TITLE: HE STOOD UP FOR ME
SCRIPTURE: ACTS 7:54-60
Can I talk to you this morning from the subject – He Stood Up For Me. Stephen was the President of the Jerusalem Board of Deacons. He was a leader in the church. He seems to have been an eloquent and fiery proclaimer and defender of the faith. But he was also a man just like you and me. He had the same sorts of problems that we face and the same sorts of struggles. The fact that he was used by God is a matter of Grace.
We have a tendency to look for Christian Heroes. We find them and we place them up on pedestals.
• But there are no Super-Christians
• The closer you get to your Christian heroes, the more you will see that they are just like you
• They have the same Faults
• They have the same Struggles
• They have the same Flaws
• They have the same Addictions
• Therefore we can identify with Stephen
As I began praying and preparing for this message, I began to read in an effort to refresh my memory about those that had given their lives for the cause of Christ. I have concluded that GOD GIVES SPECIAL GRACE TO THEM IN THEIR DYING MOMENTS. The Czech martyr, Jan Hus, whose statue and church bare his name and located in the City of Prague, was promised safe passage to discuss his criticism against the Catholic Church.
• But they betrayed him and burned him at the stake
• He died, not cursing at his persecutors for their deception and brutality
• But singing praise to God as the flames consumed his flesh
• The story has been repeated thousands of times
• At the head of the list stands Deacon Stephen
• The first Christian martyr
Our word “MARTYR” is a transliteration of the Greek word for “WITNESS.” By their lives and by their deaths, the martyrs have borne witness for “JESUS CHRIST, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS.” It must be noted, Stephen’s death is the only death scene and martyrdom described in detail in the New Testament, except for that of Jesus Christ.
• Can I Footnote here, early on in this message?
• We run around talking about – I Will Die For the Lord
• God is not concerned about who will Die for Him
• God wants to know – Who Will Live For Him
• How you going to be willing to Die for Him and you are not even willing to Live for Him!
I want to extract a few points from this powerful text this morning and then take my seat. We were first introduced to Stephen in the first verses of Acts 6. He was one of the men chosen by the church to oversee the equitable distribution of food to the needy widows. His name is a Greek name meaning “Crown.” The church had seen a great deal of growth at this point in our text. It had begun with an explosion and it continued to see growing numbers.
• This is a problem that every church should have
• If the church is not growing, there is a spiritual problem
• The local church should constantly and consistently see growing numbers
• We have two new Deacons in training here at PPWC because of the growth of the church
• The first century church taught us that growth translates into more Deacons required
The qualifications for the position of Deacon had been they be full of the Spirit and of Wisdom. This is now seen in Stephen who was full of Grace and Power.
• From where do you get Grace and Power?
• It comes from the same place you get the Spirit, Wisdom and Faith
• You cannot Buy It
• You cannot Earn It
• You cannot Steal It
• You cannot Trade For It
• You cannot Matriculate for It
• It comes from God and God alone
This isn’t something that Stephen worked up on his own; it was given to him by God. The Christian faith involves living in such a way that Jesus lives through us. If you desire these qualities, then go to the Lord and ask Him for them. I wonder, do we see these same required giftings in God’s servants today? When I look at the Pulpits across the land, I believe that we are really confused. We look at leaders today and think they have:
• Giftings to Sing and Whoop in the Pulpit
• Giftings to Sing and Recite Drafted, Memorized Prayers on Deacons Bench
• Giftings come from God for the Edification of His Kingdom
All too often we think the education that we have achieved is a replacement for the Holy Spirit. When churches seek a New Pastor they want to know the educational level not Power of Holy Spirit operating in their life. Most of the time their education is not earned at a recognized institution of higher learning. Saw a Pastor being presented a Doctoral Degree last week by the Prelate of their Fellowship, no formal preparation. Deacon Stephen very well could have had formal education, may have Matriculated at Accredited Universities of his time, but that was not important. Well…What qualified him:
• Not that he could Sing during Sunday Morning devotions
• Not that he could hold a Metered Hymn
• Not that he could properly lead – Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah
• Not that he had memorized Prayers
• Not that he had Earned Degrees
• Not that he was recommended by the Moderator
• Not that he was endorsed by the local TV Evangelist of the day
• He was qualified because - He was full of Grace and Power
Stephen’s ministry to the Hellenistic widows put him into contact with many of the Greek-speaking Jews. While there were many who believed the gospel, there were many others who did not and who viewed this new sect of Christians with suspicion. The debates between the two parties grew heated and the Jews began to cast accusations at the church and specifically at Stephen.
This may be a good time to transition into another point – BECAUSE WICKED MEN ARE ENEMIES OF GOD, THOSE WHO SPEAK OUT BOLDLY FOR GOD AND AGAINST EVIL WILL SUFFER. This is a fact that we have lost sight of today. Everybody wants to be loved. Preachers of our day want to be loved, liked, and well thought of.
• Want to go on Oprah and have her speak well of us
• Want to interviewed by Barbara Walters and have her endorse us
• Want to be interviewed by Piers Morgan and Anderson Cooper and come out smelling like Roses
• Want to be on Good Morning America and have the world think we are so wonderful
Can I remind you of the words of Paul found in II TIMOTHY 3:12 “YES, AND ALL THAT WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION.” We spend too much time trying to fit into the world as believers and especially Preachers. Reminded of the Words of Jesus in ST. LUKE 6:26 “WOE UNTO YOU, WHEN ALL MEN SHALL SPEAK WELL OF YOU! FOR SO DID THEIR FATHERS TO THE FALSE PROPHETS.” If everyone is speaking well and nice words about you all the time, I would suggest to you that it might be time to do a self-evaluation to determine where we are out of balance in our Christian walk.
Here is a News Flash – IF YOU ARE SAVED, YOU CAN’T ESCAPE EVIL BEING SPOKEN OF YOU. Anybody going through something this morning? - Anybody being talked about this morning? - Anybody been lied on this morning? There is a relationship that exists between Living Godly and Suffering Persecution.
• I am not talking about you are being persecuted because you are a big time preacher and you have two women in your congregation pregnant so your wife divorces you
• I am not talking about you are being persecuted because you’re a big time preacher and your husband is angry and files for divorce when he found out you have a million dollar penthouse in your name in NYC that he knew nothing about
• I am not talking about being persecuted because you were on the front page of the local paper for being arrested for DUI
• I am talking about Living Godly in Christ Jesus and for that, suffering Persecution
• We should not count that strange
Satan does not sit idly by when his realm is challenged. And, in His mysterious – sovereign providence, God does not miraculously protect all of His servants who dare to confront the prince of darkness.
• I don’t know why God allows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be silenced in the prime of his Life
• I don’t know why God allows Bishop G.E. Patterson to be used to heal others but his own life ends much too soon by death from disease
• I don’t know why God allows this choice young man in our text this morning to be cut down in the prime of his ministry
• I just yield to God’s Mysterious, Sovereign Providence
The religious will likely be our worst enemy. Today religion is anything and everything including a self-made God. The truth remains that God is God and rejecting Him, no matter how religious you are, will still put you in hell.
• This opposition was not just against Stephen
• The opposition was against the truth of God
• What Deacon Stephen said came between them and their rituals
• If we take the Lord out of Christianity, it’s all a waste of time
• We must have a personal relationship with Jesus
• The Jews were intolerant of this interference
• How many times has this happened to you?
• GALATIANS 4:16 “AM I THEREFORE BECOME YOUR ENEMY, BECAUSE I TELL YOU THE TRUTH?”
We can be faced with this same violence in response to the truth. Name it, and it’s out there. There is still only one way – you must come in at the door. They grew angry at Stephen to the point of railing against him. It was all because he had found the truth and wanted to share it with them. If we identify with the truth, we’ll find opposition. Because we live in a time and place where we have relative freedom from violent persecution, we tend to forget that being a follower of Jesus Christ makes us enemies of the evil prince of this world and his followers.
• Of course, brute force is not only the enemy’s weapon
• He uses deceit and cunning ways to lull us into adopting worldly values
• A worldly Christian is no threat to his domain of darkness
• I am not even convinced that a Christian can be worldly
• Perhaps a worldly person only wears the title of Christian
Satan gets us to live for the selfish pursuit of comfort - with a little church attendance thrown in to round out the good life. It doesn’t hurt his cause when the Pastor gives sermons that make everyone feel good about themselves, teaching them how to use God for personal well-being and overall family happiness. Satan enjoys that the average Preacher is more of a Human Resource Counsellor than a Salvation Preaching Vessel of God. But the moment a believer moves out of this comfortable religiousity and begins aggressively to:
• Go after souls for Christ
• Or to give radically to the cause of Christ
• Or to speak out boldly for God against sin
• He also moves into the line of enemy fire
Often we catch “friendly fire” from fellow Christians who are threatened by our radical ways. But we should be prepared and not be taken by surprise when we commit ourselves to be 100% for the Lord and then suffer for it. It goes with the territory. The Gospel writer LUKE notes that the witnesses who began stoning Stephen laid their robes at the feet of a young man named SAUL. You remember him don’t you? Luke adds that “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.” As a result, that very day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem. Saul began ravaging the church like a wild boar ravages a vineyard, obviously with the approval of the Sanhedrin. He entered house after house, dragging off to prison both men and women who believed in Jesus. Many of them were put to death.
• Sometimes I wonder what is wrong with us today
• No one trying to take our lives for the Gospels sake
• Don’t bring anyone to Church with us
• Prayer Service and Bible Study is of no interest to us
• Not excited enough to be here and support throughout the week
• Majority of Christians do not tithe in effort to support the local church
• You would think we are being Chased and Hunted down because of our belief
This text reminds us as to why it is important to be a Witness for the Lord and Share our Faith. Saul who would later become the Apostle Paul described his own behavior as being “furiously enraged at them.” When a sinner comes under conviction through hearing the gospel or through the example of a believer’s godly life, he may be broken with repentance and come to faith in Jesus Christ. But, he also can harden his heart and go deeper in rage, as Saul did.
• Some maintain this fierce opposition to the gospel all the way to their deathbeds
• Others, like Saul, eventually repent and become new creatures in Christ
This offended crowd now condemns Stephen to death. It was the custom that the chief witness for the prosecution would be given the duty of pushing the offender to the ground where the stoning was to take place. The second witness would then cast the first stone and the rest of the crowd would join in until the offender was dead.
Would I be considered or viewed as cold hearted if I were to tell you this morning that I do not feel sorry for Deacon Stephen? Far better to die with Stephen under a hail of rocks and be welcomed into heaven by the risen Lord Jesus, than to die peacefully in the midst of WORLDLY COMFORTS – RICHES OF THIS WORLD – SURROUNDED BY FAMILY - but then to hear, “DEPART FROM ME, I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
Here is another reason I don’t feel sorry for Deacon Stephen – Firstly - all three members of the Trinity are mentioned in this text.
• Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit
• He gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God the Father
• Which must have looked like the brightness of the sun
• To His right hand, there stood the risen and ascended Jesus
Stephen was so awed by this vision that he could not keep it to himself. He said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Can you only imagine such a sight – to get a glimpse into Glory! I have heard of those in their final moments on this side, in their dying moments say that they see:
• Mother or Father
• Grandmother
• Spouse that preceded them to Heaven
• Some have said they even saw an Angel coming for them
• Others see a bright light
Oh, but I have not heard of anyone outside of Deacon Stephen that looked up while yet on this side, with their dying breath be blessed to see – GOD THE FATHER – GOD THE SON – GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. How could we feel bad for Stephen? How could we feel sorry for him? It was not a Vision, it was a view!
It reminds me of the OT where three bold Hebrew witnesses who refused to bow down before the image of Nebuchadnezzar. In his fury, the mad king had them bound and thrown into the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. But to his shock, when he and his men looked into the flames, they saw not three men bound, but four men unbound and walking around without harm. And the appearance of the fourth was “LIKE THE SON OF GOD.”
• I believe that the pre-incarnate Jesus had joined these brave witnesses in their moment of trial
• I believe Jesus stopped by in the middle of the furnace to support and encourage them for their faithfulness to Him
• He spared them from death, but did not spare Stephen
Stephen saw the heavens open and the kingdom of God was just where God said. It will always remain where God placed it.
• We only see the sky, but be assured it’s there
• It will not be moved
• He saw God abiding in his glory
There may be a lot of bad talk going on about God, but he’s still on his throne. Standing on the Right Hand of God.
• Stephen saw Jesus in all his credentials
• He Suffered
• He Died and was laid in a tomb
• He had recently arose and ascended to heaven
• Stephen saw Jesus exactly where he said he was going to be
• No matter how “end of the rope” our hour may be
• Jesus is where he’s supposed to be
• Jesus stood up for Stephen because Stephen stood up for Him
Normally, the Scriptures speak of Jesus now SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD - having accomplished the work of redemption –
• HEBREWS 1:3 “WHO BEING THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY, AND THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, AND UPHOLDING ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER, WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH”
• HEBREWS 8:1 “NOW OF THE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE SPOKEN THIS IS THE SUM: WE HAVE SUCH AN HIGH PRIEST, WHO IS SET ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF THE MAJESTY IN THE HEAVENS”
• HEBREWS 10:12 “BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD”
• HEBREWS 12:2 “LOOKING UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH; WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME, AND IS SET DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.”
• EPHESIANS 1:20 “WHICH HE WROUGHT IN CHRIST, WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, AND SET HIM AT HIS OWN RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES”
• COLOSSIANS 3:1 “IF YE THEN BE RISEN WITH CHRIST, SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD”
But here, twice it says that Stephen saw Jesus NOT SITTING - BUT STANDING at the right hand of God. Nowhere else is Jesus seen standing at the right hand of the Father. Heaven opened up and Stephen experienced the Trinity at the time he needed it the most. Jesus stood looking to earth at Stephen in this one-time event.
• It is good to have my cousins Stand Up for me all my life
• Had a friend in High School who Stood Up for me, would not let me get picked on
• I am not always right but I always know that Elder Michelle will Stand Up for Me
• Been promoted on the job because others Stood Up for me
--All that is fine and well
--We all need someone to Stand Up for us every now and then
--We would not be where we are today if somebody did not Stand Up for us along the way
--But Stephen looked up into Heaven right before his transition
--And Jesus Stood Up
-- He Stood Up For Me
--I stopped by to let you know, if you Stand Up for Jesus
--Jesus will Stand Up for You
--In the midst of my trials, He Stood Up For Me
--In the midst of my heartaches, He Stood Up For Me
--When I felt I was all alone, He Stood Up For Me
--When I was not always right, He Stood Up For Me
--Made some bad decisions along the way but, He Stood Up For Me
--Heard somebody say when I get to heaven I want to see my loved ones
--I want to see this one and I want to see that one
--I love my family but when I get to heaven I want to see Jesus
--Because all the days of my life - He Stood Up For Me
