These men couldn’t cope with the power of Stephen’s message any more than they could cope with the words of Jesus during His earthly ministry. So did they acknowledge that they were wrong? No. They resorted to what is so common among those refuse the truth yet today – dishonesty and false accusations. Such people live by the credo, "If you can’t cope with the message, attack the messenger!" Those willing to stand up for what is right need to remember this tactic - and expect it. People who do not love the truth are not above lying and using other equally underhanded tactics if it serves their purpose.

I’m reading to you from John Pollock’s book, The Man Who Shook the World - a book about the life of the Apostle Paul. (1) I’m reading from the chapter that contains the account of the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

As we continue this morning our series called Acts of the Apostles, I want tell you Stephen’s Story. Aside from Jesus, he was the first Christian to die for the faith. Luke tells us his story in Acts 6:1-8:3. The passage is quite long so we’ll have to abridge it somewhat in order to fit it into our time this morning. I encourage you to read it completely on your own as soon as you have some time.

I’ve divided the message into three sections based on the Biblical text. I’ll give them to you first, then point them out as we move along. We’ll look first at Luke’s Purpose, then at Stephen’s Participation, and finally at God’s Providence.

Luke’s writing in the book of Acts tells us of the spread of the faith from its origin in Jerusalem on Pentecost in 33 AD until it had gone through much of the Roman Empire. Stephen’s story took place while Christianity was still confined to the city of Jerusalem. The message of Christ had spread like wildfire across that city, the same city that had killed Jesus, the Messiah. Stephen comes to the forefront in verses 1-7 of Acts chapter 6 when a problem developed in the new church that put him and 6 other men to work serving tables. Through that humble call and because of his willingness to put himself forward to serve without regard to the nature of the task, God brought him out of obscurity into a place of profound influence. Before the story is finished we will see Stephen’s life threatened and then taken in that mob type stoning referred to in John Pollock’s book. That could look like a tragedy to many, I suppose. But from the perspective of the inspired writer, Luke shows us that Stephen’s selfless act was the catalyst for the conversion of a man who would spread the faith across the world. Luke introduces Stephen in the first seven verses of Acts 6. We covered these verses in the last message, so I’ll just read them quickly, without much comment.

Stephen is mentioned there in verse 5 as one of the seven chosen for this task. Luke will now tell us how the rest of Stephen’s life impacted the spread of the message, starting with that important phrase, "…and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." That statement likely formed the tension that set the stage for a deadly confrontation. Success of the gospel among Israel’s leadership class must have caused great alarm among the Jewish leaders –one Pharisee in particular – a man named Saul of Tarsus. Watch for his mention in the verses that follow.

This is the first mention in Acts of anyone besides the twelve apostles doing miracles. That is a very important point. Where did Stephen receive the ability to perform miracles and why had not others performed miracles before this? Luke tells us later, in Acts 8:18, that this miracle measure of the Holy Spirit was bestowed "through the laying on of the apostles’ hands." – something that we just read about in verse 6. This helps us understand that the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit was something only available in the earliest days of the church, when there were living apostles. The miraculous gifts were imparted through the laying on of apostles’ hands. After the apostles died and those on whom they laid their hands died, the miraculous gifts would cease.(2)

So, Stephen’s miracles attracted attention and lent credibility to his message. But like those who saw Jesus work miracles before him, supernatural manifestations are not enough proof for those with a special agenda.

Luke’s words "and some from Cilicia" is probably the writer’s first reference to Saul of Tarsus, as that was his place of origin.(3)

So Stephen was brought out of obscurity to a place where God would work through him mightily. It is significant that he was a humble man willing to start at the bottom as a table waiter doing a menial task. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:11-12: "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Advancement in God’s kingdom starts at the bottom, not the top. Those who seek promotion in ways based on self will be opposed by God. Both Peter and James wrote in their epistles, "God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble."(4) Had Stephen been unwilling to take this common job God may not have used him at all. Most significant service for God begins with a humble call and a willingness to serve others.

Stephen was a humble man. He was also a gracious man, "full of grace and power," Luke says in verse 8. When a person is conscious of the grace that God has granted to him even though he was a condemned sinner, he will be eager to extend the same grace to others – even to a persecuting enemy. Keep that in mind as we see the way Stephen lived and died. His graciousness would later be noted by the first full-fledged persecutor of the church – Saul of Tarsus - and would mark his memory for life.

Who but the Holy Spirit, working through gracious men like Stephen here, could change the heart of the man who, as Luke would later write in Acts 9:1, "breathed threats of murder against the disciples"? Saul’s persecution of the church, described by Luke in Acts 8 and 9, hit the church hard. Yet in time, the impact of the graciousness of Stephen would turn the man, Saul of Tarsus, completely around and make him one of the greatest advocates for the message of Jesus that we have ever known. That’s the power of a gracious nature, energized by God’s Holy Spirit. You never know just who is watching or how much others are influenced by your attitudes and actions.

OK, Stephen was out among the people performing miracles by the power of Jesus. He was drawing great attention to the message of the gospel. Some Jewish men, probably including Saul of Tarsus, rose up and argued with him.

These men couldn’t cope with the power of Stephen’s message any more than they could cope with the words of Jesus during His earthly ministry. So did they acknowledge that they were wrong? No. They resorted to what is so common among those refuse the truth yet today – dishonesty and false accusations. Such people live by the credo, "If you can’t cope with the message, attack the messenger!" Those willing to stand up for what is right need to remember this tactic - and expect it. People who do not love the truth are not above lying and using other equally underhanded tactics if it serves their purpose.

With false witnesses secured, they viciously dragged Stephen away and deposited him in the chambers of a quickly assembled Sanhedrin council.

OK. The lines are drawn. It’s the whole council of the leaders of Israel, including the murderously zealous Saul of Tarsus, against one man – Stephen, who is "full of grace and power."

The charges are read. The false witnesses tell their lies. Suddenly Stephen is on trial for his life.

So we see Luke’s purpose in telling us about Stephen. He has brought him to center stage to introduce the man, Saul of Tarsus, who would later, after he was converted to Jesus, turn the world upside down with the gospel, taking it beyond the land of the Jew to the Gentiles.(5) Let’s look more closely now at:

Stephen did not waste his opportunity to further the cause of Christ! Standing now in the presence of the most powerful men in Israel, he heard these words:

Stephen’s reply takes up the next 51 verses of chapter 7. We don’t have time to read it all this morning, though it is certainly a worthy portion of God’s word. Much of it is a rehearsal of Israel’s history of turning their backs on God’s prophets, just as they were about to do with Stephen. If you’re looking for a quick thumbnail sketch of Israel’s history, you should consider studying this portion of Scripture.

Surprisingly absent from Stephen’s sermon is any defense of himself against the false charges. Apparently He trusted God for that. Though he knew full well the power these men had to bring about his death, he used the opportunity to preach the gospel! I’ve often wondered whether I, in a similar position, would have the courage Stephen had. There was no softening or compromising in his words. No hedging. No second thoughts. Not even a flinch. He was rock solid in his convictions right up to his last breath.

After citing numerous examples of the great men of God in Jewish history who had been resisted and rejected by the leaders throughout their 1500 year history, Stephen drove home his point in verse 51 and 52:

Those last words were ones the council didn’t ever want to hear again – the same words Peter and John had told them a few chapters back. In essence, Stephen’s words were, "You murdered the Messiah!"

If there were inspired headings in our Bibles, I suspect the one above what follows next would be, "Sermon Interrupted." These men refused to hear what was the truth!

Luke’s description of what happened goes this way in verses 55-60:

There is an obvious question here that begs for a good answer: Why would God allow this to happen to such a good man? That brings us to our final part of this message:

When a good person suffers or dies a seemingly unfair or senseless death, we who have limited vision of the big picture naturally ask, "Why?"

I confess to you openly that I do not understand the twists and turns of God’s providence. No man can. All I can possibly know is what God has revealed in His word. By that standard, I think I see a clue in verse 58: "…the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul." Luke is telling us that all of this was somehow related to Saul.

Look at the first verse of chapter 8: "And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." There’s Saul again.

There’s Saul again.

Before Saul was finally brought to his knees at the feet of Jesus on the Damascus road, there would be more Stephens, other trials, other false witnesses, more threats, and even more murders. The ringleader in all of this violence was Saul of Tarsus. "He charged like an animal tearing its prey," wrote John Pollock in the book I quoted earlier.

Yet Saul never forgot the day of Stephen’s death or the way he died. The echoes of those words before the council would haunt him for many years – perhaps even to the end of his life. Later, when Saul himself was converted to Christ, He would even use words from Stephen’s speech when confronting some unbelievers himself in a faraway land. One phrase of Stephen’s speech (which we did not read because of time) "The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands," so engraved itself on Saul’s memory that it would come out almost word for word in Paul’s speech before the Athenians many years later.

At one point after his conversion, when Paul himself was mobbed in the temple by an angry crowd, he would stand up and say to that assembled group, as recorded in Acts 22:20, "And when the blood of Thy witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the cloaks of those who were slaying him." Saul never forgot Stephen.

It’s hard for us to understand, looking from earth’s perspective, why God would allow the earthly life of one person to be sacrificed for the sake of the eternal life of another. To the human mind it seems almost unfair – until you realize that as a result of

Stephen’s death, both he and his persecutor, Saul, would be with Christ forever. Stephen’s life was not wasted.

Let me leave you with these three thoughts:

Consistency and true conviction even in the face of death are the most potent weapons we have against error. Christians don’t rely on guns and bombs to advance the message of Christ. Such weapons are far too weak for the task before us. We are in a war of ideas – and in this war we should never forget that we seldom know who is watching or who God may influence by our sincere message.

No Christian ever suffers or dies without purpose. You and I may not understand that purpose on this side of physical death. Faith and trust are the real issues for you and me, my friends – faith and trust.

If we desire to put God first, we must be prepared if His plan for us differs from our expectations or wishes. We need to grow in our trust for Him and learn to accept His plans. "Not my will, but Thine be done," the very words of Jesus Himself when facing death, need to be our motto and our creed.

Stephen’s name, stephanos in Greek, means "crown," or more specifically, "victor’s wreath." The stephanos was that circlet headdress made of olive branches given to the victors of the ancient Olympic Games. When Stephen’s parents named him, little did they know that someday their son would fulfill the very meaning of his name for the sake of the One who once said, "Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown (stephanos) of life."

Footnotes: Please use your back button to return to your place.

1. John Pollock, The Man Who Shook the World, Victor Books, 1972, pp. 3-4.
2. This idea of the gifts ceasing was foretold in Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 13:8ff.
3. Acts 21:39
4. James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5
5. Acts 17:6

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

[Archive]    [Home]   [Comments]   [Search]