Jul 06, 2014
Acts 7:54-60
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Last Sunday we took a break from our travels in Acts to examine the importance of “girding yourself with truth,” and as we pointed out… If truth is indeed the battle cry of Light when it invades the darkness then by nature truth provokes a counterattack.
As presented in the way the world has treated Jesus, how people respond to truth directly determines how they respond to the person speaking truth.
Though these men brought Stephen to trial, as we have seen over the last several weeks Stephen uses Scripture to turn the tables. The verdict… These religious leaders were “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears… always resisting the Holy Spirit.”
As we’re about to see demonstrated in the way they end up reacting to Stephen… When a person opposes the Truth, they will inevitably oppose the Truth speaker!
In much the same way as their fathers, even knowing the truth, these men were still “resisting” or literally “opposing or striving against” the will of God; and yet, Stephen implies that if they’d simply stop resisting the Holy Spirit, God was more than willing to give them a second chance to accept Jesus.
Acts 7:54, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.”
Luke tells us there were two results of Stephen’s message:
1. “They were cut to the heart…” The truth was like a dagger piercing their souls. They knew what Stephen was saying was true and their collective conscience bore witness.
2. “They gnashed at him with their teeth…” While being “cut to the heart” had been the spiritual response, because they doubled down on their resistance to the truth this “gnashing” or “grinding” of their teeth described their physical reaction.
Instead of repentance, these men were filled with indignation and hatred. Spiritual resistance of the truth often leads to a physical offense towards the truth!
Acts 7:55-56, “But Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
“But he…” Luke’s intention is to establish a contrast between the reaction of those who opposed the truth and Stephen a man standing for the truth!
While they were “resisting the Holy Spirit” Stephen was clearly “full of the Holy Spirit.” This detail indicated God’s pleasure in his character, His acceptance of his service, and His equipping for what would undoubtedly come next.
Imagine the scene… Stephen is standing before a group of enraged men who have the power and authority to destroy him; and yet, in this same moment, instead of becoming overwhelmed by the potentially hostile situation right in front of him we’re told Stephen “gazed into heaven” or literally he “fixed his eyes upon” heaven! Note: The language indicates Stephen made a conscious decisions to do this!
And what did he see? Luke tells us Stephen saw in heaven “the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” While amazing in its own right don’t overlook the incredible implications of Stephen’s example!
When, upon standing for truth, you find yourself in opposition to a world that seeks you harm… When you find yourself under the threat of persecution… When you are suffering for the sake of Christ… In that moment, the key is to get your eyes off the situation by fixing your eyes on heaven! Note: The two vantage points are mutually exclusive… It’s either one or the other!
Fixing your eyes on heaven helps you keep an appropriate perspective. Stephen saw the “glory of God” and this helped him understand that no matter what would happen God’s was already pleased with the way he had handled himself.
Fixing your eyes on heaven helps you remember what’s at stake. Stephen saw “Jesus” and it helped him remember that no matter what would happen next the way in which he handled this situation mattered for he represented more than just himself.
Fixing your eyes on heaven helps you access the strength to endure. When Stephen looked to heaven he not only saw Jesus, but saw Him “standing at the right hand of God.” Note: This is significant for every other reference of the heavenly Christ has Him “sitting at the right hand of the Father” (Mark 14:62).
As our High Priest, we’re told in Hebrews 4:15-16 that Jesus “can sympathize with our weaknesses, because He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
19th century Scottish preacher William Arnot commented concerning this passage, “Jesus was not sitting, as in peace and ease; but standing up, as one who felt the pain that His member on the earth endured.”
Following this vision Stephen then declares for the whole assembly to hear, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
In using this phrase “Son of Man” Stephen was attributing a sacred Messianic title used by the prophet Daniel directly to Jesus. Note: Using this phrase in such a way was more than enough to convict Stephen of the crime of blasphemy.
Acts 7:57-58, “Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
In response to this declaration of Jesus being the “Son of Man” these religious leaders go nuts. They loose their minds. Formality flies out the window and what came next can only be described as pure and utter chaos.
“They cried out with a loud voice…” The word Luke uses literally means “to croak” and was commonly used to describe “the cry of a raven.”
They “stopped their ears…” The word “stopped” means “to hold together with constraint” and was used to describe the incarceration of a prisoner. They physically refused to allow themselves to hear any more of what Stephen had to say!
They “ran at him with one accord…” Literally, Luke says they “ran upon him.” In this moment of chaos the entire council “bum-rush” Stephen. Note: This phrase “ran at him” is the same phrase used to describe the pigs running into the sea (Mark 5:13).
“They cast him out of the city and stoned him.” Stephen is immediately consumed in the wave of violence flowing his direction. Utterly defenseless, he is forcibly taken outside the walls of the city in accordance with the Law and is stoned to death.
While the Romans executed citizens by beheading and non-citizens by crucifixion the Jews executed capital punishment by stoning. It’s interesting that while the Hebrew people lost the right to execute their own beginning in 7 AD (which is why they were hesitant in their dealings with Jesus) they readily executed Stephen.
How do you explain this? If you recall Pilate consented to the death of Jesus because he could not afford another revolt by the Jews. However, after continued conflict, in 36 AD he is ultimately removed from his position and summoned back to Rome.
Some have speculated that the reason the Jews took matters into their own hands concerning Stephen came back to the likelihood that this particular situation took place during a time of transition between Roman governors. Note: Since wasn’t a feast there would have been a smaller contingency of Roman soldiers present.
Problem: This event took place in 34 AD. Personally, I am of the opinion that the stoning of Stephen was illegal, but happened either to quickly for the Romans to intervene or Pilate simply turned a blind eye for he couldn’t afford any more issues.
Stoning was a brutal form of execution. Once Stephen had been taken outside of the city this same vengeful mob would begin pummeling him with stones (which were readily available in this part of the world). Though his natural reflexes would provide an initial defense, overtime he would be brought to his knees by the onslaught.
Because Stephen was now in an indefensible and vulnerable position, someone within the mob would quickly approach him with a large stone intending to crush his skull. Whether this “kill shot” resulted in unconsciousness or not, Stephen would now be unable to fend off the barrage of stones that would immediately follow. Death approached!
According to the Law stoning was designed so that no one individual could be identified as the executioner signifying the act was done by the community.
Acts 7:58-60, “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
“The witnesses…” According to the Law those who made the accusations against Stephen were required to throw the first stones. The idea was that this would deter false accusations and add another safeguard against an unjust conviction.
Amazingly, the very men who knew they had propagated a lie concerning Stephen were still willing to brutally take the life of this innocent man. It seems likely stoning Stephen to death had been the plan all along!
As Stephen is taking this pounding, Luke tells us “he was calling on God… “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” When many of us would have been appealing to the mercy of the executioners or even levying our own accusations against those who meant us harm, Stephen has never taken his eyes off heaven! He’s recognizes his fate has been sealed so he courageously echoes the words of Jesus… “receive” or “take hold” of “my spirit.”
Luke then tells us that Stephen “knelt down” no longer able to defend himself. This faithful servant knows the end is near. I’m sure through the blood and sweat he can see a man approach ready to take the kill shot, and so with one lass burst of energy he “cried out with a loud voice… Lord do not charge them with this sin.”
Amazingly, in an identical way of his Lord, his final breath is spent interceding for the very men who had treated him with such contempt and were presently taking his life. What does he ask for? He asks that God might show them mercy! It’s evident the very faith Stephen demonstrated in life he was now demonstrating in death.
This phrase “he fell asleep” was the way the writers of Scripture described the death of a believer (1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, 2 Peter 3). Note: This should not be seen as what some have referred to as “soul sleep” or the belief that a believer enters a state of unconsciousness before the future resurrection of the dead.
While it’s true the physical body is laid in the grave only to be later called to life upon the physical resurrection of the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), Scripture is abundantly clear that upon death the soul of a believer immediately ascends to heaven to be with God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” As soon as Stephen breathed his last and lost consciousness his soul ascended to be with Jesus while his body remained on earth.
In 1 Kings 17, following the death of a little boy we’re told Elijah “stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.”
As I consider this passage I am left wondering why God would send Stephen (a gifted and faithful servant) into a situation knowing full well that he’d loose his life in the process? Because of our Western sensibilities, it’s simply a reality that the death of Stephen is a tough pill to swallow. We grapple with the question why his life ended prematurely… If Acts 7 presents nothing but the tragic story of unachieved or even waisted potential?
And while this is a natural reaction when we find ourselves seeking to cope with the untimely death of great hero of the faith, this perspective loses sight of three key realities:
1. Death is a reward for the follower of Jesus!
If you fully comprehend what it means to follow Christ, you understand the reality that you’ve already died long ago! Scripture teaches that when you surrender to Jesus your life is no longer your own and this earth in no longer your home!
Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
2 Corinthians 5:15, “Christ died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
Colossians 3:1-4, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Over the last few weeks as we’ve been looking at the life of Stephen we’ve talked a lot about what it means to be a witness! But what’s interesting about this word is that it’s also the Greek word from which we get our English word “martyr.”
You see a witness describes a person who willingly dies for another, or in this context, a person who has laid down their life for Jesus. In Acts 1 Jesus called us to “be witnesses” meaning martyrdom isn’t something we do, it’s something we surrender to!
And this is what gave Stephen such boldness and what made him so dangerous. I mean how do you kill a man who’s already dead? How do you take a life when that person has already given it away? Stephen understood that death wasn’t the end of life but was instead the very moment he would finally start living!
Stephen understood that in death he really had nothing to lose and had everything to gain! These men couldn’t take his life because he had already given it to Jesus. And in the moment his physical dwelling breathed its last, Stephen was transformed into heavenly glory and rewarded with heavenly treasure!
2 Corinthians 5:1-5, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens… Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
2. God evaluates success based upon faithfulness.
Sadly, we assume Stephen’s was a life of waisted potential because we’re often more focused on what a person accomplishes for Christ than who a person is in Christ. We have a tendency to exalt results over integrity, accolades over character!
Stephen was rewarded with none other than heaven itself not because of some great ministry he started, movement he initiated, or even soul he saved. Stephen was rewarded simply because Jesus declared to him, “Well done good and faithful servant enter into the rest of your Lord!”
3. There is a divine purpose behind everything God does.
I don’t find it to be an accident that in the religious leaders rejection of Stephen we find all three members of the God-head represented. We’re told Stephen was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and saw “Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.”
This is significant because, from an overarching view of Scripture, the act of rejecting and killing Stephen placed these Jewish leaders into a vary precarious position.
Before sending Jesus, God sent to the religious leaders of Israel many prophets: Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah among others, before finally sending John the Baptist. The sad story is that the Jews stubbornly rejected the lot of them. These men were already guilty of rejecting the witness of the Father.
Then God sent to Israel “His only begotten Son.” Jesus lived among the people, taught the people, preformed signs and wonders for the people, but tragically in the end He to they also rejected. They were guilty of rejecting the witness of the Son.
It’s not an accident that the book of Acts transitions from the earthly ministry of Jesus to the arrival of the Holy Spirit with the first 7 chapters focusing specifically on God’s revelation by the Spirit to the Hebrew people.
Jesus told His followers before ascending to heaven that they’d (Act 1:8) “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them; to be witnesses to Me (1st) in Jerusalem, (2nd) in all Judea and Samaria, and (3rd) to the end of the earth.”
Initially, after receiving the Holy Spirit, Jesus sends to the religious leaders Peter and John on two separate occasions. And while their message could not have been more forthcoming… Did these religious leaders respond to their testimony? No! They threatened and warned them to keep silent.
So following two failed attempts, Jesus not only sends to these men Stephen but He miraculously affirms his message in the same way he had affirmed Moses… His “face looked like that of an angel.” And yet, by killing the messenger of God, it has now become evident these men had chosen to actively reject the witness of the Spirit.
Why did God send Stephen knowing these religious leaders would kill him? I am convinced Stephen served a strategic and divine purpose in God’s plan for he presented Israel a final opportunity to repent before God sent judgment.
In many ways I believe Stephen was God’s final prophet to Judah. It’s not an accident that Stephen’s inditement focused not only on the men standing before him, but on the nation as a whole. He sounds like a prophet!
Acts 7:51-52, “You stiff-necked and 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 foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers…”
You see what made their rejection of Stephen so devastating is that they were in actuality rejecting the final revelation of God. This is dangerous because while you can reject the revelation of the Father and even the Son, once you oppose the work of God’s Spirit working through the church there is no longer hope for you. Nothing follows!
With this in mind it should come as no surprise that following chapter 7 the entire book of Acts transitions away from the work God was doing in Jerusalem with chapters 8-12 addressing the Gospel going in Judea and Samaria and chapters 13-28 recounting how the Gospel spread throughout the rest of the world.
Even though the Apostle Paul would find himself before the Jewish people in Acts 22 and this same group of religious leaders in Acts 23, if you read those passages carefully Paul is never presented with an opportunity to present the Gospel! One could rightly argue their fate had already been sealed upon their rejection of Stephen.
Before we close I can’t help but issue a warning for anyone here that might be resisting the witness of the Holy Spirit through a believer. Please realize… If you’re waiting for something else… Nothing else follows!
In death the believer has nothing to lose and everything to gain! However for the unbeliever you either have everything tolose or nothing to lose, but you still have nothing to gain by resisting Jesus the Christ!
This morning if you find yourself facing opposition because you were daring enough to stand for the Truth and be a “witness for Jesus” in your world… Consider… (1) Death will be the most glorious moment in your entire existence. (2) God only cares about your faithfulness. (3) Always know that “God works all things for the good for those who love and and are called according to His purposes.”
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