STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES, BUT GOD WILL ALWAYS HEAL ME.
Acts- chapter 7 verse 54-60
Here in these verses Stephen was stoned to death. He was the first apostle that was killed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Stephen in the first part of this chapter was on trial for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He was before the same type council that had crucified Jesus. Plus this council had recently attempted to stop the apostles speaking about Jesus.
Stephens’s address before the council was mainly a recital of Old Testament history, climaxing in a stinging rebuke for their murder of Jesus.
As Stephen spoke his face begin to shine as a face of an angel. The people there rushed upon him like wild animals to kill him, to stone him to death.
Let us look at Stephen here for a few minutes and see what the Bible teaches us about the certain passage.
Look in verse 54; The Bible says, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart”
You see this council had brought false witnesses against Stephen and he tells them of the true witness. He was quoting the testimony of writings they owned themselves to be inspired.
Stephen spoke of the persistent rejection of God and his servants until at last it brought home to themselves and aroused the maddened hatred in their hearts.
The people there could not stand to hear the truth.
Their hearts were boiling over with thoughts their mind could not control.
You see the gospel effects the heart. It will cut you deeper than anything else will. Once you see the truth, you either accept it or you run as fast away as you can.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword,
How many people have you seen that has been living in sin and somehow, somewhere God touches their heart?
Let me tell you, either their face becomes white as snow or red as a fire truck.
I have seen people in services that God has touched that went totally crazy for a moment. It wound them around like a rubber band airplane.
But when they got unwound, a joy came over them like never before. They start to see things in a different light, a different way.
No longer is the world dark and dusty. It has color in it now. There is a new person standing there. Their tears begin to flow as their heart warms to the love that has just been instilled in their heart. It still amazes me, even today to see someone get that touched from God.
But… I have seen the other side, sad to say. It winds them up and when they come back down their heart is hardened so much from guilt, sin, rotten things that they have done, it makes them harden their hearts even harder. Satan has taken his last stab at making the soul believe God surly cannot forgive me of all the wrongs in my life. They become so defensive that they begin to lash out toward God, they curse God and all that He represents. I’ve seen it church, these people have so many demons in them that it is a war inside them.
There is a song I listen too, it is called which one I feed, and the chorus of that song rings loud and clear;
There's a black and a white wolf in me
And I live and I die by which one I feed
It's a war old as time, this fighting inside
And I live and I die by which one I feed
I have seen that battle right in the pews between which one they will feed. It is a battle at times, Satan does not want to lose one of his prized possessions.
And when that person gets so mad they turn away;
This my friend is rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit. How sad to say that heaven was only a heartbeat away.
These words that Stephen spoke to these people was the truth.
Words are strong my friends, use them wisely and use them with respect because someday they will come back to you, either good or bad.
2nd thing I noticed in verses 55-56.
The Bible states, Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost and looked up steadfastly. This just means steady, loyal, unchanging, faithful and firm into heaven.
Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of his father.
I want to tell you something, right then and there, Stephen knew he was heading home.
I think Stephen did not care what was about to happen to him. He was viewing the Almighty God and his son!!!!
Do you really think Stephen cared about anything else but reaching up and touching the very hand of God?
You can throws boulders on top of me now, Stephen might have thought. Let’s get this over with, I’ve got a view of home, I got a view of people I want to see, I’ve got a view of eternity!
You might can say they “rocked him to sleep”
You see those words that Stephen had spoken to this council just might break my bones, but let me tell you, God will heal you.
Look at verse 57- These people had seen the face of an angel, born and their hearts grew mad, it even says in one accord they ran upon him!
In verse 58- Look who is on the scene here, a young man by the name of Saul.
58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
Why did the witnesses throw down their clothes at the feet of Saul? By doing this they were showing authority to Saul here.
These people knew of Saul, he was a mighty person in the Roman sect that was sent to kill those that preached the gospel of Jesus. They all show him, respect or authority that Saul was the greatest among them.
It is here we begin to meet the very person that wrote the majority of the New Testament, It is here we see this young man, Saul trying his best to stop the very gospel he will later die for.
It is here we meet the very one that said, “For me to die is to gain”
Oh… but this young man was seeing what Christ can do for you when things are bad.
I think sometimes God allows us to see the pits of hell, for us to realize how much more we have in Jesus. God allows us to see the sins all around us to allow us to know how much better living right for God is.
Saul was the one of the people that heard Stephen address the council, his heart was cut but God wasn’t through cutting on Saul’s heart just yet!
Verse 59 – Here is Stephen stoned and all he could think about was Jesus.
Wonder how many people have called out that name when the end was only a few seconds away?
But Stephen got a clear view of Jesus, he knew where he was going. I again wonder how many again has called out the name of Jesus and didn’t know where they were going?
Stephen knew, Stephen wanted to go where his future was, were his eternity was and that was with God.
Stephen was there asking Jesus to receive him and within moments or seconds, Stephen would be with Jesus forever.
Let us look at the very last seconds of Stephens’s life in verse 60
As they were stoning him, “he knelled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
Here I think is one of the turning points of history. Young Saul standing there, watching every second of this event had never seen a death like that of Stephen. Though its immediate effect was just beginning to start Saul on his rampage of pursuing the disciples.
Yet!, it may be that Stephens’s dying words went straight to the mark and lodged deep in Saul’s mind and heart?
There quietly working to make him ready and receptive for the great vision he was going to have later on.
It may be in part at least that Stephens death or murder was the price paid for Saul’s, soul?
And what a soul it was. Next to Jesus, the greatest man in all the ages, the one man who more than any other.
Saul, who was travelling to Damascus to kill more Christians. Jesus intervened along the way and when Jesus got through with him, his named was changed from Saul to Paul. This man established Christianity in the main centers of the then known world and altered the course of history.
I believe when Paul was killed right after God and Jesus greeted him and Paul was entering through the Gates Of Pearl , the doors of Heaven was opened and standing there was Stephen waiting on Paul and welcoming him to Heaven.
CLOSING
Just words my friends, they can do many things in a person’s life.
Once you have Jesus in your heart you words become all powerful.
Words that bring forth the name of God will and can change events, people and nations.
As I opened this message, I said that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but God will heal me.
I ask you, has the Word of God ever touched you to the point your mind became wild in amazement?
Jesus has allowed you to get a small glimpse of Heaven….our home?
Has people turned their backs on you, or even curse you for speaking the name of Jesus?
Oh listen church, whatever it was that has happened in your life, whatever words that have cut you, bruised you and you felt the pain, Stephen was stones to death, it cost him his life but remember God will heal you.
Stick and stones may break my bones, but God is willing and able to heal you.
Have we went out and proclaimed the Gospel of Christ as Paul did after he realize that Jesus was the Son Of God and died upon that cross for all of us?
I don’t know church but are you a saved Saint of God but you are wanting more in your life, you need that light from Heaven to shine down once again on you to give you the courage to tell others about Jesus?
Hey…it may cost you, it may be someone will use words to discourage you, they may put obstacles in your way as you too travel along your Damascus Road.
You know, do you feel something in your life has become stagnate, it seems you haven’t seen God move in your life for days, weeks, or years.
Have you thought that I haven’t been as close to God as I should have, and God does not love me like he use too. But I want to seek him again and find that joy and happiness I felt before.
God still loves you, he never has stopped loving you, he cares for you, he is looking over you from the portals of glory!
I need a cleansing, I need God to do a healing in my life, I have been hit with so many sticks and stones that I am bruised and battered.
God? I need you to heal me
You can come pray about it, and just ask God, “Lord, I seek you, I need you for all things in my life.
