Biblical Views of a Believer’s Death
Acts 7:54-8:2
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Originally preached at McClendon Baptist Church - May 29, 2002
*Updated May 14, 2011 for a grieving family.
*The death of a loved one: It’s one of the hardest things we ever have to go through in life. Most of us have already been there. And if we live long enough, all of us will go through this pain.
*It is vital for us to get a Biblical view of death, and we can find it in the story of a Christian named Stephen. This New Testament believer was one of the heroes of the early church. We find his story in Acts 6-8. Stephen was chosen to be one of the first deacons. Acts 6:3 tells us that these men were “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” They had a tremendous impact for the Kingdom of God.
*Acts 6 gives this report:
7. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
*For these reasons, Stephen was arrested by the religious rulers in Jerusalem, and put on trial for his life. Stephen was falsely accused of blasphemy. In Acts 7, he made a remarkable defense for the cause of Jesus Christ. But in great fury, the Christ-rejecting Jewish rulers had Stephen stoned to death.
*The climax of the story is found in Acts 7:54-8:2.
Acts 7:
54. When they (the rulers) heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him (Stephen) with their teeth.
55. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56. and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58. and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60. 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.
Acts 8:
1. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
*A great injustice was done, but Stephen triumphantly went to Heaven, and in his story we get three essential views of a believer’s death.
1. The first point of view is from those in the grip of grief, -- Christian loved ones who are left behind.
*We see them in Acts 8:2, where God’s Word tells us that “devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.”
*These men were suffering. We can understand that. It hurts to lose someone you love. And this pain is the natural result of losing someone we love. We usually don’t grieve over people we don’t know or love. Where there is no love, there is no grief. And since grief is a natural by-product of love, then we don’t have to feel guilty about grieving, as if our grief indicates weak faith or some flaw in our character.
*The men in Acts 8 were not disobeying God when they grieved. Verse 2 tells us that they were “devout” men. They were good, reverent men, devoted to the Lord. But they made great lamentation. The word picture is beating your chest in grief.
*Their weeping was loud and passionate. Sure, they knew that Stephen was in heaven with Jesus, but he was gone from them. They loved Stephen, and they were going to miss him. God didn’t condemn these men for their grief, and He won’t condemn you. So, don’t condemn yourself for grief.
*And don’t suffer alone. Get the help you need. The men in Acts 8:2 carried their burden together. That was true physically, but it was even more so emotionally and spiritually. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we get devoted friends like the men in this verse. And they will help us when we suffer.
*Evangelist Leighton Ford lost his son Sandy when he was only 21. Part of Leighton’s comfort came from another Christian who had supervised Sandy, when he was a summer missionary France. The man wrote the Fords a letter describing his thoughts when he found out that that Sandy was dead. He said, “I was stunned, -- 21, -- so many gifts to use. I thought, ‘What a waste.’”
*Then he said, “Leighton, I realize we are so earthbound. Sandy’s highest service has only begun.” (1)
*That one thought made a big difference in Leighton Ford’s life. And the Lord will send Christian friends to help us too. Moreover, as believers we also have the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was talking about His Spirit in John 14:18 when He said, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.” At the same time we have a Heavenly Father, who knows what it’s like to lose His only Son in death.
*God and His people will help you with your grief. So don’t try to suffer alone. Take your grief to Jesus! -- He will give you the strength you need when you are in the grip of grief.
2. We are looking at three essential views of a believer’s death: The second point of view belongs to the Lord of life.
*Think about God’s attitude toward a believer’s death. The truth is that the same thing that makes us sad makes the Lord very glad, for Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
*When a believer dies and goes home to be with God, it’s a “precious” thing.
-That means it’s a valuable, splendid, glorious thing.
-When a Christian dies, they are welcomed home to heaven with great joy!
-This is the Lord’s attitude toward a believer’s death.
*But also think about His actions. In Stephen’s case, we can see the Lord’s actions in Acts 7:55-56:
55. But he (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,
56. and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
*Notice that God did 3 great things here:
-First, He filled Stephen with His Holy Spirit. (God was with Stephen, and He has promised that He will never leave or forsake you!)
-Next, God pulled back the curtain of Heaven, so that Stephen could be comforted and encouraged by seeing the Lord.
-Then Jesus stood to welcome Stephen home!
*And when it comes to the Lord’s actions, we know we can trust God to do good things for us, because He already did the best thing for us when He died on the cross for our sins! Jesus went through death for us. He took our spiritual death, so that we could have His eternal life. We can trust Jesus Christ when it comes to death, because He has already been there.
*It’s a little like the time William Hinson got a new puppy for his young children. It was a tiny Peekapoo. When they got home Dr. Hinson agreed to build a dog house for the new pet, but William said, “The only kind of dog I knew very much about was a really big bird dog. So when I built the dog house, I built a very large house. In fact the house was too large for the small dog.”
*The size of the dog house scared the little puppy. No matter what they did, the little dog would not go near the dog house. They would put his food in there, and the dog would go hungry; they would put water in there, and the dog would not drink.
*Dr. Hinson later admitted, “In exasperation, I would shove him in and hold my hands over the door. But the minute I would move, he would run out, unbelievably frightened.”
*In disgust one day, Dr. Hinson went in the house and sat down in the den, while his daughter, Cathy, stood outside crying over her dad’s impatience and the refusal of her puppy to cooperate.
*After a while, Cathy got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the dog house herself. When she did that something wonderful happened. That little puppy trotted right in beside her and stretched out on the dog house floor. Before too long the dog was taking a nap.
*King Duncan described it this way: “All the shadows now stood still for him, and all the fear was taken out of the darkness, because the one whom he loved and trusted had preceded him into that dark and frightening place. It no longer caused him fear.” (2)
*This is just one of the wonderful things that Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. He went into death and came out safe on the other side. He showed us that we don’t have to be afraid. We can trust in Him. And this is a Christian’s death from the Lord’s point of view.
3. But we also must see the point of view of those gone home to Heaven, -- Christians like Stephen who are right on the edge of death, and then cross over.
1-We see Stephen’s point of view in his revelation. Listen to it again in vs. 55&56:
55. But he (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,
56. and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
*Many times the Lord blesses His people in a special way just before they die. He will give them a revelation that brings strength and joy. I have heard and read dozens of stories that are not too different from Stephen’s.
*I went to visit my wife’s dad just a few hours before he died. He had been battling emphysema for many years and lung cancer for over a year. By that time, “Pap-Pap” had been in intensive care for a month.
*He could not speak to us because he was on a ventilator. But I was surprised that morning by his smile, and the look of radiant joy on his face. I thought, “Wow! He’s doing better!” And he was, -- but not in the way I thought. By lunchtime he had gone home to be with the Lord in Heaven.
*I didn’t realize it at the time, but I really believe that God had given Pap-Pap a revelation of what was about to happen. And that’s what happened to Stephen.
2-We see Stephen’s revelation, and then we see his rescue. In vs. 59, “they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’”
*I guarantee you, that is exactly what Jesus did!
-Jesus received Stephen, because Stephen had already received Jesus.
*He knew that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Holy One who came down from heaven to live a perfect life, and die on the cross for our sins.
-He believed that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.
*Stephen had received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.
-That’s why the day of his death was the greatest day of his life.
-And it will be for you, if you will put your trust in Jesus!
*All the world needs Jesus! He is the only one who can forgive our sins, and give us an everlasting home in heaven. If we receive Jesus, one day He will receive us just like He received Stephen, and we don’t have to worry about dying.
*We can be like Reford Wilson, former director of foreign missions for Free Will Baptists. When Reford went into the hospital for the last time, the doctors told him that his chances of survival were small, but that surgery might help.
*Even so, the surgery itself was very risky and his chances were marginal. Reford Wilson looked his doctor straight in the eye, and with a twinkling smile he said, “Either way, Doc, I win.” (3)
*So will we if Jesus is our Savior!
-And that is the absolute best point of view on death.
1. Leighton Ford, "Hope for a Great Forever," Preaching Today, Tape No. 96. - Source: The Bible Illustrator, Topic: Death / Subtopic: Of the Righteous / Index: 2160 - Date: 4/1998.1741 / Title: Highest Service Begins with Death
2. TRIUMPHANT LIVING IN TURBULENT TIMES. William H. Hinson. Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 1993, pp. 119-120. (Found in ChristianGlobe.com sermon “Roll Call” by King Duncan - Matt 5:1-12)
3. Nelson - Death of Christians
