THE HOPE OF HEAVEN: STEPHEN
ACTS 7:54-8:3
INTRODUCTION... Beauty and the Beast
One of my wife’s favorite movies of all time is Disney’s ’Beauty and the Beast’ which came out in the early 90s. The story centers around a young woman named Belle and her experiences with the Beast. The story begins with her father becoming lost in the woods and imprisoned by the Beast. Belle searches for her father and finds him in the Beast’s castle. She trades herself for him and agrees to stay with the Beast forever. The father flees back to town and reports what has happened and that his daughter is in danger. While this is happening, a romance grows between the Beauty and the Beast. The great hero hunter of the town, Gaston, whips the people into a frenzy to go and kill this Beast. Gaston wants Belle for himself of course and so there are dubious motives.
The people of the town attack the castle and will not listen to Belle that the Beast is harmless and will not pose any danger. The people are in such a frenzy to shed blood that this is all they can think of.
John 19:12-16 records for us the same kind of situation. The Roman governor Pilate sees that Jesus is an innocent man. The people would not listen to Pilate and only shouted “Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him!” The chief priests were among the people stirring them up for bloodshed. In the end, the people were in such a frenzy that all they wanted to do was kill Jesus.
Our passage today, Acts 7:54-8:3, has this same element involved. The people became so frenzied for death that they killed a man named Stephen. You will see as we read this passage a little later that the people even covered their ears and yelled so that they could not hear reason. They wanted this man Stephen dead and in the end, they succeeded.
I would like to look at a little background this morning so that you understand who this person Stephen was and why he was in the situation he’s in at the end of Acts 7. The background for this man begins in Acts 6 and eventually we will arrive at the end of chapter 7 where I would like us to focus our time today.
I. STEPHEN’S BACKGROUND (Acts 6:1-7)
We first meet Stephen in Acts chapter 6. There was a serious situation in the church. The number of believers was increasing daily and many of them had physical needs that had to be met. Some were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. In 6:2, the Apostles gather and realize that the physical work of the church needed to be handled by others while they devoted themselves to teaching and preaching. 6:3-4 records the idea of seven men being set apart as having this responsibility... these are the first deacons. 6:5 shows us that Stephen was among the first seven chosen.
Why was Stephen chosen? What was about his character that brought him to the mind of the church? Acts 6 tells us that Stephen was a man “full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit.” What a complement! When looking for someone to do this most important work, this man Stephen, stood out and he was chosen and was ordained as a deacon in the church.
ILLUSTRATION... General Washington, Today in the Word, March 6, 1991
During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a small
defensive barrier. their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, “Sir, I am a corporal!”
The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, “Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again.” It was none other than George Washington.
Stephen accepted the offer of his church to serve them and to get in the trenches and love those around him. The Apostles had a job to do and needed men like Stephen to serve. He, along with six other men, accepted and were ordained. He was not perfect, but he worked with the Holy Spirit to use his gifts and talents among the people. He allowed himself to be used by God as a witness.
II. STEPHEN’S WITNESS (Acts 6:8-7:53)
We now know that Stephen was a man chosen for godly work. He was a man of faith. He was a man people considered full of the Holy Spirit. Acts 6:8 begins to tell us more and more about this person Stephen and the witness that he had for those around him. 6:8 describes Stephen as “a man full of God’s grace and power.” Stephen was fast becoming a leader in the church and even did ’great wonders’ among the people.
Stephen also had opportunities to speak as well. We do not know much about his past, but apparently he had many friends or was a past member of the Synagogue of the Freedmen. What is that? This would have been a large group of the synagogue that was made up of Jews that had been slaves and somehow had obtained their freedom. Stephen had perhaps been one of them and was returning to try and convince his old associates of the truth about Jesus Christ.
Verse 10 of chapter 6 tells us that none of them could stand up to his wisdom or to the Spirit by whom he spoke. This man was making sense and it made sense that Jesus was the Messiah that they had waited for. No one could see a way to confound his arguments. So what happens? 6:11 states that some men were convinced to lie and this stirred up the spiritual leaders and brought him before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the highest court allowed by Roman law. It dealt with Jewish religious matters mostly.
Verse 15 tells us that these chief priests and teachers of the law look at this man and his face ’was like the face of an angel.’ He was innocent of what he had been charged with. They as him in 7:1 if the charges are true. What does Stephen do? He preaches! Stephen begins at the beginning with Abraham and moves to Moses and to the time of the Exodus. He explains how the Old Testament points right to Jesus Christ. Stephen makes some quite pointed statements at the end of his sermon. He calls them stiff-necked. He tells them they have un-circumcised hearts. He tells them that they always resist the Spirit of God. He even tells them that they killed the Righteous One that was promised to them. More than anything, when I think of Stephen, I think of his boldness.
ILLUSTRATION... The Apology, Evangelism, A Biblical Approach, M. Cocoris, Moody, 1984, p. 126
Hugh Lattimer once preached before King Henry VIII. Henry was greatly displeased by the boldness in
the sermon and ordered Lattimer to preach again on the following Sunday and apologize for the offence he had given. The next Sunday, after reading his text, he thus began his sermon:
“Hugh Lattimer, dost thou know before whom thou are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the king’s most excellent majesty, who can take away thy life, if thou offendest. Therefore, take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease. But then consider well, Hugh, dost thou not know from whence thou comest—upon Whose message thou are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, Who is all-present and Who beholdeth all thy ways and Who is able to cast thy soul into hell! Therefore, take care that thou deliverest thy message faithfully.” He then preached the same sermon he had preached the preceding Sunday—and with considerably more energy.
The witness of Stephen was one of service. He accepted the job of shepherding the people of the church and provided for their needs. The witness of Stephen was one of truth. He had taught in the Synagogue so effectively that no one could stand up to what he was saying. The witness of Stephen was one of boldness. He was faced with trial for false accusations and he used that time not to defend himself, but to spread the message of Jesus all the more.
What was Stephen’s witness? Service. Truth. Boldness.
How do you think the people reacted?
READ ACTS 7:54-8:3
III. STEPHEN’S HOPE (Acts 7:54-8:3)
The reaction of the people was like those in the ’Beauty and the Beast’ that would not listen to reason. The reaction of the people was like those who stood and watched the trial of Jesus and shouted for His death. The people were furious. They drag him from the Sanhedrin to a place outside the city. They picked up stones and threw them at this man.
What a horrible situation! Had Stephen done anything to deserve what was happening to him? Absolutely not! Had Stephen cursed God or given some kind of false teaching as he was charged? No. It was a horrible situation. What hope did Stephen have? What hope did he have in his situation?
You may not be facing stoning today... but you may be facing a horrible seemingly hopeless situation.
Maybe you are struggling to share your faith with those you work with.
Maybe you are dealing with an illness that brings you nothing but pain and a pile of doctors’ bills.
Maybe you have had a situation come up in which you wonder where God is and what He is doing.
Maybe you have had a conflict with a close friend.
Maybe your children or grandchildren are giving you fits.
Maybe you are coming to realize that you have just been playing church and have no real relationship with God.
Maybe you are struggling with a secret sin.
Maybe you are lost and looking for meaning in life.
I want you to know that the hope that Stephen had is the same hope that we have. I want us to look at the three statements that Stephen makes. These three statements give us such hope of Heaven in this life no matter what we face... no matter the situation.
“Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
1) Stephen sees that Heaven is indeed a real place
2) Stephen sees that Jesus is at the right hand of God just as He said He would be
3) Stephen sees Jesus standing and ready to welcome him
“”Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
1) Stephen knows that in all circumstances that God hears our prayers
2) Stephen keeps his faith in the midst of trial
3) Stephen knows that when this life is over, Jesus is there to care for our soul
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
1) Stephen knows that God is the judge of the deeds of mankind
2) Stephen knows that through Jesus all sin can be forgiven no matter what it is
a) Turn your back on God as these people had done
b) Lie and false witness as these people had done
c) Murder as these people had done
Stephen did not despair as they dragged him from the Sanhedrin to a place outside the city. He did not despair as they left their coats with a man named Saul so they could stone him. He did not despair as the stones began to beat his body. Why? Because he had the hope of heaven.
CONCLUSION
