The story of the first Christian martyr
The kingdom of Heaven is at Hand - it is always a stone’s throw away
Life is short - to live like Stephen you must:
Decide before you go through tough times how you will act and what you will say
AC 6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."
Why were these problems among the Free Men
Free man - angry with Stephen - once slaves - were they trying to work their way back into God’s good graces, they just didn’t want to hear that the law and the temple were transcended by Jesus
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
7:1 Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"
This was no filibuster trying to spare his life - (Strom Thurmond 24 hours and 18 minutes to block the 1957 Civil Rights Act) - Stephen knew he was a dead man.
Luke wanted to show how enemies of God killed people of God but the people of God would not back down
Outline of the longest sermon in Acts:
7:2 God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,
3 `Leave your country and your people,’ God said, `and go to the land I will show you.’
5 He gave him no inheritance here,. But God promised that he and his descendants would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.
6 will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.
9 " the brothers were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued . He gave Joseph wisdom and the Pharaoh of Egypt; and made him ruler over Egypt.
11 "Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan,, and our fathers could not find food.
17 " the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham,
another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.
20 "At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.
21 Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.
22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
23 "When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. AS A JUDGE
25 Moses thought that his people would realize God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.
27 ", `Who made you ruler and judge over us?
29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner
30 "After forty years had passed, God spoke to Moses in the flames of a burning bush
34 I will send you back to Egypt.’
35 "This is the same Moses whom they had rejected
37 "This is that Moses who told the Israelites, `God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.’
39 "But our fathers refused to obey him. they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
41 they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it
42 But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:
`Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon.
44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle with them in the desert.
until the time of David, 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for him.
48 "However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: 49 " `Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? Or where will my resting place be?
After gathering them all in - he strikes out boldly in vs.. 51 - his tune changes
Rug pulled out from under them
AC 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-- 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Why is there such a detailed explanation of Jewish History
1. To prove that they were not out to start a new church - this is the continuation of what God has been doing all along
- when you share Christ - start with common ground
2. Reminder that God is unpredictable
God works in weakness, last, least , not as expected - what God is doing in Jesus is no different that what He has been doing for centuries.
Israel has always been a foreigner, alien
When God sent Moses back to Egypt he shows him something,
God often sends us back to the places we are running from
3. To remove primary focus from the Temple to Heaven - From Works to Faith in God
Tabernacle, to temple, note the change Temple is good but not best
4. Israel always killed its prophets, why would Jesus be any different?
Moses -a savior - but not recognized by Israel, rejected Moses foretold about Jesus
Is this not like Jesus? Moses rejected more than one time
What ways do we kill prophets - major on the minors, replace true religion (from feeding the poor, caring for orphans and widows
What was the effect of the stoning - run and hide! NO
8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Introduce Paul - Saul - send people back home
You don’t know how many days you have left - so make use of today - invest your life.
