The Sermon
A. The Origination Of His Sermon
(Acts 6:11-13) Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. {12} And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, {13} And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
B. The Outline Of His Sermon
Unable to best Stephen in open debate, his opponents trumped up false charges of blasphemy against him. They then seized him and hauled him before the Sanhedrin for trial (6:8–15). His defense was based solidly on the Old Testament Scriptures, which he often quoted verbatim. He knew he believed the truth and why he believed it. He ably defended the faith and showed his commitment to it with unflinching courage. So powerful was his polemic for the faith that his accusers sat spellbound until he finished. Then, beside themselves with rage, they stoned him.
As chapter 7 opens, his trial begins. The main part of the chapter consists of Stephen’s defense against the false charges brought against him. He stood accused of blaspheming God, Moses, the law, and the temple, the most serious charges imaginable in Jewish society.
While the main thrust of Stephen’s speech was to answer the charges of blasphemy, three other ideas are interwoven throughout. He knew he must capture and hold his audience’s attention. He did that by reciting Israel’s history as the groundwork for his defense. Since they were fiercely proud of their ancestry (cf. Rom. 2:17ff.; 9:4–5; Gal. 1:14) that was a topic they never tired of hearing about.
Another goal of Stephen’s speech was to indict his hearers for rejecting the Messiah. Throughout his message, that indictment slowly builds until it reaches a devastating climax in verses 51–53. He shows them that by rejecting the Messiah, they were imitating their apostate fathers, who rejected Joseph, Moses, and even God Himself. Stephen was not the blasphemer, they were.
Finally, Stephen sought to present to them Jesus as the Messiah, using Joseph and Moses as types of Christ.
(John F. MacArthur, Jr.)
1. He Talked About God7:1-16
2. He Talked About Moses7:17-37
3. He Talked About The Law7:38-43
4. He Talked About The Temple7:44-50
C. The Object Of His Sermon
(Acts 7:51-53) Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. {52} Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: {53} Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
(2 Timothy 4:2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
His objective here was the same as the objective of all good preaching – to reprove, rebuke, and exhort.
III. Let’s Notice Stephen And The Stoning
A. There Was A Mad Reaction
(Acts 7:54) When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
(Acts 7:57-58) Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, {58} And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
B. There Was A Majestic Revelation
(Acts 7:55-56) But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, {56} And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
C. There Was A Merciful Response
1. His Response Was Compassionate
(Acts 7:60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
2. His Response Was Christlike
(Luke 23:34) Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Conclusion:
We Angie and I were in Bible college, she found some tapes by a group called the Sugar Grove Singers. And a song from one of those old tapes has been going through my mind as I have considered this thing of forgiveness. The song says…
Verse 1:
So many times I’ve seen it happen, When people disagree
Families go their separate ways, and neighbors don’t even speak
And with a difference of opinion, friends stop being friends