Acts 7

Discussion Questions

• Stephen radiated a settled and unshakable confidence in the character of God and the reality of his salvation. As fellow believers, how do we lean in to and live out these same truths today?
• Stephen knew his Bible, and when given the opportunity, was able to logically, boldly, and compassionately share the gospel. Are we actively looking for opportunities to share the gospel with those around us? When we do, are we ready to meet them with dignity and respect, engaging them right where they are? What are some ways that we can be equipped and prepared for these kinds of divine appointments?
• Do we rejoice in the works of our hands rather than in the God who created us? What are some warning signs that something has become an idol in our lives? What are some things (even good things) that we tend to lean on too heavily that can’t bear the weight? If we find ourselves unbalanced, how do we re-order our priorities so that we are putting first things first?

Transcript

Well grace and peace be to you this morning, friends. We study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel. If you want a paper copy, just lift up your hand and someone will bring along one to you over here. Okay, we are going to study quite a bit of text today, so it would be good to have the text in front of you. It is the longest sermon, in fact, in Acts and maybe the second longest in the entire Bible. And I’m going to see if this will be the longest sermon in history. Well, we’ll find out. We’ll find out today. I also want to welcome all those who are worshiping with us online. May the Spirit of the Lord move among you today. Hold you fast. Well, it’s an ordinary part, and I think it’s human experience, to interpret and to understand what’s in front of us by understanding, at least at some level, what’s gone before us, what’s behind us, what came before.

And we do this in many categories of life, don’t we? This year we celebrate 250 years of independence in our country, in our home country, and we look back to the Declaration of Independence. We look back to the Revolutionary War to help us understand where we are today, who we are today. I know that my wife loves me and I love her because of how we demonstrate it to one another in particular. This week, Emily is going with me to see Star Wars at the Belcourt. I know she loves me. I know she loves me. But more than that, on a deeper level, almost 18 years ago we said vows. We know that we love one another because of that deeper vow we made then. Understanding today, because of what’s come before.

If you’re a believer, you look to your baptism, not because baptism saves you, but because it’s an outward sign of an inward work of God’s grace. More than that, you look back to the cross of Christ. We just sang about 2000 years ago outside the city walls of Jerusalem, on a hill, Golgotha, our Lord laid down His life. We have those who are believers, a settled confidence today, because of what has come before them. In the Old Testament, the psalmists often look back to the work of God throughout history as they were wrestling with sorrow and suffering, anxiety, fear, war, enemies on every side. Psalm 77, the psalmist Asaph says, “I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me in the day of trouble. I seek the Lord in the night. My hand is stretched out without wearying. My soul refuses to be comforted. Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds.’”

In other words, the psalmist Asaph is saying he is singing essentially the same song we do, saying, “He will hold me fast” to settled confidence. And for us today, it’s grounded in the character of a God of justice, of mercy, of love. A God who speaks, who acts, who makes all things work together according to His purposes. This morning, we’re continuing our study of the early church in the book of Acts. If you want to turn there to chapter seven of the Book of Acts, I’ll remind you that last week we were introduced to Stephen, who actually began his ministry as helping administer, distributing resources to Greek-speaking widows. That was his job, kind of an administrator, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he also became a skilled preacher. Him, along with some others in that same group. And his preaching began to stir the anger of the religious leaders of his day. He was brought before the Sanhedrin, the council, the same council to which Jesus Himself had been brought in. And in front of this, this mockery of a courtroom, he’s told to give a defense. “Here are the charges against you,” they said to him. “You blaspheme against God, against Moses, against the law, against the temple.” Stephen knew his Bible, though, and Stephen knew the story that came before. And he begins to tell that story.

He knew who held him fast. If you’d allow me, let me pray before we begin: Heavenly father, we come to You with our Bibles open. Open Your Word to us and open us to Your Word. May Your Spirit convict. May Your Spirit comfort, and may Your Spirit lead us to Your Son, Jesus, our only hope in life and death. In the precious name of Jesus. We all said amen.

Acts, Chapter 7. And actually, let’s go just a few verses before. We’re going to go into 6:13. We’ll start in verse 13 of Chapter 6 just a little bit before. “And they [that’s the council] set up of false witnesses who said, ‘This man, Stephen, never ceases to speak words against this holy place [That’s the temple] and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, [the temple] and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.’ [There’s the law again] and gazing at him, all who sat and the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” And his face was like the face of an angel who was illuminated in some kind of way that we don’t quite understand. But it wasn’t coming from within him. It’s because he has been within the presence of God. He’s been in the presence of God. And we see that pattern all throughout the Old Testament, including Moses himself when he comes down from Mount Sinai. And his face was illuminated because he’d been in the presence of God Almighty.

Chapter 7, verse 1: “And the high priest said, [and that was Caiaphas likely, by the way]  ‘Are these things so?’” So, are these charges against you true, Stephen? And Stephen says, I’m glad you asked. “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred, and go into the land that I will show you.’” So, something really important is going on here. Caiaphas, the same one, the same high priest, likely, who was there when they were charging Jesus says to Stephen, make a defense for yourself. And Stephen doesn’t really start by giving a defense. He goes back to the Bible. He goes back to the old story. We’re going to put a map here up on the screen to give us a sense of what he’s doing.

First of all, they were charging him with blasphemy against God. And he begins by saying, “The God of glory.” He’s not a God blasphemer! He says, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia.” You can see Mesopotamia up there, kind of the northeast corner, modern day Iraq. It’ll be called Babylon later on in the Bible. What Stephen is doing here is masterful because they had this idea, because the temple and the law were so precious to them, they had this idea that God was confined to the temple, confined to the Promised land, confined to Jerusalem. Yet Stephen says, no, no, no, no. God’s presence appeared to our father Abraham in a pagan land called Mesopotamia. God’s presence appeared to a pagan man named Abraham. First, God’s presence will not be confined. He is the God of glory. Verse 4: “Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans, [That’s also in Mesopotamia.] and he lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him. Though he had no child.”

Verse 6: “And God spoke to this effect, that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others who would enslave them and afflict them for four hundred years.” Now he’s talking about Egypt. That is to come, verse 7: “’But I will judge the nation that they will serve,’” [Egypt] said God. “’And after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ And he [verse 8] gave him the covenant of circumcision.” Now all throughout, I encourage you to underline every time you see God’s initiatives at work here. Stephen is calling these things out. God gave him the covenant of circumcision, meaning God set them apart in their body, set them apart as a people for His own. It’s God, verse 6, who spoke about Egypt to come. It’s God in verse 7 that says, I’m going to judge that nation that enslaves our people. Verse 8: “He gave them the covenant, the circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob and Jacob. [Of the 12 patriarchs] And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him.” Again, there’s that same thread.

If we look at the map again, Egypt is not in the Promised Land. They’re in the bottom left-hand corner. God’s presence will not be confined to a temple. He met with Abraham first up in Mesopotamia. He was with Joseph down in Egypt. He’s pulling that thread all the way through verse 10: “And he rescued him [Joseph] out of all of his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. And when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Joseph sent and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his kindred, and 75 persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers. And they were carried back to him, and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor at Shechem.”

Now there’s another thread that Steven’s been pulling, if you remember Joseph, he pulled it out that the patriarchs, the brothers of Joseph, rejected him, and one of the threads he’s going to pull is… you remember who he’s talking to? The council, the Sanhedrin. The thread he’s pulling through history is he’s saying all throughout history, the leaders of Israel, the people of God, sometimes rejected God’s messengers, God’s redeemers. And he did it with Joseph. We’re going to see it also with Moses, verse 17: “But as the time of the promise drew near which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph, and he dealt shrewdly with our race, and forced our fathers to expose their infants so that they would not be kept alive. And at this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight, and he was brought up for three months in his father’s house. And when he was exposed, [literally put out into the elements] Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was instructed, and all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.”

So, he goes from Abraham to Joseph, now to Moses. I’m going to put up one more thing. This is a timeline just to help situate us chronologically, because remember, he knows his story. You can see the dates there. Some of these are approximations. But now we’re to the time of Moses. The top section tells you about different things that the Lord had actually done throughout history. And then down below are the people that Stephen is going to mention. Now, Moses, you can divide his life into three different seasons of 40 years. The first 40 years we’ve already seen described in Egypt. He grows up. He is the prince of Egypt. DreamWorks didn’t make that up. That was from the Bible. First 40 years, we’re going to see a little bit about the next 40 years when he flees to Midian. And then it’s the last 40 years of his life that God really uses him to rescue Egypt. He was a late bloomer. Any late bloomers in the house? Verse 23: “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart [This is Moses.] to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.” This would have been very natural. He knew he had Hebrew ancestry.

And so, with all his power and prestige that he has in Egypt, he decides, I’m going to go back to my roots and learn a little bit about myself. At 40 years old, that’s natural. Verse 24: “So he goes to see his brothers and seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’” There’s that thread, God’s messenger, God’s Redeemer, being rejected by the people of God. Verse 28: “’Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ And at this retort, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian.” That’s likely the western edge of Saudi Arabia today, where he became the father of two sons. Verse 30: “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. And when Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and he drew near to look. There came the voice of the Lord, ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare look.”

Friends, do we tremble appropriately, tremble when we come before the presence of God, when we come to hear the voice of God in the Word of God? There’s something for us to learn here from our brother Moses. Verse 33: “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet for the place where you were standing is holy ground.’” Remember, he’s still not come to the promised land. This is another thread he’s pulling. God was in Mesopotamia. He was in Egypt. Now He’s in what we would call Saudi Arabia and Midian. And it’s holy ground. Verse 34: “I have surely seen the affliction of my people [God says] who are in Egypt and have heard their groanings, and I have come down to deliver them.” There’s God’s initiative. “And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” Verse 35: “This Moses whom they rejected, [There it is again.] saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ This man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt at the Red sea in the wilderness for forty years.”

Now listen to this. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.” He’s quoting Moses. Here I would highlight this section. This is the hinge point of Steven’s defense. His argument. Remember, they are charging Steven with blasphemy against Moses and the law in the temple. And here’s Steven saying no, no, no, no friends. Don’t you understand? I’m not blaspheming against Moses. You are. Moses was the one who pointed forward to the Righteous One to come – to Jesus. That’s what he’s saying here. He’s quoting Moses bringing the indictment to them. Verse 38: “This is the one [Moses] who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, [there they are rejecting him again] but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: [from Amos] Did you bring to me slain beast and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Rephan, in the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.”

He’s pulling the thread that shows how awful their idolatry had become. Just like the pagan nations worshiping idols made with their hands. Verse 44: “Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn, brought it with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. [Now he’s talking about the temple.] but it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.” Now, I encourage you, highlight that section and make a big line if you can, all the way up to verse 41, it’s the same language the people of God in the wilderness were rejoicing in the work of their hands. And down here at verse 48, he’s indicting them and saying, “You have made a good thing, the temple into an idol, worshiping what you have made with your hands.” Do you see the connection there? Stephen, so brilliant.

Verse 49, he quotes from Isaiah, “’Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’ says the Lord, ‘or what place? What is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’” [51] Now Stephen’s looking at this council, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, [That’s Jesus.] whom you have now betrayed and murdered. You who receive the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Again, he’s saying, I am not blaspheming the law. You are. Don’t you see? I actually think there’s compassion and grace and mercy in what Stephen’s doing here. Don’t you see the righteous One? Verse 54: “When they [the council] heard these things, they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he [here’s the contrast] full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, [look, look] I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” Another opportunity for them to turn to repentance.

Verse 57: “But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.” Now Stephen’s name means victor’s crown. Just chokes me up when I think about this. This man had such mercy, and it looks like defeat. But as we’ll study next week, this is not defeat. This faithful Stephen. The faithfulness of what he’s done here will actually propel an explosion of missionary activity outside the walls of Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria. And I can’t wait to read that. Well, this is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

And some of you thought I was going to continue reading all through chapter 8. You didn’t hear. There’s a story of an English businessman who, in the 17th century, was returning from a trip to Scotland, and he commented to a friend that he had heard three preachers there, and one preacher showed him the greatness and the majesty of God. And that was good. The second preacher showed me all my heart. He said. But the third preacher, a fair little man, showed me the loveliness of Christ. The man’s name was Samuel Rutherford. Stephen, this first Christian martyr, was doing the same for all those who were listening that day. Yet many did not see it. He met them where they were. Remember, this was essentially the Supreme Court of Israel. These were biblical scholars. He met them where they were. They knew the Bible. They knew the story of the Bible. And Stephen so carefully unwraps the loveliness of Christ throughout every turn of history. And as he’s about to be executed, he says one more time, “Look, can’t you see the glory of God and the Son of Man, Jesus, standing right there?” Christ is at the center of Stephen’s message.

We aren’t actually given a lot of background on this man, Stephen, except for what we read in these chapters. Did he come to faith in Jerusalem after Pentecost? Or perhaps he was a part of the band of disciples during Jesus’ ministry? We don’t know. But I wonder if he heard Jesus preach. Or maybe his disciples talk about the way that Jesus spoke about persecution. In Luke, Chapter 12, Jesus says to his disciples, “…when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Here Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit. Verse 55 tells us, and he was telling the story that came before they showed all that God had done in history. His grace poured out on their ancestors, had been pointing all along to Jesus their only hope. And with a settled confidence in that hope, he preaches the grace of God as they hold rocks in their hands.

This morning, I’d love for us to have a few handles to hold on to in a big text like this. Number one, I think we see Stephen looking back to the God who pursues the high priest, likely Caiaphas there in verse one, invite Stephen to make a defense for himself, and I’ll put the charges up again on the screen. They had charged him with blasphemy against God, against Moses, the law and the temple. These were their most precious possessions. So much so, they begin to possess them. And Stephen was wise. He knew what was likely waiting on the other side of this trial. And I think there are actually clues in the response to the question of Caiaphas, that tell us he saw this as an opportunity to show them the loveliness of Christ one more time. I think this was an act of mercy. Stephen begins with honor and respect. Look there again at verse two, “brothers and fathers…” fathers being the council brothers, everybody else who was listening. There was a crowd around them. Friends, let’s go back to the beginning, to the story, to the history of our people. And it begins with Abraham.

But did you notice that he didn’t actually begin with Abraham’s faith, which we often do, and it’s great, but he doesn’t begin with Abraham’s faith. He doesn’t begin with Abraham’s wealth. He doesn’t begin with Abraham’s might. He begins with God running after Abraham. The God of glory is how he begins his defense. Grace is the headline, and we can see God’s initiative, the grace of God all throughout. I’ll just put a few examples on the screen. The story of Abraham. We see the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham. God removed him from there into this land. God spoke that his offspring would be sojourners in the land. But I, God, will judge the nation that they serve. He, God, gave them the covenant of circumcision, but God was with Joseph. Moses, I have come down. God says to deliver them. God will raise up a prophet like me from your brothers, pointing to Jesus. The glory of God appeared to Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia. Again, don’t pass by that too quickly. There’s a reason Stephen began there. Stephen is reminding this religious council (and to us) that the grace, the glory, the presence of God went to a pagan, an idolatrous land, a pagan man named Abraham, first before it ever came to the Promised Land.

And the grace of God took a heart like Abraham’s and brought it to life, life and faith in the creator. God is the same God of grace who ran after Joseph, the same grace that ran after Moses and Joshua, and David and Solomon, and Stephen and Saul, who would be marked forever by this moment. He actually references it later. Jody Balcombe, a pastor who recently passed away, said, “I’m not a Christian because I was raised to be one, nor am I a Christian because I was smart enough to figure it out, good enough to find my way, or lucky enough to meet the right people. I’m a Christian because the grace of God found me when I wasn’t even looking. I’m a Christian because of God’s miraculous intervention in my life.” Stephen knew this grace was a treasure so great to him, he couldn’t help but tell the story one more time. As believers, it’s good for us to know the story of the Bible, the Scriptures that Jesus Himself would point back to time and again in His own ministry because they pointed to Him. The story of God’s people in history is much the same as our same kinds of temptations, same kinds of idols. We’re not all that different. Same anxieties, shame, same grace that runs after us when we wander. Yet we are forgetful of God and these acts, as Paul Tripp says, “When we forget, we often stray.” That’s why for parents, grandparents, and everyone in the life of our church, it’s not peripheral, but mission critical to tell the story of God’s saving grace in Christ to one another day to day out, over and over, and to our children. Every moment of life is in relation to God.

So, in the hallways and conversations and the rhythms of our week, how we spend our time, how might we continue to point our children to the ancient path so important? Here at TVC, I want us to continue to build a culture of intergenerational discipleship, not just multi-generational. It’s so good that we have all kinds of generations here, but intergenerational. And this is already happening in our kids’ ministry. But the old teaching, the young, the young, reviving the old, reminding one another of the story of God. Whenever we dedicate babies here at TVC, one of my favorite things that we do, we always go back to Deuteronomy 6 for the Shama. Put it up on the screen. Would you read this with me? “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

In other words, in the rhythms of everyday life, may we be retelling the wondrous story of the God who pursues rebels like me and like you, who offers forgiveness and freedom. It’s not a side project, but a central focus to cultivate in our children and in one another, a hunger to know more of the story of God’s redeeming love. Amen. The glory of Christ who loves us. Now it’s insufficient, of course, to just simply know the story. These scholars, these religious leaders, knew the facts of the biblical narrative probably better than Stephen. They probably could have told the facts of the story even better than him. But their hearts were cold to the things of God. Ears were stopped up, literally childish. They were spiritually blind as well. The text says, if you look there at verse 51, that they resisted the Holy Spirit, just as their fathers had done, following that same pattern that he was pulling all the way through the text. And what a lamentable place to be resisting the Holy Spirit. And when they did that, their hearts were revealed. If we look at verse 54, when they heard these things, they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him grinding their teeth. It’s actually hellish kinds of language in the Old Testament. Grinding your teeth is what the enemies of God did to the people of God.

And in fact, that word, enraged when they heard these things, are enraged. You can actually translate that they were cut to the heart, literally sawn in two. They were angry. Something in them broke. See, they also had a settled confidence, but their settled confidence was for them, and their most treasured possession was the law and the temple, both of which Jesus claimed found their ultimate purpose and fulfillment in Him, and they could bear to hear it no more. That’s where we see number two, looking in the heart that resists. Their love for the temple had edged out true worship of God. And friends, listen. They were they were so occupied with doing work for God, the law and the temple, they could not see the saving work of God for them in Jesus. Let me say that again. They were so busy doing work for God that they missed what He had done for them. And that’s true in my own heart sometimes. Perhaps it is for you. We read earlier in Acts, Chapter 5 that that same religious counsel actually came to Peter and other apostles and said, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, the name of Jesus. Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.”

In other words, they were afraid because the Gospel was spreading and busting at the seams there in Jerusalem. And the text continues to tell us that these religious leaders were filled with jealousy. As the Gospel of Jesus began to spread, their idols were being threatened. And I think that’s why Stephen had placed such an emphasis on God’s initiative, His grace, all along. Maybe not intellectually, I think they understood the concept of grace, but at a heart level, these religious leaders were living as if they no longer needed the grace of God. They had ancestry. They had the law. They had the temple. They had their religious systems, their power, their confidence was settled, but not in the risen Jesus, but in things made with their hands. That’s the indictment here that we see in verse 41 and 48. They had turned the good gifts of God, the temple, into little idols that they could control and wield to their own benefit. They, the religious leaders, are waiting. They had been waiting for a messiah, but a messiah of their own making on their own terms and their pride had blinded them.

That is a dangerous place to be. We can be vulnerable to that. And I think Stephen with candor, but also with kindness all the way through, he masterfully brings the Gospel to where they are as biblical scholars, and he tries to persuade them of the good news of freedom. It’s an on offer from Jesus, from this hellish slavery of idolatry which made them angry. Did you see that? Made them angry and violent and really looking foolish and childish? Glyn Packham says, “There are two types of idolatry treating things like the true God and treating the true God like a thing. The first is easy to spot and the second is difficult to avoid.” I’m vulnerable to this. You’re vulnerable to this. That kind of idolatry can weave its way into my own heart. Friends, we must ever be watchful for that kind of idolatry. Constructing our sense of identity, our sense of justification, worse value, on anything other than Jesus is like building a house on sand. In Him all things hold together. All my boast is in Jesus. As we sang earlier money, sex, power, approval, comfort, control. Now I’m preaching when we orient our lives around maximizing any of those things at all cost. They cannot bear the weight of our greatest need. They cannot, and they will not bear the weight of suffering when it comes.

Perhaps the simplest way to know when an idol has surfaced in your own heart is when that idol is threatened and anxiety consumes us, fear consumes us. Anger consumes us. Rage wells up within us. Did you notice that there in verse 54 on down, when your idols are threatened, holding so tightly to really poor substitutes to the treasure of Jesus? That’s a form of slavery. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Paul tells us that in 2 Corinthians and Stephen here, full of the Holy Spirit, was a man who was free. He was free. His heart was fully resting in the inexhaustible grace of God and Jesus. He knew who held him fast as they held rocks in their hands. Look with me in verse 59, if you would. “As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold the sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” He doesn’t pray for rescue. He doesn’t pray for judgment against this council. He prays for their sins to be forgiven, and he falls asleep. That’s a man of peace. That’s a man who has a settled confidence. This isn’t on the screen, but Augustine said the church owes Paul to the prayers of Stephen, who was there as he prayed, “Lord, forgive them.” A demonstration of his settled confidence in Jesus, which was revealed in this unusual kindness, this peace in Christ.

It also reminds us that death is not the end. He fell asleep. It’s another way of saying he died. But that death is not forever. His spirit went to be with the Lord and he along with us will be raised when our Lord returns. Number three, I think we see Stephen looking up to the Christ who stands. Tony Mérida said, “Genesis ends with Joseph’s death. Deuteronomy ends with Moses’s death. Joshua ends with Joshua’s death. The Gospels end with Jesus’ resurrection, and that changes everything.” Stephen’s sermon begins with the God of all glory, the God who pursues rebels, and it ends with the glory of God. Did you notice that there’s bookends there? Look again at verse 55. “But he, [Stephen] full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, [he’s saying, look, see] I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Now remember, Jesus actually told this very same council something very similar in his trial.

I remember Caiaphas said, “Are you the Son of God?” And Jesus in His own words he said, “From now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” And in this moment in a special providence of grace, Stephen indeed sees Jesus at the right hand of God. But it’s not sitting. He’s standing. We see that twice there in the text. Stephen wants us to know this. The one in whom all things hold together stands as an advocate for Stephen, stands as a defender for Stephen, stands to welcome him into his eternal home. The religious leaders were spiritually blind, but Stephen could see. And in this special providence he sees the Judge of heaven and earth rising in his defense. “Look, don’t you see it? Can’t you see it?” Stephen, you see, was a rebel. He was a rebel sinner like me. And like you, like Abraham and Moses. Yet he knew the pursuing love of God in Christ. He knew the grace of God. And he wanted them to know the same grace. And he wants us to know in this room that same grace.

Friends, if you are in Christ, you have King Jesus, the Judge of heaven and earth as your advocate in heaven, you need for nothing more. Nothing. Hebrews seven tells us He is able. Jesus is to save us to the uttermost. For those who draw near to God, since He always lives to make intercession for us. And Stephen got to see that. I can’t wait to talk to you about it in heaven. Stephen knew who held him fast, and that truth anchored his soul. Who wants more of that? Say Amen! In a world that’s so upside down, so chaotic, so full of tumult. I want that kind of peace, that kind of settled confidence because he knew the story that came before, you see. And he knew Jesus, who held him fast. Charles Spurgeon, not on the screen, he says, “Hold everything earthly with a loose hand, but eternal things hold with a death-like grip.” Stephen was doing that here.

We never graduate from the basics of this truth. Jesus is our advocate and He is standing for us even right now. Stephen knew the big picture. He knew the story. He wanted them to know the story. For those who are on the edges of faith, those who are new believers, those who have been followers of Jesus for decades, we must be refreshed in the story to know that story, to be anchored in that story, so that when we go out as the world tomorrow and on Tuesday morning, we know we have that settled confidence that our Lord is advocating for us. Samuel Rutherford said, “Look up to Him and love Him. O love, and live.”

Friends, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, our Redeemer, our advocate, our defender. We ask, Lord, this morning that You would anchor us in that truth. Holy spirit, move among us, bring conviction where we have fashioned good things into idols, poor substitutes, reshape and rekindle our hearts. Lord, like Stephen, we want to be full of the Holy Spirit, and we ask You to do that kind of work in our lives. May we retell one another the story of Your pursuing love, Your pursuing grace, ultimately in Christ Jesus. Sink it deep into our bones. We pray for that kind of settled confidence in the precious name of Your Son, Jesus. Church, we all said amen.

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs:

“This Is My Father’s World“ by Maltbie D. Babcock, Mary Crawford Babcock, and Franklin Lawrence Sheppard
“All My Boast Is in Jesus“ by Bryan Fowler, Matt Papa, Matthew Boswell, Keith Getty
“He Will Hold Me Fast“ by Ada Ruth Habershon and Matthew Merker
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus“ by Helen H. Lemmel
“Jesus What A Friend to Sinners“ by John Wilbur Chapman, Rowland Hugh Prichard, and Matthew S. Smith
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Come, Let Us Worship

Come, let us worship God the Father, the Maker of heaven and earth!
Let us worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter and Counselor!
All glory and praise be to the one true God, now and forevermore, amen!

Classic Prayer: Theodore the Studite

O Lord, who didst give to Thine Apostles peace, shed down upon us all Thy holy calm; gather together with Thy hand all those who are scattered, and bring them like sheep into the fold of Thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Strengthen and confirm me, O Lord, by Thy Cross, on the rock of faith, that my mind be not shaken by the attacks of the enemy. For Thou alone art holy. Thou knowest, O Lord, how many and great are my sins, Thou knowest how often I sin, from day to day, from hour to hour, in the things I do and the things I leave undone. No more, O Lord, no more, O Lord my God, will I provoke Thee; no more shall my desire be for anything but Thee, for Thou alone art truly lovable. And if again I offend in anything, I humbly beseech Thee of Thy mercy to grant me strength to find favor again in Thy sight and to live in a manner more pleasing to Thee.

Confession of Sin:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

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