Sermons on Martyrdom:

Stephen The First Martyr

Contributed by Norman Bernad on Sep 8, 2024

Stephen bravely preached a sermon about how people like them had rejected God and Jesus. God wanted Israel to follow as their leader and king. Some of the Jews became so angry at Stephen that they threw stones at him until he died. Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian faith.

Stephen bravely preached a sermon about how people like them had rejected God and Jesus. God wanted Israel to follow as their leader and king. Some of the Jews became so angry at Stephen that they threw stones at him until he died. Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian faith. God is doing ...read more

Scripture: Acts 7:54-59, Acts 6:8-15

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Murdered For Truth (Acts 7)

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Aug 19, 2025

Why are some so offended by Jesus?

Do people generally despise hearing the truth about their own wrongdoing? Are we afraid to call for repentance? Let’s look at Stephen’s example in Acts 7. How did Stephen defend himself against false accusations? “Is this true?” the high priest asked. “Brothers and fathers,” he said, “listen: The ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Enduring To The End With Stephen

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 22, 2025

The Holy Spirit, who is given to all Christians through faith and sacramental participation, will give us strength.

December 26, 2025, Feast of St Stephen, protomartyr “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” These words from Psalm 31 sum up the last thoughts of the deacon Stephen as he was stoned to death by an enraged mob who were convinced Stephen was a Jewish heretic. He forgave his murderers, voiced ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:17-22, Colossians 1:24, Psalm 31:3-8, Psalm 31:16-17, Acts 6:8-10, Acts 7:54-59  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Catholic

The First Six Seals

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Apr 28, 2010

The seals show the suffering of the world which believers must endure, even if it means martyrdom, but they are precursors to hope.

Like other prophecy, Revelation has a layered quality. Some say it is about the Roman Empire beginning with 70 AD. Some say it is about all time since Christ. Others say it is about the last days. I say, yes it is. One interpretation does not necessarily negate another. Rather, like much ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:1-17

Denomination: Mennonite

The Book Of Acts, Part 10- Dying To Please Jesus; The Martyrdom Of Stephen Series

Contributed by Mark Strauss on May 4, 2006

Let’s see how it begins: •Verse 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. •Stephen is obviously a multi-talented individual. He not only takes care of the widows, but he’s out there on

“Dying to Please Jesus” The Martyrdom of Stephen Acts 6:8-7:59 One of great movies of recent years is Amadeus, a mostly fictional account of the life of the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. •The story is told from the perspective of Antonio Salieri, a fellow composer. •As a young boy, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Famous Last Words

Contributed by Mark Jones on Dec 14, 2002

Begin with the end in mind...a look at Paul’s last words to Timothy just before His martyrdom.

Famous Last Words II Timothy 1:8-12 Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People teaches that one of these habits is to “Begin with the end in mind” Covey encourages his listeners and readers to write their own epitaph now, and to use it as a driver for everything they ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-12

Denomination: Methodist

Life And Death Principles Series

Contributed by Jason Jones on Oct 17, 2007

Exposition of Acts 7:54-8:4 regarding the martyrdom of Stephen and its application toward suffering believers

Text: Acts 7:54-8:4, Title: Life and Death Principles, Date/Place: NRBC, 10/21/07, AM A. Opening illustration: the story of Andrew Rivet from Piper’s sermon B. Background to passage: Stephen has just concluded his defense of himself with a blazing rebuke of the established religious authority. In ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Martyr's Mindset

Contributed by Samuel Sampson on Aug 27, 2018

We are not called to be martyrs in Christianity, but we are called to love God even to the point of readily giving up this temporal life if need be.

—The Martyrs Mindset— "Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."—Philippians 3:15 We find quite often nowadays in the news, stories like: —'3 men summarily executed by Saudi authorities for converting to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-23, Acts 7:51-60

Insults

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jun 21, 2017

How do we handle insults and family opposition to us being a Christian?

Intro Are we men and women of God or mice? Do we stand for what is right or do we let the world push us around and tell us to be quiet about our faith? Goal Let’s learn to be courageous disciples. Plan Let’s examine Matthew 10:24-39 and how to stand up against opposition to our faith like ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-39

Denomination: Baptist

Unto The Church In Pergamum, Write Series

Contributed by Mark A. Barber on Sep 13, 2013

Either you are for Jesus, or you are against Him

Unto the Church in Pergamum, Write Revelation 2:12-17 Introduction Pergamum was the third of the seven churches to which John was directed to write. Pergamum was the political capital of the Roman province of Asia. The governor of the province, which included the territory where the seven ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Don't Be Deceived

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Nov 13, 2019

Jesus said the gates of hell will not destroy His Church (Matthew 16:18). He was not talking about a building. People are the Church. Let’s look at Luke 21:5-19 and discuss fear and enduring to the end.

Jesus said the gates of hell will not destroy His Church (Matthew 16:18). He was not talking about a building. People are the Church. Let’s look at Luke 21:5-19 and discuss fear and enduring to the end. Not One Stone Luke 21:5-6 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:5-19

Denomination: Baptist

Persecution And Thanksgiving

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Nov 22, 2016

Believers in many parts of the world are suffering persecution ranging from mild oppression to beheadings while we in the west seem to waltz through life without giving this persecution a second thought. What should we make of this disparity?

Matthew 24:4-14 – please look this up in your Bibles. We will read this passage in a moment … The first and second Sundays of November have been designated as the International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. But since we were away the first Sunday of November at a District ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:4-14

Denomination: Nazarene

No, You Don't Have To Volunteer To Be A Martyr

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 25, 2018

What distinguished the Corinthian church was their usage of the spiritual gifts, especially the more dramatic ones like praying in tongues and healing.

Thursday of 21st Week in Course 2018 Ss Felix and Adauctus Our Lord is not satisfied with half-measures, and neither should we be so satisfied. It has been said that the goal of life is to depart this earth prepared to be canonized saints. That means that we must do good and avoid evil, but to an ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:42-51, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Catholic

The Stoning Of Stephen Series

Contributed by James Lee on Dec 4, 2015

I would like to thank Pastor Jerry Shirley for sharing this series on Acts. It has been a blessing as well as a great help. I have used these for our church, as I spend my days caring for my dying father.

The Stoning of Stephen Acts 6:5-15 Today I want us to look at the first deacon, mentioned in chapter 6, Stephen. Stephen’s ministry covered only part of chapter 6, all of chapter 7 and ended with the first two verses of chapter 8. His ministry was brief but extremely powerful! Stephen was ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:5-15

Denomination: Baptist

Stephen, First Martyr Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Jan 2, 2022

Stephen: "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." What is known about him is what is truly important. He was faithful, even when faced with certain death.

Stephen, First Martyr Who was Stephen in the Bible? Acts 6:5 introduces a faithful man of God named Stephen: "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." Nothing is known about the personal life of Stephen—his parents, his siblings, or whether he had a wife or children; however, what ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:5

Denomination: Baptist