Text: Acts 7:54-8:4, Title: Life and Death Principles, Date/Place: NRBC, 10/21/07, AM
A. Opening illustration: the story of Andrew Rivet from Piper’s sermon
B. Background to passage: Stephen has just concluded his defense of himself with a blazing rebuke of the established religious authority. In fact, we really don’t know if he was really done, but they cut him off with a mob-style riot, supposedly for blasphemy. And as if that wasn’t enough, Stephen kept on. And this sealed his fate to death by lynching. For the crowd ended the trial, and took matters into their own hands. And Stephen grants unto us a great example of how we are to suffer well. For we live in a society that attempts to avoid suffering at all costs, but Christianity teaches to embrace it.
C. Main thought: In our text we see three principles of suffering for the believer
A. Saints are called to suffer (v. 54-55)
1. Stephen was obviously under the control of the Spirit as he spoke. And immediately afterward, he was mobbed and killed. And the bible is replete with accounts of saints who as a part of their ministry were called to suffer. And the NT has several strange readings about partaking in the sufferings of Christ!
2. Col 1:24, 2 Cor 1:5-6, 4:10-11, Philip 1:12, 3:10, 2 Tim 1:8, 1 Pet 4:12-19,
3. Illustration: “…propitiation is complete, but propagation is incomplete. For this to happen there is a ‘quota of suffering’ that must be born.” Just suppose you could speak with those who have gone to be with the Lord; everyone has a different story, yet everyone has a tale of suffering. One was persecuted by family and friends...another was inflicted with pain and disease, neglected by the world...another was bereaved of children...another had all these afflictions. But you will notice that though the water was deep, they all have reached the other side. Not one of them blames God for the road He led them; ‘Salvation’ is their only cry. Are there any of you, dear children, murmuring at your lot? Do not sin against God. This is the way God leads all His redeemed ones. –Robert Murray McCheyne
4. If we view it as a calling, we will suffer better. It is everyone’s lot to suffer. We should not be surprised or upset when it comes our way. Christians are not exempt simply because we know the Maker. Our purpose is not to live a life of ease and self-satisfaction. Our duty and purpose is to bring glory to God. And many times this can happen much better in suffering that on the mountaintop. God is revealed as your treasure easier when your joy is maintained during a trial than when you are ruling your life with ease. Therefore, if God decides that you or I should suffer, let us walk through the valley if He wants us to. View it as a participation in the sufferings of Christ, as a badge of honor--that he sees you fit to suffer for His sake.
B. Saints will never be forsaken (v. 55-56)
1. Some may ask the question if Jesus was standing right there, why did he not save Stephen? He could have! Be careful not to say should have. And on the surface it may have looked like, and possibly even felt like he was being forsaken. But even down to the final breath, God was caring for, providing for, loving Stephen. We see that God filled him with His Holy Spirit for the task of dying well, and He also gave him a heavenly vision, placing him among about four other men who saw into heaven in the bible. God knows what we need to get done what He wants done.
2. Acts 9:4, Heb 13:5, Isa 41:10, 40:29-31, 43:1-2, Josh 1:9, 1 Cor 10:13,
3. Illustration: “We can conclude that God, know how much we can endure, gives us strength in our times of need, which boosts our spirits on to obedience, even to the obedience leading to death.” In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells of the time she and her sister were forced to remove their clothes and stand naked during a typical Nazi inspection. Miss ten Boom said she stood there feeling defiled and forsaken. Then she remembered something. Jesus hung naked on the cross. Suddenly her emotion turned to wonder and worship when she thought of how He chose to do what they were forced to do. She leaned forward and whispered to her sister, “Betsie, they took His clothes, too.” Betsie gasped and said, “Oh, Corrie, that’s right, and I never thanked Him.”
4. If you are in a trial, and can’t hear, feel, see, or touch God, rest assured, He IS there! Refuse to believe the lie that God has or will ever forsake you. You are not alone. And God knows exactly what you need. Trust Him to provide it in the same hour that you need it. Not too much before, and never too late, but always right on time. A special dying grace. But Pastor, I don’t know if I could die for Christ if that’s what it came to! You’re right, you can’t, but you don’t have to do it on your own. Greater is He that is in you! And just because you are not delivered from sickness, pain, heartache, doesn’t me that he has forsaken you either. It simply means that God has a more God-glorifying way to use you for kingdom purposes.
C. Saints act like Jesus under fire (v. 59-60)
1. I believe that it is clear that Luke is trying to draw some parallels between Stephen’s death and Jesus’ death. They both were charged with blasphemy, both arrested and held captive, both given a sham trial, both murdered, both slandered, both prayed for their attackers to be forgiven, and both committed their spirits to God right before dying. Neither got angry, neither was bitter, neither compromised their message, neither lost their focus of God and His glory being preeminent, and neither shrunk back from the death that was laid out for them. It is amazing how saints that are walking in the power of the Spirit act like Jesus acted under pressure and persecution.
2. 1 Peter 2:20-21, Heb 12:4, Matt 5:43-48,
3. Illustration: Their strategy seemed to succeed until coffee was served. Coolidge poured some coffee into his saucer. They did the same. He added sugar and cream. His guests did, too. Then the president bent over and put his saucer on the floor for the cat! See love your enemies—ill file,
4. Most of the time when we are wronged, we get angry, bitter, doubtful, and frustrated. Sometime we say things or do things that we know that we shouldn’t and under other circumstances we probably wouldn’t. But this is not our example. We should receive the injustice that has been given to us by God. Not that we have to enjoy it, but submit to it as part of God’s will for our lives. Do we compromise our message when persecution or ridicule comes our way? One of the things that sets Christianity apart from other faiths is a call to pray for those who use, abuse, persecute, and kill us. Do you pray for those that hurt you? Do you pray for God not to charge their sin against them? Do you pray for God to open their eyes to their need for Him? Embrace suffering, even death for the glory of Christ, and die well.
D. Saints are used to accomplish God’s purposes (v. 1-4)
1. Sometimes we ask why God does things that don’t seem logical to us. Why would God remove a powerful man of God from a position of ministry, especially like this? This text does show us two things that happened as a result of the stoning of Stephen. And of course, these are not the only two things, God was probably doing a million things through this event, but our text shows two. First, there is a man named Saul at the feet of whom all the mob laid their clothes, and who was the consenting religious authority to the stoning. A man whom God was preparing to write 13 books of the NT and take the gospel to the known world at the time. Also persecution arose surrounding Stephen’s death, and scattered the believers to Judea and Samaria. Sound familiar? And you know what they did “as they were going?”
2. Rom 8:28, 36, Isa 46:10, 55:11, Ps 135:6, 119:75, Eph 1:11, Acts 11:19, Gen 50:20, Philip 1:12,
3. Illustration: Tertullian, the great church father of 200 AD said, “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us into dust…the more you mow us down, the more we grow, the seed is the blood of Christians.” Tell about the young HS student killed in Farragut, and the hundreds who came to know Christ at the funeral, Perhaps God keeps us ignorant because we are incapable of comprehending the answer .We remain ignorant of many details, not because God enjoys keeping us in the dark, but because we have not the faculties to absorb so much light. Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. –Philip Yancy
4. God really does work all things to “good.” And we can always trust that regardless of appearances and human evaluations, God will always carry out the best plan to bring about His purposes. And He will always use all things to His glory and honor. And I bet that if Stephen knew that his death would lead immediately to the evangelization of Judah and Samaria, and eventually to reaching Phoenicia, Cyprus, Antioch, Asia, Greece, and Rome, he would have died a thousand times over. We really can trust God! His wisdom is unfathomable, His ways are perfect, His purposes are unthwartable, He is Almighty God! You may be going through a terrible time right now, reach out to Him, believe that He is in it accomplishing what He sees fit to do in your life. If you are a believer, love Him for it. If you have never been born again, sell out to Jesus today. Make Him your treasure, because you see His infinite worth!
A. Closing illustration: Stephen was welcomed with a standing ovation by Jesus Christ into heaven as well as much reward for his labor. If you and I suffer well, great reward lies in store for us, and even as Luther said, “If we consider the greatness and the glory of the life we shall have when we have risen from the dead, it would not be difficult at all for us to bear the concerns of this world. If I believe the Word, I shall on the Last Day, after the sentence has been pronounced, not only gladly have suffered ordinary temptations, insults, and imprisonment, but I shall also say: “O, that I did not throw myself under the feet of all the godless for the sake of the great glory which I now see revealed and which has come to me through the merit of Christ!”
B. 1 Peter 4:19
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
