The Death of a Deacon
Acts 7:1-60
Introduction
- Open your bible to Acts 7 … put a finger or something at Genesis 12 also
Recap:
- Stephen (the first deacon) has been seized by the Sanhedrin
- He is brought before them to answer the charges of blasphemy (no proof needed)
- The Council of the Sanhedrin ultimately were condemning themselves when they condemned Stephen. Why? Because they rejected what he preached: JESUS!
- I have three points today and my first two points ARE the introduction (smile)
-- So, let’s just dive in and I want to ask you … hold on … this is an amazing text
- Pray
Point 1 – History is Important! (1-50)
- Read Acts 7:1-3
- v1 – Stephen is asked point blank, “Are these charges true?”
-- Has a chance to save his neck; to lie; to weasel out; to say anything he wants
-- Instead what does he do? He starts to remind them of who they are to God
-- He walks them through their own heritage; much to their shock I’m sure
- v2 – He recalls for them the promises to Abram (who later becomes Abraham)
-- What were these promises? Go to and read Genesis 12:1-3
- Thing for us to see: We must be willing to recognizing God’s voice!
-- Notice that the first thing we see is that God spoke, and Abram heard
-- This is a unique position that we see in the life of Abram; already following God
-- And so, when God spoke; there was an immediate recognition by Abram
-- Challenge: Can you and I say the same? Do we hear/recognize God’s voice?
- What Abram hears though is more than a text message type of translation
- Abram gets the full script and promise of his life revealed to him in 2 sentences
- (v2-3) “I” will do these things; the great “I AM” is responsible and in charge
- The promise here is God saying, “I am in charge, and I will take care of you”
- Stephen then gives them an all-out assault on the senses of THEIR history
-- He not only recounts Abraham, but Moses’ calling and his obedience to God
- Then, in v39 Stephen does some just amazing … (read v39)
-- APP: He shows them exactly where we have failed as a people
- Ancestors refused to obey
-- They rejected Moses’ leadership
-- They asked Moses’ son, Aaron, to build them an idol to worship
-- They had the tabernacle, they had God’s provisions, and still they disobeyed
-- Stephen shows them their failures with Joshua and the disobedience to God
- I would say, when all was said and done – these people were fuming with anger
- TRANS: But wait – there is EVEN MORE that Stephen does!
-- Stephen then displays the most critical piece of his testimony … HONESTY!
-- He unleashes on them the comparison of who they are EXACTLY like!
Point 2 – Serving God takes Bravery (51-53)
- Read Acts 7:51-53
- Not only are you people stiff-necked (means: haughty; stubborn) …
-- You are just as big as sinners as your ancestors were
-- This is why you have no power; this is why you are weak
-- This is why your testimony is foolish and why no one listens to you!!!
- You are ones who do nothing but deny the power of the Holy Spirit
- Paul captures this in his letter to Timothy quite clearly (DEF applies today)
- 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
- You people (the Sanhedrin) have persecuted everyone God has sent
- You have no idea what you are doing and NOW … NOW you’ve killed Him!
- The very Son of God sent to redeem you – you denied and cursed him
- How was Jesus cursed?
-- (This is the Law) Deuteronomy 21:23, “His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that your land be not defiled, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance.”
-- (This is the Prophecy) Isaiah 53:4, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”
- You heard the Law and rejected it; then you heard the Messiah and killed Him
- You, you, you, you, you … what else are YOU going to do to rebel against God?
- BIG APP: Jesus was cursed and murdered by YOUR rebellion … to God!
- Gut check – let’s see where we are “spiritually”:
- Why is this IMP today? Because by our own life choices we do the same thing!
- TRANS: Now we come to the heart of our focus for today’s message
- Read Acts 7:54-60
Point 3 – Men Won’t Die for a Lie (54-60)
- The Sanhedrin’s reaction is pretty typical for the time and day this happened
-- There really isn’t a lot to see here and unpack except the obvious:
-- Rebel against us? We get angry and you get a dirt nap caused by stoning
- However, the response is what is wonderful here: Stephen looks heavenward
- He does not occupy himself with the problems or the scenario of death
- He focuses his eyes on Heaven and proclaims the Glory seen before him
- Scripture recounts that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, except here
-- Not only did he testify in the face of adversity, he doesn’t complain about it!
-- Here, he is standing and giving his servant a standing ovation because he got it
- HUGE: Whose applause are YOU waiting for?
- Verses 59 and 60 though, for me, are so important for us to grasp right now …
-- First, he asks that Jesus would receive his spirit
-- Second, he asks for forgiveness of those who are doing this to him
- I’ve always wondered something … where did Stephen learn that from?
-- Could he have witnessed for himself the life and teachings of Jesus?
-- Could Stephen have been “one of the crowd” who were at the cross?
-- Could he have been one of the “early followers” at Pentecost?
- ABSOLUTELY! You see (APP), men will do what they have been taught
-- This is exactly what the Sanhedrin did (taught to sin and rebel)
-- And this is exactly what Stephen is doing (mimicking his Lord & Savior)
- IMP: It’s very important that we understand this: Men won’t die for a lie!
-- Men will not willingly give up their lives for something they do not believe in
-- These disciples in the early church were totally sold out, all the way, to Jesus
Conclusion
- Jesus gives his servant a standing ovation; I believe the homecoming was huge
- So, what is our homecoming going to be like? Are we serving like this?
- The great commission has called us to be 100% devoted to the Gospel
- CHALLENGE: The application today is to willingly examine ourselves and ask:
-- Are we willing to die a martyr’s death OR deny God like the Sanhedrin?
- Pray
