[My apologies of this posting being late, I am having computer problems and can't access the internet from home at the moment, SN].
The Persecuted Church: The Voice of the Martyrs
(or, “The
Faithful Witness and the Work of the Spirit”)
Acts
7:54-8:1a
Introduction:
This week as we come to the story of the death of Stephen in Acts, we’ve been
reminded in our extended church family that the death of the saints, believers
in Jesus, is precious to the Lord. Some in the world try to avoid the subject
of death with humor…
I don't mind dying as long as I am not there when it happens. Woody Allen
I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my
grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers. Jim Harkins
“Famous
last words…” Some are funny, some are fearful, some are full of faith. Here are
a few I found online…
Oh Lord, forgive the
misprints! Andrew Bradford, American book-publisher
Go away... I'm alright.
Last words of H. G.
Wells
The rest is silence.
Hamlet, Hamlet by Shakespeare
Call the office and
tell them I won't be in on Monday.
Betty Allen, who worked until her death at 93
WC
Fields reportedly said, “You mean to tell
me I have enough money to buy a bicycle for every child in New York?” “Yes”
came the reply. His reply, edited, “Fuhgedaboutit!”
“Now
comes the mystery…”
Henry Ward Beecher
“Children, when I am gone, sing a song of
praise to God…” Susanna Wesley
“I shall be with Christ, and that is enough…” Michael Faraday
Whether
in history or in literature, last words can be impactful, since they reveal
something about what is on the heart and mind of the person who is leaving this
life. The witness of Stephen is
empowered by the Spirit, his words reveal a heart that has experienced God’s
grace and has peace. The response of his accusers exposes their guilt, they are
“convicted” by the light shone on their unbelief.
The Big Idea: The Spirit will empower God’s people to graciously speak
the truth, even when they are attacked. Some who hear will believe, others will
have their unbelief exposed.
I. Obstacles: The Darkness of the
Flesh and Enmity with God (54). “When they heard these things, they became
furious and ground their teeth at him.”
“When they heard these things…” What was
it that they had heard? Stephen had reviewed some major characters and events
from Israel’s history showing God’s gracious action on their behalf, and the nation’s
repeated rejection of the deliverers God had sent to them. They could not deny
what was written in their own Scriptures but the application became too
personal too quickly: “You are just like
your fathers!” They rejected the prophets God sent, and you
rejected the promised One of whom the prophets spoke!
“…they became furious…” i.e., “…they were cut to the quick…” This is a very different reaction than we saw
back in Acts 2 and 3 when Peter preached Christ and he called his countrymen to
account for rejecting him. Then we saw thousands repent and be converted to the
faith. Here, Stephen’s speech brings violent anger and results in his death.
Something to think about: How do we measure success in our service for the
Lord? Was Peter a success, and Stephen a failure? The words of Charles Colson
come to mind, “God doesn’t demand our success, He demands our obedience…”
Stephen was a faithful witness, and they were “cut to the quick.”
This phrase occurs only twice in the NT,
here and in Acts 5:33 when the apostles response to the Sanhedrin also
infuriated them. It seems to me this is
another example of the Spirit working through the preaching of the Word to
convict the hearers. The promised Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would “convict
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment…” What is conviction? The root meaning of the word is to expose, to
bring to light. We have examples of
“positive conviction,” for example in Acts 2 and 3, where the hearers have
their guilt exposed by the preaching of Peter, and they repent and turn in
faith to Jesus. These hearers on the other hand, have their guilt exposed, in
their own hearts, and also by their actions in refusing to recognize and turn
from their sin. Their unbelief is exposed, it is laid bare, and rather than
repenting they turn against the Light that shined through Stephen’s testimony. So “they
ground their teeth at them…” The language pictures a mob seething in anger,
ready to explode at any moment.
C. As
Luke is writing Acts he has shown the overwhelming, explosive, growth of the
church. But it hasn’t been without challenges and trials. The opposition to the
church has been intensifying but nothing will impede what God is determined to
do. The blindness of the religious leaders reminds us as to why our mission is
so important. The World is in rebellion against God. Unbelievers are dead in
sin, slaves to Satan, blind and deaf to the truth. That is a bit of an obstacle to our
witness! We can’t intellectually persuade anyone to believe, that is, we
can’t do it without the supernatural intervention of the King of the Universe,
breathing life into those who need to know Him. My point here is not to
discourage you, but rather to encourage you that God is still working through the
foolishness of the gospel to save those who believe. That means that some will
hear and respond. So be encouraged, and “be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord.”
*** The Spirit will empower God’s people to graciously
speak the truth, even when they are attacked. Some will believe, others will
have their unbelief exposed.
II. Outlook:
God’s Word will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent (55-58).
A. In the Light of the Spirit: Seeing the Truth
(55,56). “But
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look!" he said.
"I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand
of God!"
Notice first of all that Stephen was full of the
Holy Spirit. This is not a state that is only attainable by the few, by the
“super-spiritual.” This is what we are made for, this is normal, healthy,
Christianity. The Apostle Paul would later write, “Do not be drunk with wine, where in is dissipation, but be filled with
the Spirit…” (Eph 5:18). The contrast is between living our life controlled
by a substance that might deaden our pain in the moment but which won’t solve
anything, or living our life controlled by the supernatural presence of the
Creator of the universe, our omniscient and omnipotent King and Savior. This is the backbone of the theology of Acts:
this present age is the age of the Spirit. He is God, present in every believer.
We need to recognize and yield to his presence.
Stephen got a preview of heaven, a glimpse into the
presence of God. God granted him that revelation, and notice that he shared
exactly what he had seen. Remember that
in Stephen’s speech he spoke of Joseph, who was given a vision by God which he
shared with his brothers. He only told the truth, and his brothers were
jealous, and hated him, and sold him into slavery. That didn’t go so well! Stephen knew what was happening, he saw this
story unfolding, yet he continued his faithful witness, sharing exactly what
God allowed him to see. Notice there is one small change in what Luke says
Stephen saw, and what he said. Instead
of saying he saw Jesus standing at
the right hand of God, he says he saw the Son
of Man standing at the right hand of
God. “Son of Man” was a title Jesus
used for himself. It was the one messianic title appeared in the Old Testament
Scriptures, but was open to interpretation – a little ambiguous. Then finally,
when he is under examination by the Council He says, “You will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of Heaven!”
Then there was no doubt, He was referring to Daniel 7:13,14 and claiming
to be Messiah! This is the only place in
the New Testament, here in Acts 7, where someone other than Jesus uses that
title to refer to Him. And since He is
at the right hand of the Father there is no doubt that Stephen is calling Him
the Messiah – the Son of Man is the Son of God!
He only told the truth, and like Joseph in the Old Testament, he incurs
the wrath of his brethren.
B. The depth of Depravity:
Rejection of the Truth (57-58).
Very dramatically, Luke shows us that Stephen’s accusers would not hear (57). “But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed
at him with one intent.” They did not want to listen, they did not
want to hear another word. Paul
described the natural man’s response to the things of the Spirit in I Cor 2:14,
“The natural person does not accept the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to
understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” They would not listen, they could not understand, dramatically
they cover their ears and they rushed him with one intent. No mystery here,
they wanted to do away with this annoying voice! This scene reminds me of the
Auca tribesmen who attacked the five missionaries in the jungle is Equador,
including Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, and began shooting them with arrows –
darkness trying to extinguish light. One of the attackers who was later
converted described the frenzy when the missionaries pulled out the first few
arrows, and did not fire a weapon in return on their attackers.
- They sought to blot out the light (58; 8:1a). “When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul… 8:1aAnd Saul approved of his execution.” The Jews apparently were not allowed to execute anyone under Roman law, but in their fury they didn’t let that stop them, they began to stone him. This was not simply punishment, it was intended to kill. Ironically the stoners of Stephen are called “witnesses.” Jesus had told the disciples in Acts 1:8, that the Spirit would empower them to be his witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and all of Judea. In case we weren’t clear about it, that wasn’t a mission given only to the twelve, Stephen is filled with the Spirit, and powerfully gives testimony that Jesus Christ is Lord. The word “witness,” martus, is the word from which the English word “martyr” is derived. The path that it took for the meaning to change from probably is connected to the witnesses of Christ in history who gave their lives rather than denying their Lord.
- Fox’s Book of Martyrs traces examples of people through the centuries who stood firm in their profession rather than recant their faith in Christ and paid the ultimate price. Missionaries in the modern era, like Jim Eliot and Nate Saint, risked their lives and ultimately gave their lives in seeking to bring the gospel to those who were in darkness. Today Christians in many of the Islamic republics in North Africa and Asia are at risk if they openly profess faith, and even more so if they seek to share their faith, and any who would convert to Christianity could be putting their lives in danger. After being threatened with hanging, only this week Miriam Yahia Ibrahim was allowed to leave Sudan for Italy with her new born child. Pastor Saeed Abedini continues to be held in an Iranian prison – he’s only been allowed two visits from his family in the last two years.
- And notice that Saul is standing by, approving. Knowing the bigger story, that gives us hope. We can be encouraged that even this determined opponent who sought to destroy Christianity, encountered the resurrected, living Christ and had his life changed completely. No one is too difficult, too hardened, too determined in their unbelief.
*** The Spirit will empower God’s people to graciously
speak the truth, even when they are attacked. Some will believe, others will
have their unbelief exposed. There will be OBSTACLES, but the OUTLOOK is
positive since God’s Word will not return void. His presence gives us
OPPORTUNITY to be a faithful witness.
III. Opportunity: The Blessings of an Eternal
Perspective (59-60). An eternal
perspective will show us how to live, in this case it also shows Stephen how to
die. Stephen lived and died by faith, because he knew God’s grace and had peace
with God and the peace of God.
Stephen could face this moment in Faith,
he knew God and had his trust in Him. 59 “They continued to stone Stephen while he
prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Even as they were
stoning him and he faced death, he reflected his faith in his savior, even
echoing some of the things Jesus said from the cross. “Receive my Spirit!” It is interesting that here he prays to Jesus, and he prays like Jesus. Our prayers go to God and Stephen recognized
the deity of Christ. He also understood that to be absent from the body was to
me present with the Lord. Even as he was facing death, he did so in faith,
believing God, and trusting in Jesus. As Jesus prayed, in faith, for the Father
to received His spirit, Stephen prays, trusting in the Lord, for Him to receive
His Spirit.
-Next we see an attitude of Grace.
60“Then he fell
to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin
against them!" He doesn’t call for lightening from heaven, he doesn’t
ask for an angel with a flaming sword to strike down his attackers. He knew
God’s grace, and like Jesus did, he prays for grace and mercy toward his
attackers. Like Jesus had prayed for
those who crucified Him, Stephen intercedes for his attackers. Could you? Would
you? I remember at our Thanksgiving service, when the Simons came and Jude
prayed for the salvation of those who had tortured and killed his father – that
kind of gracious response can only come to those who have an eternal
perspective and understand what is at stake. Because we know God’s grace,
because we are recipients of grace, we should be gracious people toward those
around us, even those who would do us harm.
-Finally, we see Stephen had Peace.
Luke doesn’t just say he “died,” but rather, in a tender expression reserved
for the death of believers, “…and when he
had said this, he fell asleep.” Baxter as he lay dying said, “I have pain, but I have peace…” It is a
peace that passes understanding. A peace that comes from knowing God’s forgiveness
and being assured of His presence. There is no despair, no overwhelming fear,
for the child of God in death. We have peace, a calm assurance that death is by
no means the end, that God is with us and to be absent from the body is to be
present with the Lord. Rather than terror or fear or horror, we have calmness
because God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are His, and so
there is nothing left to fear.
What is God saying to me in this passage? The Spirit will empower God’s people to graciously
speak the truth, even when they are attacked. The response will be mixed. Some
will believe, others will have their unbelief exposed. The results are up to
God. He doesn’t demand our “success,” He demands our obedience.
What would God have me to do in response
to this passage? Do you feel your
witness for the Lord is a failure because you don’t see people coming to faith
in Christ? You can’t save anyone. God doesn’t demand our success in terms of
numbers, he does demand our obedience in terms of faithfully speaking the
truth, giving a reason for the hope that is in us. Our mission is not an
optional part of the Christian life. It is not something for the professionals,
it is the mission that Jesus has given the church, it is what we were left in
the world to do. The obstacles we face may discourage us, but they
needn’t defeat us. The outlook is bright because God’s Word is true and it will
accomplish his purpose. We have an opportunity, to walk in the Spirit, to live
by faith, to be gracious because we have experienced grace, and to experience
peace even in chaotic times. Why did God leave us in the world? He doesn’t
desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Our
calling is to be witnesses to the light in the place that he has put us. Is there someone in your sphere of influence
who needs to know Jesus? You are God’s
missionary where He was placed you. Think about that. AMEN.
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