The Truth Will Set You Free
Acts 7:1-60
Intro: [Review Stephen’s ministry, arrest, and the charges against Him.] Acts 6:8 ”Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” He faced opposition from other Greek-speaking Jews who falsely accused him of blasphemy against Moses and God. False witnesses were coached to say, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." The high priest then asks Stephen, “Are these charges true?” This gave Stephen an opportunity to share the truth… the whole truth… and nothing but the truth- even though it would cost him his life. The main thought of today’s message is this:
Prop: Truth will bring freedom to those who receive it.
Interrogative: How do we know this?
TS: Let’s look at 5 truths that come out in this account of Stephen’s sermon and execution.
I. The Truth about the Land of Israel (7:1-7) God is universally accessible!
-Text: 1Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?" 2 To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3 ’Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ’and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 "So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ’Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ’and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’
-Israel is special, but God’s blessing is not geographically limited. He can reach clear around the world to reveal Himself to people and to accomplish His purposes.
-Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”
-Stephen made this point with the life of Abraham. The God of glory spoke to him long before he ever set foot in the Promised Land. Abraham’s life created a contrast with the lives of the Sanhedrin. They lived in the Holy Land, but they were not holy. They worshiped on the same holy mountain that Abraham had worshiped on, but they were not true worshipers. See, God cannot be formulized. Just doing the right things at the right place at the right time does not constitute true worship. It is something that must come from the heart. This is the truth Stephen was trying to convey, as we will see in a moment.
-There are some today who embrace and teach the mystical notion that God is more accessible in certain geographical locations than others. They speak of heavenly portals, where God’s presence comes down more frequently or forcefully than other locations. I ask you this: Is God limited by geography? Does He have favorite geographical locations that we must travel to in order to find Him? If so, based on sheer beauty, Eastern Oregon would have to be one of those places.
-If you want to find an audience with God, let me assure you that you can get His attention by simply calling out to Him from wherever you are. You don’t even have to be in a special geographical location. God is everywhere. He is not limited by time or space, and we can be near Him and hear His voice from anywhere in the world.
-Now, before we move on to the next truth, let me qualify what I’ve said. I do believe that God has a plan for national Israel and its land. He does want to show His glory there in a special way as a testimony of His grace and power. God’s salvation is coming again to the land of Israel. However, God’s salvation is available to anyone who will call on the name of the Lord and repent of their sins. God is universally accessible!
II. The Truth about God’s Leaders (7:8-41) Those who reject God’s leaders are rejecting Him.
-Long ago Israel rejected such Godly leaders as Joseph and Moses. Stephen spends the bulk of this chapter explaining how rebellious Israel has mistreated the leaders God sent. I will not read it aloud, due to its length, but it gives a brief history of some of Israel’s leaders and shows how the rebellious people of Israel treated them. Now Stephen is addressing the current leaders of Israel who have rejected the Messiah, and are persecuting His followers.
-1 Samuel 8:6-8 tells us about Israel’s rejection of more than its leaders: 6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.”
-Now I am not going to turn around and use this Scripture to say that you all should do everything I say, since I am one of God’s leaders. I believe in the priesthood of every believer, which means that we all can come to God, without needing someone else to act as a go-between. However, I also believe that God has given gifts to the church. Ephesians 4:11-12 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
-The NT tells us how we are to treat those in leadership over us: Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Then the writer goes on to say, “Pray for us.”
-Sometimes leaders are wrong. That is why you need to hold them up in prayer. They need God’s help and your help. As your pastor, I beg you to pray for me so I will be able to lead this church effectively. If I miss the mark, I do want to be approachable enough that somebody will tell me. However, when God puts something in my heart and says, “Do it!” I don’t want to look back! I want to press forward and I hope that you will come with me.
-The truth about God’s leaders is that He typically speaks through them in order to get the whole body of Christ to do His will. They are not untouchables. They should not be above questioning. However, the Lord is the One who chose them for a specific purpose and both the leaders and the followers will all answer to Him.
-TS: So far, if the Sanhedrin had been listening with open hearts, they could have been on their way to recovery. They would begun to understand that God’s blessing did not necessarily come with the territory. They would also have understood that they were guilty of rejecting not only God’s leaders, but God Himself- the Messiah, Jesus. But Stephen is not done yet. Now he addresses the main accusation brought against him.
III. The Truth about the Temple (7:42-50) God is greater than our best idea of Him.
-Text: 42 But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: "’Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? 43 You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon. 44 "Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for him. 48 "However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: 49 "’Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? 50 Has not my hand made all these things?’
-God cannot be confined to a building. These temple keepers were guilty of esteeming the house over the One who supposedly occupied it. They were much more concerned about maintaining a religious system than they were about fulfilling God’s design for His temple. Jesus bucked this system when He cleansed the temple. He made a whip and began driving out the dishonest moneychangers (who, by the way, were working for the high priest and his associates). Then Jesus reminded them what the temple’s purpose was: Luke 19:46 "It is written, ’My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers."
-The early church of Acts met in the courts of the temple daily for prayer and teaching. They knew the purpose of God’s house. It was not to reduce God to man’s idea of Him. It was to reveal the glory of the Lord to all the nations. That also was in essence the purpose for Israel as a nation- to show that Yahweh was the One true God, and that He loved all humans. Israel was intended to be a missionary nation, declaring God’s goodness to all the earth. The temple was to be a place where God’s glory could be known by those who came to worship. It was to be a place of prayer for the lost.
-These same purposes may apply to our church building, but even more so to our own lives. We are the temple of God. God does not dwell in temples made by hands, but He does dwell in the temples He Himself has made. Our lives should emanate worship, praise, prayer, and the love that comes from our Maker.
-TS: So, the truth about the temple is that God cannot be reduced or confined to a building, or a religious system, or to a belief system. God can be known through a personal relationship with His Son, the Messiah, Jesus. We are the temple of God, and His purposes will be accomplished through us, not through a building.
IV. The Truth about the Sanhedrin (7:51-58) God will go to great lengths to show people the truth.
-Text: 51 "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-- 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
-These leaders of Israel were stubborn and unwilling to change. They resisted the HS. They were guilty of murdering the Messiah. They lived in disobedience to the law they had received.
-They were driven by hate. Their rejection of God was expressed by their hatred and murder of His Messiah, and it was now being expressed by their hatred and execution of Stephen. They were furious and gnashed their teeth at Stephen, and dragged him out of the city to stone him.
-In the name of religion, they were killing an innocent man who dared to tell them the truth about God and about themselves. Their bloodthirsty cries betrayed their hearts that day. They weren’t interested in what God had to say to them. God sent His Son to speak truth to them, and they killed Him. God sent Peter and John to give them the truth, and they threatened them. God sent several of the apostles to tell them the truth and they put them in jail and had them flogged. God used Stephen to bring them the truth, but they killed the messenger.
-The truth about the Sanhedrin was that God had offered them numerous opportunities to change their hearts, but they would not. Therefore, their wickedness was exposed. Their hateful actions condemned them.
-TS: Finally, what about Stephen?
V. The Truth about Stephen (7:59-60) A right relationship with Jesus brings freedom.
-Text: 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
-The truth had already set Stephen free. He had called on the name of Jesus and had received His forgiveness and His leadership. You could have bound him with shackles of iron, but he still would have been free. He demonstrated truth and love to the very end of his earthly existence. Even his death was an expression of his freedom, as he saw the Lord and went to be with Him. You can be sure there was a huge welcome home party for Stephen in heaven.
Conclusion: As we close, we’ve heard the truth about Stephen: A right relationship with Jesus brings freedom. We’ve heard the truth about the Sanhedrin: God will go to great lengths to show people the truth. We’ve heard the truth about the temple: God is greater than our best idea of Him and cannot be confined to a building or a religious system. We’ve heard the truth about God’s leaders: Those who reject God’s leaders are rejecting Him. And we’ve heard the truth about the land of Israel: God is accessible to all who call on Him!
-Now, there is still an area of truth we need to think about: the truth about ourselves. Who would we be more comfortable with? Those who were driven by self-interest and hatred, or someone who had found the freedom of the truth and was willing to share it boldly? I realize these are two extremes, but everyone will tend to gravitate towards one or the other. The truth can set us free, and the truth about God is that He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. In order for that to happen, we must come to see the truth about ourselves, that without Him, we are lost. We cannot save ourselves. Without God our sin problem cannot be taken care of. Without Him, we will never see heaven. But with Him, we can know the freedom of a clear conscience. With Him, we can share peace, joy, and love. With Him we can have eternal life! The truth about all of us is WE NEED THE LORD!
-If you do not have the Lord in your life today, would you ask Him to come into your life? He is willing, and He can hear you when you talk to Him. Nothing would please Him more than to forgive you and give you a new beginning in life. You can talk to Him right where you are, or if you need some direction, I would enjoy talking with you and leading you in prayer.
-If you have the Lord in your life, but you know that you need Him more, would you offer Him more of yourself today? The more we give ourselves to Him, the more He fills us with Himself. Just talk to Him and tell Him you’re all His!
[Sing, Lord I Give You My Heart]
