The document discusses the martyrdom of Stephen, emphasizing his prayer for forgiveness for his murderers and the significance of Christ's support during his final moments. It highlights the profound impact of Stephen's faith as he faced trial and execution, and presents artistic interpretations of his sacrifice that convey the triumph of Christianity through his life and death. This narrative illustrates not just Stephen's demise, but the powerful presence of Christ in his acts, reinforcing the theme of unwavering faith in suffering.

1. JESUS WAS RECEIVING STEPHEN'SSPIRIT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Acts 7:59 59Whilethey were stoning him, Stephen
prayed, "LORD Jesus, receive my spirit."
GreatTexts of the Bible
Faithful unto Death
They stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit. And he kneeleddown, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this
sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.—Acts 7:59-60.
When we read St. Luke’s Gospeland the Book of Acts we are constantly
finding history presented in pictures which live in the imagination and which
have been reproduced on the canvas of our greatartists. This story of the
martyrdom of St. Stephen is one of them. It has been regardedall through the
Christian ages as a theme of never-failing and most touching interest. But it is
more than this. It has been representedby Christian Art in devotional
pictures more frequently perhaps than any subjectnot immediately connected
with our blessedLord. The few words in which St. Luke has recordedit are
full of suggestiveness. In the vision, for instance, which was vouchsafedto
nerve Stephen for his doom, we are told that he saw Jesus standing at the
right hand of God; whereas elsewherein Scripture our Lord is describedas
sitting. This, however, is not the posture in which we should wish to find one
to whom we went for help in time of trouble and distress. It was doubtless for

2. this reasonthat when the veil was drawn, Jesus was manifestedto His faithful
servant as standing, as One who has risen from His seatand is stretching out a
helping hand to him in the crisis of his need. The Church of England has been
careful to preserve this beautiful idea in one of her most beautiful Collects:
“Grant, O Lord, that in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of
Thy truth, we may steadfastlylook up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory
that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love
and bless our persecutors, by the example of Thy first martyr, Saint Stephen,
who prayed for his murderers to Thee, O blessedJesus, who standestat the
right hand of God to succourall those that suffer for Thee, our only Mediator
and Advocate.”
One of the pictures which Tintoret conceivedmost rapidly and painted with
passionate speedis his picture of the martyrdom of St. Stephen. It is in the
greatChurch of St. George atVenice. Entirely ideal, it shares in the weakness
which sometimes belongedto this artist’s work when he was painting what
was impossible. Not one of the stones which lie in hundreds round the
kneeling figure of the martyr has touched him; he is absolutely unhurt. It
would have suited Tintoret’s characterfar more to have filled the air with a
rain of stones, and to have sent the saint to the ground with a huge mass
crashing on his Shoulder. And he could have done this without erring against
our sense ofbeauty if he had chosen. But he was ordered otherwise;and we
have now from his hand the Spiritual idea of martyrdom, not the actual
reality.
The picture somewhatfails, because he wished to do it otherwise;but the
kneeling figure, with claspedhands and face upturned in ecstasy—its absolute
forgetfulness of the wild cries and the violence of death, its rapturous
consciousnessofthe glory which from the throne of God above strikes upon
the face—is a concentrationofall the thoughts which in many ages have
collectedaround the idea of the sacrifice oflife for the love of truth conceived
of as at one with the love of Christ.

3. But this is not all that was representedon the canvas of this thoughtful and
imaginative painter. Tintoret, who knew his Bible well, knew that Stephen
had won his martyrdom by bold speaking, andthat though he prayed for
those who slew him, he had not been patient with their blindness to good. So
there is in the whole picture a sense of triumph—the triumph and advance of
Christianity. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” That is the note. The glorious group above in Heaven is
dominant. We see the future joy of the martyr in the triumph flashing from
the face of Stephen, and the circle of the witnessesseatedaround in light seem
to form an aureole round the dying figure. Not a stone touches the martyr.
Nothing is fairer, nothing more victorious than his face.1 [Note:Stopford
Brooke.]
This is the only narrative in the New Testamentof a Christian martyrdom or
death. As a rule, Scripture is supremely indifferent as to what becomes of the
people with whom it is for a time concerned. So long as the man is the organ
of the Divine Spirit he is somewhat;as soonas the Spirit ceasesto speak
through him he drops into insignificance. So this same Acts of the Apostles
kills off James the brother of John in a parenthesis;and his is the only other
martyrdom that it concerns itselfeven so much as to mention. Why, then, this
exceptionaldetail about the martyrdom of Stephen? Fortwo reasons:because
it is the first of a series, and the Acts of the Apostles always dilates upon the
first of eachsetof things which it describes, andcondenses the others. But
more especiallybecause,if we come to look at the story, it is not so much an
accountof Stephen’s death as of Christ’s power in Stephen’s death. And the
theme of this book is not the acts of the Apostles, but the acts of the risen Lord
in and for His Church.
I

4. Stephen’s Life
i. The Deacon
1. Stephen was originally a Hellenistic Jew. The Hellenistic Jews were made
up, partly of men of purely Gentile parentage who were proselytes to the
Mosaic Law, and partly of Jews, who, by long settlement in foreign lands, had
adopted the language and manners of Greek civilization. To say that a man
was a Hellenist proved nothing as to his descent;but it showedthat he
acceptedthe religion of Israel, while yet he used Greek speechand followed
Greek customs. Stephen’s name, although Greek, does notexclude the
possibility of his having been a Jew by birth; and he is said to have had a
Syriac name of the same meaning.
2. Of his conversionto the Faith of Christ we know nothing; he is first
mentioned when he was chosenone of the sevenDeacons.The Church of
Jerusalemin the earliestApostolic age had a common fund, into which its
members at their conversionthrew their personalproperty, and out of which
they were assistedaccording to their needs. The administration of this fund
must have come to be a serious and complicatedbusiness within a few months
from its establishment. And as the higher ministries of the Church were
ordained, not with a view to carrying on a work of this kind, but for the
conversionand sanctificationofsouls, it was natural that, with the demands
upon their time which the Apostles had to meet, the finance and resources of
the Church should occasionallyfall into confusion. So it was that, before many
months had passed, “there arose a murmuring of the Grecians againstthe
Hebrews”—thatis, of the Hellenistic againstthe Jewishconverts—“because
their widows were neglectedin the daily ministration.” Probably these widows
or their friends may have been somewhatexacting. But the Apostles felt that
their time ought not to be spent in managing a bank. The Twelve, who were
all in Jerusalemstill, assembledthe whole body of the faithful, and desired

5. them to electseven men “of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of
wisdom,” to be entrusted, as Deacons, with the administration of the funds of
the Church. Sevenpersons were chosen;and at their head Stephen, described
as “a man full of the Holy Ghostand of faith.” These sevenwere ordainedby
laying on of the Apostles’hands; and the result of this arrangement was that
“the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalemgreatly;and a great
Company of the (Jewish)priests were obedient unto the faith.”
3. Of St. Stephen’s exertions in the Organizationand direction of the public
charity we hear nothing; although we may be sure that this was not neglected.
We are told, however, that he was “full of faith and power,” and that he “did
greatwonders and miracles among the people.” No details are given, but his
miracles must not be forgottenin our estimate of the causes ofhis success. His
chief scene oflabour seems to have been in the synagogue, orgroup of
synagogues, “ofthe Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them
of Cilicia and of Asia.” The Libertines were Jews who had been taken
prisoners, reduced to slavery, then enfranchisedby the Roman general
Pompey. Many of them had recently been banished from Rome, and would
naturally have had a synagogue to themselves in Jerusalem. At leastone
synagogue wouldhave belongedto African Jews from Cyrene and
Alexandria; and two or three others to the Jews of Cilicia and Asia Minor.
These were a very numerous class, andamong them the future Apostle of the
Gentiles was at this date still reckonedan enthusiastic Pharisee. It was among
these Jews from abroad that Stephen opened what we should calla mission;
he had more points of contactwith these men of Greek speechand habits than
had the Twelve. He engagedin a series ofpublic disputations; and although he
was almostunbefriended, and representeda very unpopular cause, his
opponents “were not able to resistthe wisdom and the spirit with which he
spake.”
4. But the victory which his opponents could not hope to win by argument,
they hoped they might win by denunciation and clamour. They persuaded

6. some false witnesses to swearthat in their hearing Stephen had spoken
blasphemous words againstMosesand againstGod. They combined against
him the jealousyof the upper classes andthe prejudices of the lower;and they
brought him, on trial for blasphemy, before the highest Jewishcourt—the
Sanhedrin.
ii. Before the Sanhedrin
1. “And all that sat in the Council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as
it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). There is one question which we
all want to have answered, and it is this: How came Stephen to he thus self-
possessedbefore the frowning Sanhedrin—fearless before anexcited
multitude in his home-thrusts of truth, brave in the crisis of trial, forgiving at
the moment of death? Men are not born thus. As we mentally put ourselves
into his circumstances, andtry to realize eachrapidly succeeding danger, our
hearts fail within us, and we feelthat no physical courage, no hardihood of
mere natural bravery, could sustainus here. There must have come some
supernatural change upon him, to have induced at once this undaunted
fortitude and this superhuman tenderness of love. Was it a miraculous
bestowment, limited in its conferment to the first ages, andto some specially
selectedand speciallymissionedmen? or is it within the reachand enjoyment
of believers in Jesus now? These are questions which are interesting to us, as
we dwell upon the developments of holy characterpresentedin the life of
Stephen.
2. How are we to accountfor this boldness? The secretof all the heroism and
of all the loveliness is in the delineationof the man. “He was a man full of faith
and of the Holy Ghost.” He did not leap into this perfect balance of character
in a moment—springing at once full-armed, as Minerva is fabled to have
sprung from the brain of Jupiter. There was no mystic charm by which the
graces clusteredround him; he had no mystery of soul-growth—no patented

7. elixir of immortal ripening which was denied to others less favoured. He had
faith; it was the gift of Godto him, just as it is the gift of God to us. He had the
indwelling of the Holy Ghost;which has been purchased for us in like manner
by the blood-shedding of our Surety. The only difference betweenourselves
and him is that he claimed the blessings with a holier boldness, and lived
habitually in the nearer communion with God. There is no bar to our own
entrance into this fulness of privilege; the treasury is not exhausted; the
Benefactoris not less willing to bestow. His ear listens to any prayer for the
increase offaith. He waits to shed forth the richer baptisms of the Holy Ghost
upon all those who ask Him for the boon.
3. It is not then in physical endowment that we are to find the source of this
moral courage. Some ofthe men who could lead the van of armies in the
field—who could fix the scaling-ladderagainstthe parapet and be the first to
scale the wall—who could climb the rugged slope that was sweptby the
bristling cannon—have displayed the most utter cowardice whena moral duty
has been difficult, when some untoward disasterhas surprised them, or when
they have had to maintain the right againstthe laugh of the scorner.
Sometimes, indeed, those who have been physically timid, and who have
shuddered sensitivelyat the first imagined danger, have been uplifted into the
bravery of confessorshipwhen the agonizing trial came.
The Sisterknew that the whole place was given over to evil purposes. She
knew that no help would be given from inside. In case ofviolence it would be
necessaryfor her to descendto the streets. She was not afraid, but she was
conscious ofapprehensionand a vague alarm. However many policemen may
walk the streets outside, it is no easymatter for a woman to face one of these
pandars in the seclusionofhis own establishment. But SisterMildred is a
saint, and there is no courage like the courage of the saint.1 [Note: Harold
Begbie, In the Hand of the Potter, 188.]

8. It is related that in the Duke of Wellington’s campaigns two officers were once
despatchedupon a Service of considerable danger. As they were riding
together, the one observedthe other to be greatlyagitated, with blanched
cheek and quivering lip, and limbs shakenas with a paralysis of mortal fear.
Reining his steed upon its haunches, he haughtily addressedhim, “Why, you
are afraid.” “I am,” was the reply; “and if you were half as much afraid as I
am, you would relinquish the duty altogether.” Withoutwasting another word
upon his ignoble companion, the officergallopedback to headquarters, and
complained bitterly that he had been ordered to march in the companionship
of a coward. “Off, sir, to your duty,” was the commander’s sharp reply, “or
the cowardwill have done the business before you get there.”1 [Note:W. M.
Punshon.]
II
Stephen’s Prayers
1. The two dying prayers of Stephen carry us back in thought to the prayers
of our Lord at His crucifixion.
(1) “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”—Weare told in the sacred
narrative that St. Stephen “kneeleddown” while they were in the actof
stoning him. The picture fills us with amazement. It is so unlike what we
should have expected, that some have attempted to persuade us that this was
not a voluntary or deliberate actof the martyr. We are not, it is said, to
understand that it expresses the purpose of one who was resolved, despite all
the violence to which he was subjected, to spend his last moments in a posture
of calm resignationand prayer; that would have been next to impossible for
any human being to do under such circumstances.He had no alternative;
“anothercrashof stones brought him upon his knees.”But the Christian

9. consciencewillnot readily consentto have such a beautiful feature in the
scene explained away. It shows us the dying martyr gathering up his failing
strength and all the energyof his expiring life for one last, one crowning act of
homage to his Lord; and a recordof it Stands on the sacredpage, to teachus
what the greatestsaints have felt about the value of external forms or bodily
postures in expressing the worship that is due from the creature to the
Creator. Then let us hear his prayer: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
What an echo it is of his Master’s dying words!—“Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do.” Not the slightestthought of vengeance in the
prayer, but an unreserved entreaty that their sins may never be remembered
againstthem.
A generous prayer is never presented in vain; the petition may be refused, but
the petitioner is always, I believe, rewardedby some gracious Visitation.1
[Note:Robert Louis Stevenson, The Merry Men.]
I saw an angry crowd
Gatheredabout a youth, that loud
Were crying: Slay him, slay,
And stonedhim as he lay.
I saw him overborne by death,
That bowed him to the earth beneath:

10. Only he made his eyes
Gates to behold the skies,
To his high Lord his prayer outpouring,
Forgivenessfor his foes imploring:
Even in that pass his face
For pity making place.2 [Note:Dante, Purg. xv. 106–114, trans. by Dr.
Shadwell.]
(2) “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”—We need not dwell now upon the fact
that here we have a distinct instance of prayer to Jesus Christ, a distinct
recognition, in the early days of His Church, of the highestconceptionof His
person and nature, so that a dying man turns to Him, and commits his soul
into His hands. Passing this by, though not overlooking it, let us think of the
resemblance, and the difference, betweenthis entrusting of the spirit by
Stephen to his Lord, and the committing of His spirit to the Fatherby His
dying Son. Christ on the Cross speaksto God; Stephen, on his Calvary, speaks
to Jesus Christ. Christ, on the Cross, says, “Icommit.” Stephen says,
“Receive,” orrather, “Take.”The one phrase carries in it something of the
notion that our Lord died not because He must, but because He would; that
He was active in His death; that He chose to summon death to do its work
upon Him; that He “yielded up his spirit,” as one of the Evangelists has it,
pregnantly and significantly. But Stephen says, “Take!” as knowing that it

11. must be his Lord’s powerthat should draw his spirit out of the coilof horror
around him. So the one dying word has strangelycompactedin it authority
and Submission; and the other dying word is the word of a simple waiting
servant.
2. How was Stephenstrengthened for the trial? What were the manifestations
granted to him, and which sustainedhim through the bitterness of
martyrdom? You find these recordedin the preceding part of the chapter:
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, lookedup stedfastlyinto heaven, and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus Standing on the right hand of God.” We may
not pretend to explain what Stephen saw in seeing the glory of God. We can
only suppose that, as with St. Paul caughtup to the third heaven, it was not
what human speechcould express, for it is very observable that when he
asserts whathe saw he makes no mention of “the glory of God,” but confines
himself to the opening of the heavens, and the manifestation of Christ at the
right hand of the Father. It is not for us to speculate where the martyr is
silent. We canonly suppose that “the glory of God” that was shown to him
was some specialdisplay of the Divine presence calculatedto reassure the
sufferer.
To stretch my hand and touch Him,
Though He be far away;
To raise my eyes and see Him
Through darkness as through day;

12. To lift my voice and call Him—
This is to pray!
To feel a hand extended
By One who standeth near;
To view the love that shineth
In eyes serene and clear;
To know that He is calling—
This is to hear!
3. The supreme thought which these prayers suggestis the great possibilities
that lie in faith in Christ. We see the soulof the suffering disciple leaning on
the Lord who had suffered. We see that the secretofstrength in all trials lies
in appealing to the love and power of the blessedJesus. In the death-struggle
St. Stephen had faith to hang upon his Lord, and his Lord bore him through
the agonies ofthat hour. This is what we are most likely to think of in reading
of the martyr’s death. But was this the greatestproofof St. Stephen’s faith?
Was his greatesttrial in this world? Did it not lie beyond this world? The life
was nearly crushed out of him. The pains of death were Coming thick and fast
upon him. But was death the end? What was awaiting him after death? He

13. was entering on the unseenstate. All was dim, unknown, untried before him.
And if his spirit passedaway, to whom would it go? It must return to God,
who gave it. It must go before God, meet Him, and give up its accountto Him.
It is such thoughts as these which add so wonderful a powerand force to those
words, “Lord Jesus, receivemy spirit.” I know not where I go; all nature
seems to open out into vast untried depths beneath me; take me, hold me in
Thine everlasting arms; I am safe with Thee. I know not who may attack me,
how the powers of evil may gather againstme; take me, guard me. I know not
how to meet the Judgment. I know only that I have been dear to Thee in this
life. Thou hast loved me, died for me, kept me. Take me now; to Thee do I
commit my cause;“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Here is indeed a strange,
calm faith in the powerof our blessedLord to keepand bless the soul in that
unseen world. One who could speak thus must have felt that our Lord had
conquered in that world, as in this, and emptied it of its horrors. He looked, as
it were, through the mist and darkness that was gathering around him; he
pierced with the steady gaze of his mind through the veil that was drawn
betweenhim and the state on which he was entering, and there he saw his
Lord waiting and ready for him. Or rather, with a surer faith, though he did
not see, he felt certainthat the Lord was King in that realm of the departed,
and he was ready to pass into it, because he knew that the Lord had powerto
keepand uphold him there. It may be that we shall never know the full force
of those calm words of St. Stephen till we are on the edge of that unseenworld
ourselves.
4. His faith was faith in Christ, in the crucified Lord Jesus Christ. Observe the
words of the prayers. While they stoned Stephen St. Luke says, according to
the Authorized Version, that he was “calling upon God.” In the original text
the Personupon whom he called is not named. The Authorized Version has
supplied what seemedto be wanting, “God,” intimating that it was the First
Personof the Trinity. But the last Revisers have substituted “The Lord,” to
indicate that it was the SecondPerson:and this is certainly more in
accordancewith the prayer that follows:“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

14. The Revisers were anticipatedin their interpretation by Bishop Cosin, who, in
view of perpetuating anothercharacteristic feature of St. Stephen’s
martyrdom, has addressedhis Collectto God the Son. With very rare
exceptions (there are three others only in our Prayer Book)Liturgical Collects
have always been addressedto the Father, because they form part of an office
in which the Son joins with the Church in presenting to the Father the
Memorialof His own Sacrifice. It seems, therefore, to introduce an
incongruity to appeal at such a time to Him who is acting as Priest. It was for
this reasonthat certain of the Early Councils directed that “whenwe are
officiating at the altar, prayer should always be addressedto the Father.”1
[Note:H. M. Luckock.]
5. And now, one greatlessonrises out of all that has been said. If God has
given us but little clearknowledge ofthe state of the departed, if we have been
obliged to guess atwhat passesin that State, and are not able to speak with
absolute certainty, one thing at leastis clearand certain. Every hope of the
soul as it passes from the body centres in our blessedLord. So then, if He is to
be our hope and stay after death, He must be our hope and stay now. We must
live in close, earnest, true communion with Him. We must live with Him as
our Friend and Guide, our heart’s inmost life. If we wish to feel that we can
commit ourselves to Him, and lean upon Him, when our spirits shall have to
venture forth at His call into the dim, uncertain, untried world beyond the
grave, then we must familiarize ourselves now with His love, His power, His
gifts, His might. If we hope to say with the calm, undoubting trust of St.
Stephen, at that lastmoment, “Lord Jesus, receivemy spirit,” then we must
learn such trust beforehand by commending our spirits to Him now.
Beloved, yield thy time to God, for He
Will make eternity thy recompense;

15. Give all thy substance for His Love, and be
Beatifiedpast earth’s experience.
Serve Him in bonds, until He set thee free;
Serve Him in dust, until He lift thee thence;
Till death be swallowedup in victory
When the greattrumpet sounds to bid thee hence.
Shall setting day win day that will not set?
Poorprice wert thou to spend thyself for Christ,
Had not His wealth thy poverty sufficed:
Yet since He makes His garden of thy clod,
Waterthy lily, rose, or violet,
And offer up thy sweetnessunto God.1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti.]

16. III
Stephen’s Death
1. “Theystoned Stephen.” Our ordinary English idea of the manner of the
Jewishpunishment of stoning is a very inadequate and mistaken one. It did
not consistmerely in a miscellaneous rabble throwing stones atthe criminal,
but there was a solemnand appointed method of execution which is preserved
for us in detail in the Rabbinical books. And from it we gatherthat the modus
operandi was this. The blasphemer was takento a certainprecipitous rock,
the height of which was prescribedas being equal to that of two men. The
witnesses by whose testimony he had been condemned had to casthim over,
and if he survived the fall it was their task to roll upon him a greatstone, of
which the weight is prescribedin the Talmud as being as much as two men
could lift. If he lived after that, then others took part in the punishment.
2. “And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” How absolute the triumph over
the lastenemy which these words express!When men court slumber, they
banish from their hearts all causesofanxiety, and from their dwelling all
tumult of sound; they demand quiet as a necessity;they exclude the light and
draw the curtains close;they carefully put awayfrom them all that will have a
tendency to defeat, or to postpone the objectafter which they aim. But
Stephen fell asleepunder very different circumstances from these. Brutal
oaths, and frantic yells, and curses loud and deep, were the lullaby which sang
him to his dreamless slumbers; and while all were agitatedand tumultuous
around him,
Meek as an infant to its mother’s breast,

17. So turned he, longing, for immortal rest.
The evident meaning of the words is that death came to him simply as a
release from suffering—as a curse from which the sting was drawn—so
mitigated in its bitterness, that it was as harmless and as refreshing as sleep.
The image of sleepas a euphemism for death is no peculiar property of
Christianity, but the ideas that it suggeststo the Christian consciousnessare
the peculiar property of Christianity. Any of you that everwere in the Vatican
will remember how you go down corridors with Paganmarbles on that side
and Christian ones on this. Against one wall, in long rows, stand the sad
memorials, eachof which has the despairing ending, “Farewell, farewell, for
ever farewell.” But on the other side there are carved no goddessesof
slumber, or mourning genii, or quenched lamps, or wailing words, but sweet
emblems of a renewed life, and the ever-recurring, gracious motto:“In hope.”
To the non-Christian that sleepis eternal; to the Christian that sleepis as sure
of a waking as is the sleepof the body. The one affects the whole man; the
Christian sleep affects only the body and the connexion with the outer world.1
[Note:A. Maclaren, LastSheaves, 248.]
There is none other thing expressed,
But long disquiet mergedin rest.
“He fell asleep.” Repose, safety, restoration—these are the ideas of comfort
which are held in the expressionof the text. Take them, and rejoice in the
majestic hopes which they inspire. Christ has died. He, dying, drew the sting
from death; and, properly speaking, there has been no death of a believer

18. since that day. What says the Scripture? “He that believeth on Jesus, though
he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoeverliveth and believeth in him shall
never die.” What fulness of consolationto those who are mourning for
others—to those who are dying themselves!With the banner of this hope in
hand, the believer may return with a full heart from the grave of his best
beloved, “giving thanks unto the Fatherwhich hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,” and may march calmly
down to the meeting of his own mortal foe.2 [Note:W. M. Punshon.]
Sleep, little flower, whose petals fade and fall
Over the sunless ground;
Ring no more peals of perfume on the air—
Sleeplong and sound.
Sleep—sleep.
Sleep, summer wind, whose breathing grows more faint
As night draws slowly nigh;
Cease thy sweetchanting in the cloistralwoods

19. And seemto die.
Sleep—sleep.
Sleep, thou greatOcean, whose wild waters sink
Under the setting sun;
Hush the loud music of thy warring waves
Till night is done.
Sleep—sleep.
Sleep, thou tired heart, whose mountain pulses droop
Within the Valley cold:
On pains and pleasures, fears andhopes of life,
Let go thine hold.
Sleep—sleep.

20. Sleep, for ’tis only sleep, and there shall be
New life for all, at day;
So sleep, sleepall, until the restful night
Has passedaway.
Sleep—sleep.1 [Note:S. J. Stone, Lullaby of Life.]
IV
The Resultof Stephen’s Martyrdom
Such was the first martyrdom. How soondid the martyr’s blood become the
seedof the Church! He had met his death for declaring the universality of
God’s Kingdom, that Christianity was destined to spreadthe blessing of
salvationfar beyond the Jewishrace, evenover the whole world; and his
dying prayer was answeredby the conversionof one, who, as the Apostle of
the Gentiles, helped most to preach the Gospelto “every creature which is
under heaven.” St. Augustine said, “If Stephen had not prayed, Paul would
never have been given to the Church” (Sermo ccclxxxii., De sancto Stephano).
It is true the answerwas delayed. There are some, however, who believe that
the effectwas immediate, and that the wild fury of the persecutor, which
broke out with such violence, was only a desperate attempt to stifle the
convictions which arose in his mind. Painters have caught up this idea and

21. expressedit by the strongestcontrastbetweenSaul’s face and the faces of the
others who witnessedthe end. It may have been so;it may be that a foregleam
of the coming dawn did touch him even then; but whether it came at once or
only in after days, no one will think of denying that there is an eternallink
betweenthe martyr’s prayer and the Apostle’s conversion.
Why was it that in the ten years after Livingstone’s death, Africa made
greateradvancementthan in the previous ten centuries? All the world knows
that it was through the vicarious suffering of one of Scotland’s noblestheroes.
Why is Italy cleansedof the plagues that devastatedher cities a hundred years
ago? BecauseJohnHoward sailedin an infected ship from Constantinople to
Venice, that he might be put into a lazaretto and find out the clue to that
awful mystery of the plague and stay its power. How has it come that the
merchants of our westernports send ships laden with implements for the
fields and conveniences forthe house into the South Sea Islands? Because
such men as Patteson, the pure-hearted gallant boy of Eton College,gave up
every prospectin England to labour amid the Pacific savagesandtwice
plunged into the waters of the coralreefs, amid sharks and devil-fish and
stinging jellies, to escape the flight of poisonedarrows of which the slightest
graze meant horrible death, and in that high service died by the clubs of the
very savageswhomhe had often risked his life to save—the memory of whose
life did so smite the consciencesofhis murderers that they laid “the young
martyr in an open boat, to float awayover the bright blue waves, with his
hands crossed, as if in prayer, and a palm branch on his breast.” And there, in
the white light, he lies now, immortal for ever.1 [Note:N. D. Hillis, The
Investment of Influence, 79.]
A patient minister was he,

22. A simple saint of God,
A soul that might no longerbe
Bound to this earthly clod;
A spirit that sought for the purer breath
Of the land of life, through the gates ofdeath,—
The path all martyrs trod,
That lies through the night of a speechless shame,
And leads to the light of a deathless fame.
Stoned to his death by those for whom
His soul’s last prayer was sped
Unto his God, “Avert the doom
That gathers o’er their head”;

23. And the stones that bruised him and Struck him down
Shone dazzling gems in his victor’s crown;
And as his spirit fled,
A light from the land where the angels dwell
Lingered saintly and grand where the martyr fell.
’Tis but a history in these days—
The cruel and final test
Of those who went life’s ruggedways
For faith they had confessed;
Yet the God who spake to the saints of old
Lacks not to-day in His mystic fold

24. Doers of His behest:
There are servants of men and saints of God
Who will follow, as then, where the Mastertrod.1 [Note: P. C. Ainsworth,
Poems and Sonnets, 45.]
Faithful unto Death
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Noble Dying Cries
Acts 7:59, 60
R. Tuck
Some accountmay be given of the mode of securing death by stoning. The
practice is first heard of in the deserts of stony Arabia, this mode having been
suggestedprobably by the abundance of stones, and the fatal effectwith which
they were often employed in broils among the people. Originally the people
merely pelted their victim, but something like form and rule were
subsequently introduced. A crier marched before the man appointed to die,
proclaiming his offence. He was takenoutside the town. The witnesses against
him were required to castthe first stones. But the victim was usually placed
on an elevation, and thrown clown from this, before he was crushed with the
stones flung upon him. For full details, see Kitto's 'Bibl. Illus.,' 8:63. It was the
mode of execution usual for the crimes of blasphemy and idolatry (see

25. Deuteronomy 13:9, 10; Deuteronomy17:5-7). Stephen's dying cries should be
compared with those of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that the measures in
which Stephen caught the Christly spirit may be realized.
I. THE PRESENCEOF CHRIST TO HIS SPIRIT MADE STEPHEN DEAD
TO THE PRESENCEOF HIS FOES. In this we learn the secretofour
elevationabove the world, care, suffering, or trouble. It lies in our being so
full of" Christ and things Divine "as to have no room for them. Our hearts
may be so full of God's presence, andso restful in the assurance ofhis
acceptanceand smile, that we may say, "None of these things move me." "If
God be for us, who canbe againstus? 'One of the greatestpracticalendeavors
of life should be to bring and to keepChrist closelynearto heart and thought.
If outward circumstances reachto such an extremity as in the case ofStephen,
we shall then say with him, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
II. To HIM WHO WAS SO NEAR, STEPHEN PRAYED FOR HIMSELF.
Observe that:
1. His prayer indicates submissive acceptanceofthe factthat he must die. He
does not ask for any bodily deliverance, any miracle-working for his personal
release. Compare in this our Lord's submission when his life came to its close.
2. His prayer indicates superiority to bodily suffering. There is no petition for
relief from pain or even for speedy release.Exactlywhat was God's will for
him he would bear right through. Compare our Lord's triumph in
Gethsemane, and his going forth to bodily sufferings calm and trustful.
Stephen fulfilled his Lord's words that his disciples should drink of the "cup"
that he drank of.
3. And his prayer indicates supreme concern, but absolute confidence
concerning his soul and his future. There is no tone of questioning; with full
faith in the Lord Jesus, he commends his spirit to him - a lastand
unquestioning testimony to his faith in the living, spiritual Christ.
III. To HIM IN WHOM HE HAD SUCH CONFIDENCEHE PRAYED FOR
HIS FOES, Compare our Lord's words, "Father, forgive them; for they know
not what they do." In the older clays of political execution by the axe, the

26. headsman used to kneeland ask the forgiveness ofthe victim, before
proceeding to place his head upon the block. Stephenknew how blinded by
prejudice and false notions of religion his persecutors were, andhe gives a
beautiful illustration of heavenly, Divine charity in thus pleading for his very
murderers. One point should not be lost sight of. Even in this lastword of the
noble man he assertedhis characteristic truth once more. The Lord Jesus is
living, and the exalted Savior, for he controls the charging and the punishing
of sin. "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge " - an unmeaning prayer if he
had not fully believed that Jesus had power on earth to dealwith, to punish,
and to forgive sin. Close by showing the wondrous calmness and the exquisite
tenderness of the words of the narrative, "He fell asleep." We hearthe
howlings of the people, the whirr and smashof the stones, but amid it all and
"in the arms of Jesus,"the saint and hero and martyr softly "falls asleep" -
asleepto earth, waking to heavenand peace and the eternalsmile of the living
Christ, for whose sakehe died. - R.T.
Biblical Illustrator

27. And they stonedStephen.
Acts 7:59
The clearing showerof life
H. W. Beecher.
When mists have hung low over the hills, and the day has been dark with
intermittent showers, greatclouds hurry across the sky, and the rain comes
pouring down, then we look out and say, "This is the clearing-up shower."
And as the clouds part to let the blue sky reappear, we know that just behind
them are singing-birds and glittering dew-drops. So the Christian, on whom
chilling rains of sorrow have long fallen, when the lastsudden storm breaks
knows it is but the clearing-up shower. Justbehind it he hears the songs of
angels and sees the glories ofheaven.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Transfigured stones
K. Gerok.
The stones which the world lifts againstthe witnessesofChrist are changed
into —
I.MONUMENTSOF SHAME for the enemies of truth.
II.JEWELS IN THE CROWNS ofthe glorified martyrs.
III.THE SEED OF A NEW LIFE for the Church of Christ.
(K. Gerok.)
Calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit
Stephen's dying prayer

28. R. L. Dabney, D. D.
This seems to teachus —
I. THAT STEPHEN REGARDED JESUS CHRIST AS VERY GOD. There
are sundry places where this prime doctrine is not so much dogmatically
assertedas clearlyimplied. These are, in one aspect, evenmore satisfactory
than formal assertions, becauseso obviouslysincere expressions ofthe heart,
and show how this cardinal truth is interwoven with the believer's whole
experience. Our text in the Greek reads, "TheystonedStephen, invoking, and
saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The intention of the evangelistwas to
state that Christ was the objectof his prayer. In every office of the Redeemer
the enlightened Christian feels that he could not properly rely on Him for
salvationunless He were very God. "It is because He is God, and there is none
else," that Isaiahinvites "allthe ends of the earth to look unto Him and be
saved." But in the hour of death especiallythe Christian needs a Saviour who
is no less than God. An angel could not sympathise with our trial, for he
cannot feelthe pangs of dissolution. A human friend cannot travel with us the
path through the dark valley. The God-man alone can sustain us; He has
survived it and returns triumphing to succourus, for He is God. Unless this
Divine Guide be with us, we must fight the battle with the last enemy alone
and unaided.
II. TO EXPECT AN IMMEDIATE ENTRANCEINTO THE PRESENCEOF
CHRIST. Stephen evidently did not expect that the grave would absorb his
spirit into a state of unconscious sleepuntil the final consummation; or that
any limbus, or purgatory, was to swallow him for a time in its fiery bosom.
His faith aspireddirectly to the arms of Christ, and to that blessedworld
where His glorified humanity now dwells. He manifestly regardedhis spirit as
separate from the body, and therefore, as true, independent substance. The
latter he relinquishes to the insults of his enemies, the former he commits to
Christ. If only we are in Christ by true faith, the grave will have naught to do
with that which is the true, conscious being, and no purgatorial fires after
death can be inflicted upon believers;for "Lazarus died and. was carried by
angels to Abraham's bosom." To the thief it was said, "This day thou shalt be

29. with Me in paradise." "To be absent from the body is to be present with the
Lord."
III. TO WHAT GUIDANCE THE CHRISTIAN MAY COMMIT HIS SOUL
DURING THE JOURNEYINTO THE WORLD OF SPIRITS. Heavenis as
truly a place as was paradise. When we first arrive there we shall be
disembodied spirits. But spirits have their locality. The clearerevidence,
however, that heavenis a literal place is that it contains the glorified bodies of
Enoch, of Elijah, of Christ, and of the saints who rose with their Redeemer.
But where is this place? In what quarter of this vast universe? When death
batters down the walls of the earthly tabernacle, whither shall the
dispossessedsoulset out? It knows not; it needs a skilful, powerful guide. But
more: it is a journey into a spiritual world; and this thought makes it awful to
the apprehensionof man. The presence ofone disembodied spirit in the
solitude of night would shake us with a thrill of dread. How, then, could we
endure to be launched out into the untried oceanof space, peopledby we
know not what mysterious beings? How could we be certainthat we might not
lose our way in the pathless vacancy, and wanderfor ever, a bewildered,
solitary rover amidst the wilderness of worlds? This journey into the
unknown must issue in our introduction to a scene whose awfulnovelties will
overpowerour faculties; for even the very thought of them when we dwell
upon it fills us with dreadful suspense. Truly will the trembling soul need
some one on whom to lean, some mighty, tender guardian, who will point the
way to the prepared mansions, and cheerand sustain its fainting courage.
That Guide is Christ; therefore let us say in dying, "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit." It is a delightful belief to which the gospelgives most solid support,
that our Redeemeris accustomedto employ in this mission His holy angels.
"Are they not ministering spirits?" etc. When Lazarus died he was carriedby
angels to Abraham's bosom.
IV. THE ARMS OF CHRIST MAY BE LOOKED TO AS OUR FINAL
HOME. We are authorisedto say, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"; not only
that Thou mayest sustainit in the pangs of dying, and guide it to its heavenly
home, but that it may dwell with Thee world without end. "Father, I will that
they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am," etc. Oh,
blessedresting-place!In Thy presence is fulness of joy: at Thy right hand are

30. pleasures for evermore. Let us live and die like believing Stephen, and our
spirits will be receivedwhere the God-man holds His regalcourt, to go out
thence no more for ever.
(R. L. Dabney, D. D.)
The close ofthe Christian life
W. Harris, D. D.
I. THERE IS A SPIRIT IN MAN DISTINCT FROM THE BODY. The body
is the habitation of the soul, and only the instrument by which it acts. This is
the frame of human nature, and agreeable to the original accountof its
formation. We find it representedas a principle of life (Genesis 2:7). The dust
of the earth was animated by a living soul. The dissolution of our constitution
is described by the wise man, agreeablyto this account(Ecclesiastes12:7). It is
principle of thought and reason, of understanding and choice (Job 20:2, 3; Job
32:8). It is representedas a principle both of natural and religious action:we
not only live and move, but worship Godin the spirit (John 4:24). It is
representedas a distinct thing from the body, and of another kind (Matthew
10:28;Matthew 24:39;2 Corinthians 4:16). And although we do not know the
precise nature of a spirit, or the manner of its union with the body, which is a
greatmystery in nature; as neither do we the substratum or abstractessence
of matter; yet we do know the essentialand distinguishing properties of them.
The soul is a thinking conscious principle, an intelligent agent, a principle of
life and action, which bears a near resemblance of Godthe Infinite Spirit, and
of angels, who are pure unbodied spirits.
II. AT DEATH THE SPIRIT WILL BE SEPARATED FROM THE BODY,
AND EXIST APART FROM IT. Though they are closelyunited to one
another in the present state, yet the bonds of union are not indissoluble. But
then as it is a vital principle, and all life and actionproceeds from the union of
soul and body; so the separationof the soul from the body is the death and
dissolution of it. It is destroying our present being and way of existing: the
body dies and returns to the dust when deserted of the living soul. This is

31. plainly implied here, when Stephen prays, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit";
not only that he had a spirit distinct from the body, but that the spirit was
now dislodging, and ready to depart from the body. It was to be then out of
the body. So the apostle says (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4; 2 Timothy 4:6). To the
same purpose St. Petersays (2 Peter 1:14, 15). The separationof soul and
body is properly the death of our present nature. This came into the world by
sin, and is the proper fruit of it. It is the sentence ofthe law executedupon the
breach of it (Genesis 2:17;Genesis 3:19). Our death is appointed by the Divine
will, though we know not the day of our death. Nature tends to a dissolution,
and gradually wears out, though no evil befall it; and it is liable to many
distempers, and many accidents, whichoften prove fatal, and hastena
separation,
III. THE LORD JESUS WILL RECEIVE THE DEPARTING SPIRITSOF
GOOD MEN. This was the matter of Stephen's payer. And we cannotsuppose
that he would have prayed in this manner, who was full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost, if the case hadbeen otherwise;if it did not belong to Him to
receive it, or He was not disposedto do it. This is a more distinct and
particular accountof the matter, and proper to the Christian revelation. In
the Old Testamentwe are only told that the spirit returns to God who gave it,
and who is the Father of spirits; but here we are told that the Lord Jesus
receives our departing spirits. It is through the Mediator, and by His
immediate agency, that the whole kingdom of providence and grace is now
administered in all the disposals oflife, and the issues ofdeath. But what is the
import of His receiving the departed spirits of goodmen?
1. The taking them under His protection and care, He is their Refuge and
Guide, to whom they fly, and whom they follow, when they go into a new and
unknown state. He preserves the nakedtrembling spirit by a guard of holy
angels from affrightment and amazement, from the terror and power of
envious spirits, who would gladly seize it as a prey, and distress and terrify it,
as the devil now goes up and down seeking whomhe may devour.
2. He conveys them to God, and to a state of blessedness.Whatthis state will
be we canhave no more clearconceptions than Scripture gives us, and what
arises from the natural notions of a spirit, and the essentialdifference between

32. goodand evil. That they are in a state of activity, and in a state of rest and
happiness, and vastly different from that of wickedspirits.
IV. CHRISTIANS SHOULD COMMENDTHEIR DEPARTING SPIRITS
TO CHRIST BY PRAYER. This was directly the case here, and is the form of
the expression, "LordJesus, receive my spirit." This prayer was directed to
Christ in His exalted state, standing at the right hand of God, and in the
quality of a Mediator, who ever lives to make intercessionfor us. But upon
what grounds may a dying Christian offer up such a prayer to Christ? With
what warrant and hope of success? Ianswer, upon goodgrounds and
sufficient security.
1. His great love to the spirits of men. Will He deny us anything when He
freely gave His life for us? Will He forsake them at last, and leave them
exposedin an unknown state, whom He has preserved all their lives, and
whereverthey have been in this?
2. His relation to them. He is their Lord and Saviour, their Head; they are His
subjects and servants, His members and friends, to whom He stands in a
specialrelation, and who is endearedto them by specialmarks of favour. And
He is concernedin the protection and care of His faithful servants, as a prince
is concernedto secure his subjects.
3. His ability and powerto take care of them (Hebrews 7:27).
4. His engagements andundertaking. He who by the grace ofGod tasteddeath
for every man, was to bring the many sons unto glory (Hebrews 2:9, 10). And
He would fail in His trust if any of them miscarried, and came short of the
glory of God. Besides, He is engagedby His promise and faithfulness to
preserve and secure them (John 10:28).Inferences:
1. That the soul does not die with the body, or sleepin the grave.
2. We should be often thinking and preparing for a time and state of
separation.
3. The peculiar happiness of goodmen, and the greatdifference betweenthem
and others.

33. 4. We learn what is the proper close ofa Christian's life. When we have
finished our course ofservice, and done the work of life, what remains but the
lifting up of our souls to God, and commending them into His hands?
(W. Harris, D. D.)
Prayer in death
Life of Dr. Livingstone.
Passing inside, they lookedtowardthe bed; Dr. Livingstone was not lying on
it, but appeared to be engagedin prayer, and they instinctively drew
backwardfor the instant. Pointing to him, Majwara said, "WhenI lay down
he was just as he is now, and it is because I find that he does not move that I
fear he is dead." They askedthe lad how long he had slept. Majwara saidhe
could not tell, but he was sure that it was some considerable time. The men
drew nearer. A candle stuck by its own wax to the top of the box shed a light
sufficient for them to see his form. Dr. Livingstone was kneeling by the side of
his bed, his body stretchedforward, his head buried in his hands upon the
pillow. For a minute they watchedhim; he did not stir, there was no sign of
breathing; then one of them — Matthew — advancedsoftly to him, and
placed his hands to his cheeks. It was sufficient; life had been extinct for some
time, and the body was almostcold: Livingstone was dead.
(Life of Dr. Livingstone.)
The martyrdom of Wishart
Speaking of the martyrdom of Wishart, in 1546, Mr. Froude writes: "In
anticipation of an attempt at rescue, the castle guns were loaded, and the port-
fires lighted. After this, Mr. Wishart was led to the fire, with a rope about his
neck and a chain of iron about his middle and when he came to the fire, he sat
down upon his knees and rose up again, and thrice he said these words:'O
Thou Saviour of the world, have mercy on me. Father of heaven, I commend
my spirit into Thy holy hands.' He next spoke a few words to the people; and

34. then, lastof all, the hangman that was his tormentor fell upon his knees and
said, 'Sir, I pray you forgive me, for I am not guilty of your death'; to whom
he answered, 'Come hither to me,' and he kissedhis cheek and said, 'Lo, here
is a tokenthat I forgive thee. Do thy office.' And then he was put upon a
gibbet and hanged, and then burned to powder."
Fellowshipin death
H. T. Miller.
"Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23. 46). "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59).
I. FELLOWSHIP OF SUFFERING.
II. FELLOWSHIP OF VISION.
III. FELLOWSHIP OF PITY. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do." "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
IV. FELLOWSHIP OF ATTITUDE. With hounding might and "loud" voices
the lastenemy was confrontedand destroyed.
V. FELLOWSHIP OF BURIAL. Devoutduty to the dead. This is the work of
the living. Let us bury our friends reverently. They have an undying history.
Let us bury our friends sympathetically. They ask a brother's interest. Let us
bury our friends hopefully. They have a lasting destiny.Lessons:
1. This precious coincidence is surely not accidental.
2. Here is a proof of the true humanity of Jesus Christ. We wonder less that
Stephen was like the Saviour than that the Saviour was so like Stephen.
3. How completelyone are the Lord and His people! "Thoushalt be with Me."
With Him heaven is not only near, but accessible.
4. Fellowshipwith Jesus Christ in life is the surestguarantee of His presence
in death.

35. (H. T. Miller.)
The lastrequest
J. Parker, D. D.
Human history is a recordof the thoughts and exploits of human spirits.
Wherever we touch the history of spirit, we find it invested with the gravest
responsibilities. Whereverwe look, we behold memorials of spirit-power. I am
anxious to impress you with the fact that you are spirits, and that your history
here will determine all your conditions and relationships in the endless ages!
I. MAN'S SUPREME CONCERN SHOULD BE THE WELL-BEING OF HIS
SPIRIT. Becauseyour spirit —
1. Is immortal. Only eternity can satisfyit. It claims the theatre of infinitude!
Yet many occupy more time in the adornment of the flesh, which is to turn to
corruption, than in the culture of the spirit which no Lomb can confine! You
pity the imbecility of the man who estimates the casketmore highly than the
gem, but your madness is infinitely more to be deplored if you bestow more
care on the body than on the soul.
2. Can undergo no posthumous change, whereas the body may. There is no
repentance in the grave. "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still," etc. Moral
change after death is an eternalimpossibility. Not so with the body; Christ
will change our vile body, and make it like unto His own glorious body.
3. Has been Divinely purchased. "Ye are not redeemedwith corruptible
things," etc.
4. Is capable of endless progress. There is no point at which the spirit must
pause and say, "It is enough!"
II. MAN IS APPROACHING A CRISIS IN WHICH HE WILL REALISE
THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS SPIRIT. Stephen was in that crisis when
uttering this entreaty. Amid the commotion of the world — the strife for
bread and the battle for position — men are apt to overlook the moral claims

36. of their nature. But remember that there hastens a time in which you must
give audience to the imperious demands of your spiritual nature! I have
visited the prodigal in the chamber of death; and he who was wont to scorn
the appeals of Christianity — who had drunk at the broken cisterns of crime
— even he has turned upon me his glazed eye, and stammered out with dying
breath, "My soul!" I have stoodat the bedside of the departing rich; and he
whose aim it was to build around himself a golden wall— who consideredno
music so entrancing as that produced by the friction of coin — even he has
turned his anxious gaze to me, and, with stifled utterance, has said, "My soul,
my soul!" I have watchedthe votary of fashion — whose ambition it was to
bedeck his mortal frame, whose godwas elegance, andwhose altar the mirror
— and even he has wept and cried, "My nakedsoul, my naked soul!" I have
stoodin the chamber where the goodman has met his fate: has he displayed
anxiety or given way to despair? Nay, he exclaims, "Into Thy hands I
commend my spirit!" Now, seeing that the approach of this momentous hour
is an infallible certainty, two duties devolve upon us.
1. To employ the best means for meeting its requirements. What are those
means? Those who know the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this
world, emphatically testify that they cannotmeet the requirements of the
spiritual constitution. Faith in Christ and obedience to His will constitute the
true preparation for all the exigencies oflife, and the true antidote for the
bitterness of death!
2. To conduct the business of life with a view to its solemnities. "How will this
affectmy dying hour?" is an inquiry too seldom propounded, but, when
conscientiouslyanswered, must produce a powerfully restraining influence on
man's thoughts and habitudes. Few men connectthe present with the future,
or reflect that out of the present the future gathers its materials and moulds
its character.
III. MAN KNOWS OF ONE BEING ONLY TO WHOM HE CAN SAFELY
ENTRUST HIS SPRIT — the "Lord Jesus."This prayer implies —
1. Christ's sovereigntyof the spiritual empire. Whom does Stephen see? There
are ten thousand times ten thousand glorified intelligences in the heavento

37. which he directs his eyes:but the triumphant martyr sees "no man but Jesus
only." All souls are Christ's. All the spirits of the just made perfect are loyal
to His crown.
2. Christ's profound interest in the well-being of faithful spirits. He said that
He went to "prepare a place" for His people, and that where He was, there
they should be also. Now one of His people proves this.
3. Christ's personalcontactwith departed Christian spirits. Stephen
acknowledgesno intermediate state; looking from earth, his eye beholds no
objectuntil it alights on the Son of Man. Stephen's creedwas — "absentfrom
the body, present with the Lord."
4. Christ's unchanging relationship to human spirits. Lord Jesus was the
name by which Christ was knownon earth. How He was designatedin the
distant ages ofeternity none can tell! But when He uncrowned Himself He
assumedthe name of Jesus, for He came to save His people from their sins!
And now that He has returned to His celestialgloryHe has not abandoned the
name.
IV. MAN ALONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ETERNALCONDITION
OF HIS SOUL. You make your own heavenor hell, not by the final actof life,
but by life itself. Your spirit is now undergoing education. Two results ought
to be produced by your trials.
1. They should discipline your spirit; bring it into harmony with the Divine
will, by curbing passion, checking error, rebuking pride.
2. They should develop the capabilities of your spirit. Trials may do this, by
throwing you back on great principles. But for trial, we should never know
our powers of endurance. Trial brings out the majesty of moral character.
(J. Parker, D. D.)
Prayer in death
Homiletic Review.

38. A Christian should die praying. Other men die in a way fitting their lives. The
ruling passionof life is strong in death. Julius Caesardied adjusting his robes,
that he might fall gracefully; Augustus died in a compliment to Livia, his wife;
Tiberius in dissimulations; Vespasianin jest. The infidel, Hume, died with
pitiful jokes about Charon and his boat; Rousseauwith boasting;Voltaire
with mingled imprecations and supplications; Paine with shrieks of agonising
remorse;multitudes die with sullenness, others with blasphemies faltering on
their tongues. But the Christian should die praying; for "Prayeris the
Christian's vital breath," etc. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! " This is the
prayer of faith, commending the immortal spirit to the covenantcare of Jesus.
(Homiletic Review.)
The sold
D. Thomas, D. D.
From this prayer we infer —
I. THAT MAN'S SOUL SURVIVES CORPOREALDEATH. This was now a
matter of consciousnesswithStephen. He had no doubt about it, and hence he
prays Jesus to take it. This is with all men rather a matter of feeling than
argument. The Bible not only addressesthis feeling, but ministers to its
growth.
II. THAT IN DEATH THE IMPORTANCE OF MAN'S SOUL IS
ESPECIALLY FELT. The "spirit" was now everything to Stephen. And so it
is to all dying men. Deathends all material interests and relations, and the
soul grows more and more conscious ofitself as it feels its approachto the
world of spirits.
III. THAT THE WELL-BEING OF THE SOUL CONSISTS IN ITS
DEDICATION TO JESUS. "Receive my spirit." What does this mean?
1. Notthe giving up of our personality. Such pantheism is absurd.
2. Notthe surrender of our free agency.

39. 3. But the placing of its powers entirely at Christ's service, and its destiny
entirely at His disposal. This implies, of course, strong faith in the kindness
and powerof Jesus.
IV. THAT THIS DEDICATION OF THE SOUL TO JESUS IS THE ONE
GREAT THOUGHT OF THE EARNEST SAINT. It is the beginning and end
of religion, or rather the very essenceofit. The first breath, and every
subsequent respiration, of piety is, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
St
R. Paisley.
Stephen is not a prodigy. He is aa example; he is a Christian; he is a believer,
nothing more; nothing more than all of us would become and be this day if we
were followers of his faith.
I. HE DIED IN CHARITY.
II. HE DIED AS A TRUE MARTYR, CONDEMNINGTHE WORLD,
REARING THE CROSS OF CHRIST. His defence is no apology, as if he were
pleading for life, or deprecating either death or their displeasure. Thus in
Christ's spirit did he go forth, faking up his cross, andconfronting all that
was not of God in the world and in the Church.
III. HE DIED CONTENDING AS A TRUE MARTYR FOR THE COMMON,
OR CATHOLIC, FAITH. His was no sectarianstand, or fight. What was the
Christianity for which he pleaded, and for Which he was ready to sacrifice his
life againsttheir dead form of godliness, andconventional faith, and mere
Judaism? It was a Christianity that revealedthe way of accessto this living
God, and admission to this communion in Jesus Christ; a Christianity that
revealedthat new and better covenantin which these unspeakable gifts of
grace were now published as man's birthright, in the faith of which he became
alive unto God, the faith of which was eternallife.

40. IV. HE DIED, AS HE HAD LIVED, BY FAITH. That opened his eyes to "see
the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." That made
his face to the spectators in the council "as the face of an angel." The Holy
Ghostwrought in him visibly. God thus sealedHis martyr's ministry by a
tokenwhich even his murderers could not deny, and said, as audibly as by a
voice from heaven, "Welldone, goodand faithful servant, enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord." Stephen-like, men in general, Christians and others, die as
they live.
1. There are, it is evident, few deathbeds like Stephen's. Those who are
familiar with the history of the Church in ancient times could cite many a
parallel to Stephen among the glorious company of its martyrs and confessors.
Nor are modern biographies without instances corresponding or similar. But
what are these, or the greaternumber still of unrecorded triumphs over death
and suffering, to the multitudes that are different, to the myriads that furnish
a contrastrather than a counterpart? To how few is death without a sting, a
conquered enemy!
2. There are, perhaps, as few lives like Stephen's as there are deathbeds like
his. What is the value of a deathbed testimony, even of triumph like Stephen's,
if what has gone before has either ill corresponded, orhas contradicted? Look
at family life, and sociallife, and Church communion among us, as compared
with the fellowshipof Stephen's day (Acts 2:46, 47). We shall then cease to
wonder that there are few deathbeds like Stephen's. Stephen's was but the
appropriate close ofa consistentlife.
3. The spirit, the faith of the Church certainly now is not Stephen's, nor like
those of the Church of Stephen's day. How many fail to claim the fulness of
the Holy Ghost, to walk worthily of their vocationby living in the faith of this
vocation?
4. Hence the Church's weakness — want of faith like Stephen's; want of the
Holy Ghost. Not a withholding on God's part of grace, orof the Spirit, but a
want of response, orreciprocalactionon ours. We are not straitened in Him,
but in ourselves.
(R. Paisley.)

41. A watchwordfor life and death
J. Parker, D. D.
(Text and Psalm31:5; Luke 23:1. 46.)
1. David said in his lifetime, "Into Thy hand I commit my spirit." In the hour
of torture and dissolution Christ and His servant used almost the same
expression. It is not, then, necessarilya dying speech. It is as appropriate to
youth as to old age, to the brightness of life as to the shadow of death.
2. The greatestconcernof man should be about his spirit. His clothes wear
out; his house crumbles away;his body must return to dust: it is in his spirit
alone that man finds the supreme possibilities of his being. Care for the spirit
involves every other care. Regardthe words as supplying —
I. THE TRUE WATCHWORD FOR LIFE. Life needs a watchword. Our
energies, purposes, hopes, shouldbe gatheredround some living and
controlling centre. We stray far from the right line when we take ourselves
into our own keeping. When we commit our spirit into the hand of God, three
results accrue.
1. We approach the duties of life through a series ofthe most elevating
considerations.
(1)We are not our own.
(2)We are parts of a great system.
(3)We are servants, not masters.
(4)The things round about us are beneath our serious notice, except for
momentary convenience orinstruction.
2. We acceptthe trials of life with the most hopeful patience. They are —
(1)Disciplinary.
(2)Under control.

42. (3)Needful.
3. We recognise the mercies of life with joyful gratitude. The name of God is
on the smallestof them (Psalm 31:7, 8, 19). To the atheist the morning is but a
lamp to be turned to convenience;to the Christian it is the shining of the face
of God. All things are ours if the spirit be Christ's. What is your life's
watchword? Have you one? What is it? Self-enrichment? Pleasure?The one
true watchwordis, "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit," my ease, my
controversies,disappointments, whole discipline and destiny.
II. THE TRUE WATCHWORD FOR DEATH. If a living man requires a
watchword, how much more the man who is dying! How strange is the
country to which he is moving; how dark the path along which he is
travelling; how short a way canhis friends accompanyhim! All this, so well
understood by us all, makes death very solemn. This watchword, spokenby
Jesus and Stephen, shows —
1. Their belief in a state of being at present invisible. Was Christ likely to be
deceived? ReadHis life; study the characterof His thinking; acquaint
yourselves with the usual tone of His teaching; and then say whether He was
likely to die with a lie in His mouth. And Stephen — what had he to gain if no
world lay beyond the horizon of the present and invisible? Jesus and Stephen,
then, must at leastbe credited with speak, ing their deepestpersonal
convictions. It is something to us to show who have believed this doctrine.
2. Their assurance ofthe limitations of human malice. The spirit was quite
free. Evil ones cannot touch the Divine side of human nature.Conclusion:
1. When the spirit is fit for the presence of God, there is no fear of death.
2. All who die in the faith are present with the Lord.
3. Jesus Himself knows whatit is to pass through the valley of the shadow of
death.
4. The prayer for entrance among the blest may come too late.We have no
authority for the encouragementof a death-bed repentance. It is but poor
prayer that is forcedfrom a coward's lips.

43. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The dying testimony of Stephen
R. P. Buddicom, M. A.
I. THE PRAYER OF STEPHEN
1. Stephen expectedan immediate transfer of his soul, in the full possessionof
is powers and consciousness,from a state of earthly to a state of heavenly
being. He understood its high relation to the Father of spirits; and expected
from Him protection and provision for its unembodied existence.
2. The prayer of Stephen contained a plain, positive acknowledgmentofthe
Saviour's proper Deity, as one with the Father, over all, God blessedfor ever.
II. THE CIRCUMSTANCESIN WHICH THE PRAYER OF STEPHEN
WAS OFFERED.
1. Saint Stephen was, beyond all controversy, a man of uprightness and
integrity.
2. Will it be answered, "The integrity of Stephen remains unimpeached: he
must, however, be ranked among those every-day characters, whose
intellectual weakness is in some degree retrieved by the uprightness of their
principles?" Such an apologywill hardly serve the turn of those who impugn
or deny the Divinity of our blessedLord. For Stephen was a wise man, no less
than a man of moral honestyand integrity. The knowledge andintellect of
Jerusalemdoubtless sat upon the seats of the Sanhedrin: yet they were cut to
the heart with what they heard him declare, and could only answer"by
gnashing upon him with their teeth." Now, it is not the part of wisdomto
brave scorn, mockery, and death for an opinion unfounded in truth. Even
Erasmus, one of the most amiable and learned men of modern times, who
lived when the torch of the Reformationfirst shed its glorious light upon the
benighted Church of Christ, confessedthat, though he should know the truth
to be on his side, be had not courage to become a martyr in its behalf. Was it,
then, for one of Stephen's wisdomfalsely to ascribe Godheadto Jesus Christ,

44. when his life was endangeredby the assertion, "Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God"?
3. I add, however, that Stephen was a partaker of knowledge more than
human: he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. "He had an unction
from the Holy One, and he knew all things." No man can saythat Jesus is the
Christ, but by the Holy Ghost.
4. Once more: Stephen was a dying man. Whateverour previous sentiments
may have been, yet when the things of this world are passing fast away, and
the realities of eternalexistence are opening upon our view, the mists of
delusion are dissipated, and the true light of conviction usually flashes upon
the soul.
III. THE DEATH BY WHICH THE PRAYER WAS FOLLOWED. Lessons:
1. It is a deduction, easilyand naturally made from our review of the passage,
that doctrinal religion is not a matter so unimportant as rational divines
would persuade us to believe.
2. I add that faith in doctrines, unattended and unevidenced by practical
religion, will serve rather to condemn than to save.
(R. P. Buddicom, M. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(59) Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.—The words are memorable as an instance
of direct prayer addressed, to use the words of Pliny in reporting what he had
learned of the worship of Christians, “to Christ as God” (Epist x. 97). Stephen
could not think of Him whom he saw at the right hand of God, but as of One
sharing the glory of the Father, hearing and answering prayer. And in the
prayer itself we trace an echo of words of which Stephen may well have heard.
The Son commended His Spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46);the disciple, in his

45. turn, commends his spirit to the Son. The word “God,” in the sentence
“calling upon God,” it should be noted, is, as the italics show, an insertion to
complete the sense.
MacLaren's Expositions
Acts
THE DEATH OF THE MASTER AND THE DEATH OF THE SERVANT
Acts 7:59 - Acts 7:60.
This is the only narrative in the New Testamentof a Christian martyrdom or
death. As a rule, Scripture is supremely indifferent to what becomes ofthe
people with whom it is for a time concerned. As long as the man is the organ
of the divine Spirit he is somewhat;as soonas that ceasesto speak through
him he drops into insignificance. So this same Acts of the Apostles-ifI may so
say- kills off James the brother of John in a parenthesis;and his is the only
other martyrdom that it concerns itselfeven so much as to mention.
Why, then, this exceptionaldetail about the martyrdom of Stephen? Fortwo
reasons:because it is the first of a series, and the Acts of the Apostles always
dilates upon the first of eachset of things which it describes, and condenses
about the others. But more especially, I think, because if we come to look at
the story, it is not so much an accountof Stephen’s death as of Christ’s power
in Stephen’s death. And the theme of this book is not the acts of the Apostles,
but the acts of the risen Lord, in and for His Church.

46. There is no doubt but that this narrative is modelled upon the story of our
Lord’s Crucifixion, and the two incidents, in their similarities and in their
differences, throw a flood of light upon one another.
I shall therefore look at our subject now with constantreference to that other
greaterdeath upon which it is based. It is to be observedthat the two sayings
on the lips of the proto-martyr Stephen are recordedfor us in their original
form on the lips of Christ, in Luke’s Gospel, which makes a still further link
of connectionbetweenthe two narratives.
So, then, my purpose now is merely to take this incident as it lies before us, to
trace in it the analogies andthe differences betweenthe death of the Master
and the death of the servant, and to draw from it some thoughts as to what it
is possible for a Christian’s death to become, when Christ’s presence is felt in
it.
I. Consider, in generalterms, this death as the last act of imitation to Christ.
The resemblance betweenour Lord’s last moments and Stephen’s has been
thought to have been the work of the narrator, and, consequently, to cast
some suspicionupon the veracity of the narrative. I acceptthe
correspondence,I believe it was intentional, but I shift the intention from the
writer to the actor, and I ask why it should not have been that the dying
martyr should consciously, and of setpurpose, have made his death
conformable to his Master’s death? Why should not the dying martyr have
sought to put himself {as the legend tells one of the other Apostles in outward
form sought to do} in Christ’s attitude, and to die as He died?

47. Remember, that in all probability Stephen died on Calvary. It was the
ordinary place of execution, and, as many of you may know, recent
investigations have led many to conclude that a little rounded knoll outside
the city wall-not a ‘green hill,’ but still ‘outside a city wall,’ and which still
bears a lingering tradition of connectionwith Him-was probably the site of
that stupendous event. It was the place of stoning, or of public execution, and
there in all probability, on the very ground where Christ’s Cross was fixed,
His first martyr saw ‘the heavens openedand Christ standing on the right
hand of God.’ If these were the associationsofthe place, what more natural,
and even if they were not, what more natural, than that the martyr’s death
should be shaped after his Lord’s?
Is it not one of the great blessings, in some sense the greatestofthe blessings,
which we owe to the Gospel, that in that awful solitude where no other
example is of any use to us, His pattern may still gleambefore us? Is it not
something to feel that as life reaches its highest, most poignant and exquisite
delight and beauty in the measure in which it is made an imitation of Jesus, so
for eachof us death may lose its most poignant and exquisite sting and
sorrow, and become something almostsweet, if it be shapedafter the pattern
and by the powerof His? We travel over a lonely waste atlast. All clasped
hands are unclasped; and we setout on the solitary, though it be ‘the
common, road into the greatdarkness.’But, blessedbe His Name!‘the
Breakeris gone up before us,’ and across the waste there are footprints that
we
‘Seeing, may take heart again.’
The very climax and apex of the Christian imitation of Christ may be that we
shall bear the image of His death, and be like Him then.

48. Is it not a strange thing that generations ofmartyrs have gone to the stake
with their hearts calm and their spirits made constantby the remembrance of
that Calvary where Jesus died with more of trembling reluctance, shrinking,
and apparent bewildered unmanning than many of the weakestofHis
followers? Is it not a strange thing that the death which has thus been the
source of composure, and strength, and heroism to thousands, and has lost
none of its powerof being so to-day, was the death of a Man who shrank from
the bitter cup, and that cried in that mysterious darkness, ‘My God! Why hast
Thou forsakenMe?’
Dearbrethren, unless with one explanation of the reasonfor His shrinking
and agony, Christ’s death is less heroic than that of some other martyrs, who
yet drew all their courage from Him.
How come there to be in Him, at one moment, calmness unmoved, and heroic
self-oblivion, and at the next, agony, and all but despair? I know only one
explanation, ‘The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’ And when He
died, shrinking and trembling, and feeling bewildered and forsaken, it was
your sins and mine that weighed Him down. The servant whose death was
conformed to his Master’s had none of these experiences becausehe was only
a martyr.
The Lord had them, because He was the Sacrifice for the whole world.
II. We have here, next, a Christian’s death as being the voluntary entrusting
of the spirit to Christ.
‘They stoned Stephen.’ Now, our ordinary English idea of the manner of the
Jewishpunishment of stoning, is a very inadequate and mistakenone. It did

49. not consistmerely in a miscellaneous rabble throwing stones atthe criminal,
but there was a solemnand appointed method of executionwhich is preserved
for us in detail in the Rabbinical books. And from it we gatherthat the modus
operandi was this. The blasphemer was takento a certainprecipitous rock,
the height of which was prescribedas being equal to that of two men. The
witnesses by whose testimony he had been condemned had to casthim over,
and if he survived the fall it was their task to roll upon him a greatstone, of
which the weight is prescribedin the Talmud as being as much as two men
could lift. If he lived after that, then others took part in the punishment.
Now, at some point in that ghastly tragedy, probably, we may suppose as they
were hurling him over the rock, the martyr lifts his voice in this prayer of our
text.
As they were stoning him he ‘called upon’-not God, as our Authorised Version
has supplied the wanting word, but, as is obvious from the contextand from
the remembrance of the vision, and from the language of the following
supplication, ‘calledupon Jesus, saying, Lord Jesus!receive my spirit.’
I do not dwell at any length upon the fact that here we have a distinct instance
of prayer to Jesus Christ, a distinct recognition, in the early days of His
Church, of the highest conceptions ofHis person and nature, so as that a
dying man turns to Him, and commits his soul into His hands. Passing this by,
I ask you to think of the resemblance, andthe difference, betweenthis
intrusting of the spirit by Stephen to his Lord, and the committing of His
spirit to the Father by His dying Son. Christ on the Cross speaksto God;
Stephen, on Calvary, speaks,as I suppose, to Jesus Christ. Christ, on the
Cross, says, ‘I commit.’ Stephen says, ‘Receive,’orrather, ‘Take.’The one
phrase carries in it something of the notion that our Lord died not because He
must, but because He would; that He was active in His death; that He chose to
summon death to do its work upon Him; that He ‘yielded up His spirit,’ as

50. one of the Evangelists has it, pregnantly and significantly. But Stephen says,
‘Take!’ as knowing that it must be his Lord’s powerthat should draw his
spirit out of the coilof horror around him. So the one dying word has
strangelycompactedin it authority and submission; and the other dying word
is the word of a simple waiting servant. The Christ says, ‘I commit.’ ‘I have
powerto lay down My life, and I have power to take it again.’Stephen says,
‘Take my spirit,’ as longing to be awayfrom the wearinessand the sorrow
and the pain and all the hell of hatred that was seething and boiling round
about him, but yet knowing that he had to wait the Master’s will.
So from the language I gather large truths, truths which unquestionably were
not presentto the mind of the dying man, but are all the more conspicuous
because they were unconsciouslyexpressedby him, as to the resemblance and
the difference betweenthe death of the martyr, done to death by cruel hands,
and the death of the atoning Sacrifice who gave Himself up to die for our sins.
Here we have, in this dying cry, the recognitionof Christ as the Lord of life
and death. Here we have the voluntary and submissive surrender of the spirit
to Him. So, in a very real sense, the martyr’s death becomes a sacrifice, andhe
too dies not merely because he must, but he accepts the necessity, and finds
blessednessin it. We need not be passive in death; we need not, when it comes
to our turn to die, cling desperatelyto the last vanishing skirts of life. We may
yield up our being, and pour it out as a libation; as the Apostle has it, ‘If I be
offered as a drink-offering upon the sacrifice ofyour faith, I joy and rejoice.’
Oh! brethren, to die like Christ, to die yielding oneselfto Him!
And then in these words there is further containedthe thought coming
gleaming out like a flash of light into some murky landscape-ofpassing into
perennial union with Him. ‘Take my spirit,’ says the dying man; ‘that is all I
want. I see Thee standing at the right hand. For what hast Thou started to
Thy feet, from the eternal repose ofThy sessionatthe right hand of God the

51. Father Almighty? To help and succourme. And dostThou succourme when
Thou dost let these cruel hands castme from the rock and bruise me with
heavy stones? Yes, Thou dost. For the highestform of Thy help is to take my
spirit, and to let me be with Thee.’
Christ delivers His servant from death when He leads the servantinto and
through death. Brothers, can you look forward thus, and trust yourselves,
living or dying, to that Masterwho is near us amidst the coilof human
troubles and sorrows, andsweetlydraws our spirits, as a mother her child to
her bosom, into His own arms when He sends us death? Is that what it will be
to you?
III. Then, still further, there are other words here which remind us of the final
triumph of an all-forbearing charity.
Stephen had been castfrom the rock, had been struck with the heavy stone.
Bruised and wounded by it, he strangelysurvives, strangelysomehow or other
struggles to his knees eventhough desperatelywounded, and, gathering all his
powers togetherat the impulse of an undying love, prays his last words and
cries, ‘Lord Jesus!Lay not this sin to their charge!’
It is an echo, as I have been saying, of other words, ‘Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do.’ An echo, and yet an independent tone! The one
cries ‘Father!’ the other invokes the ‘Lord.’ The one says, ‘They know not
what they do’; the other never thinks of reading men’s motives, of
apportioning their criminality, of discovering the secrets oftheir hearts. It was
fitting that the Christ, before whom all these blind instruments of a mighty
design stoodpatent and nakedto their deepestdepths, should say, ‘They know
not what they do.’ It would have been unfitting that the servant, who knew no

52. more of his fellows’heart than could be guessedfrom their actions, should
have offered such a plea in his prayer for their forgiveness.
In the very humiliation of the Cross, Christspeaks as knowing the hidden
depths of men’s souls, and therefore fitted to be their Judge, and now His
servant’s prayer is addressedto Him as actually being so.
Somehow or other, within a very few years of the time when our Lord dies,
the Church has come to the distinctest recognitionof His Divinity to whom the
martyr prays; to the distinctest recognitionof Him as the Lord of life and
death whom the martyr asks to take his spirit, and to the clearestperception
of the fact that He is the Judge of the whole earth by whose acquittalmen
shall be acquitted, and by whose condemnationthey shall be condemned.
Stephen knew that Christ was the Judge. He knew that in two minutes he
would be standing at Christ’s judgment bar. His prayer was not, ‘Lay not my
sins to my charge,’but ‘Lay not this sin to their charge.’Why did he not ask
forgiveness forhimself? Why was he not thinking about the judgment that he
was going to meet so soon? He had done all that long ago. He had no fear
about that judgment for himself, and so when the last hour struck, he was at
leisure of heart and mind to pray for his persecutors, and to think of his Judge
without a tremor. Are you? If you were as near the edge as Stephen was,
would it be wise for you to be interceding for other people’s forgiveness? The
answerto that question is the answerto this other one,-have you sought your
pardon already, and got it at the hands of Jesus Christ?
IV. One word is all that I need say about the last point of analogyand contrast
here-the serene passage into rest: ‘When he had said this he fell asleep.’

53. The New Testamentscarcelyeverspeaks ofa Christian’s death as death but
as sleep, and with other similar phrases. But that expression, familiar and all
but universal as it is in the Epistles, in reference to the death of believers, is
never in a single instance employed in reference to the death of Jesus Christ.
He did die that you and I may live. His death was death indeed-He endured
not merely the physical fact, but that which is its sting, the consciousnessof
sin. And He died that the sting might be blunted, and all its poisonexhausted
upon Him. So the ugly thing is sleekedand smoothed;and the foul form
changes into the sweetsemblance ofa sleep-bringing angel. Death is gone. The
physical fact remains, but all the misery of it, the essentialbitterness and the
poison of it is all suckedout of it, and it is turned into ‘he fell asleep,’as a
tired child on its mother’s lap, as a wearyman after long toil.
‘Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages.’
Deathis but sleepnow, because Christhas died, and that sleepis restful,
conscious,perfectlife.
Look at these two pictures, the agony of the one, the calm triumph of the
other, and see that the martyr’s falling asleepwas possible because the Christ
had died before. And do you commit the keeping of your souls to Him now, by
true faith; and then, living you may have Him with you, and, dying, a vision of
His presence bending down to succourand to save, and when you are dead, a
life of rest conjoinedwith intensestactivity. To sleepin Jesus is to awake in
His likeness, andto be satisfied.
BensonCommentary

54. Acts 7:59-60. And thus they stoned Stephen — Who, during this furious
assault, continued with his eyes fixed on the heavenly glory, of which he had
so bright a vision, calling upon God — The word God is not in the original,
which is literally, invoking; and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit — For
Christ was the personto whom he prayed: and surely such a solemnprayer
addressedto him, in which a departing soul was thus committed into his
hands, was such an act of worship as no goodman could have paid to a mere
creature;Stephen here worshipping Christ in the very same manner in which
Christ worshipped the Father on the cross. And he kneeleddown, &c. —
Having nothing further relating to himself which could give him any
solicitude, all his remaining thoughts were occupiedin compassionto these
inhuman wretches, who were employed in effecting his destruction. Having,
therefore, as we have reasonto suppose, receivedmany violent blows, rising as
well as he could upon his knees, he cried, though with an expiring, yet with a
loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge — With severity
proportionable to the weightof the offence, but graciouslyforgive them, as
indeed I do from my heart. The original expression, μη στησης αυτοις την
αμαρτιαν, has a peculiar emphasis, and is not easyto be exactlytranslated,
without multiplying words to an improper degree. It is literally weighnot out
to them this sin; that is, a punishment proportionable to it; alluding, it seems,
to passages ofScripture where God is represented as weighing men’s
characters andactions in the dispensations of his justice and providence. This
prayer of Stephen was heard, and remarkably answered, in the conversionof
Saul, of whose history we shall shortly hear more. When he had said this —
Calmly resigning his soulinto the Saviour’s hand, with a sacredserenity, in
the midst of this furious assault, he sweetlyfell asleep — Leaving the traces of
a gentle composure, rather than a horror, upon his breathless corpse.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
7:54-60 Nothing is so comfortable to dying saints, or so encouraging to
suffering saints, as to see Jesus atthe right hand of God: blessedbe God, by
faith we may see him there. Stephen offeredup two short prayers in his dying
moments. Our Lord Jesus is God, to whom we are to seek, andin whom we
are to trust and comfort ourselves, living and dying. And if this has been our
care while we live, it will be our comfort when we die. Here is a prayer for his

55. persecutors. Thoughthe sin was very great, yet if they would lay it to their
hearts, God would not lay it to their charge. Stephendied as much in a hurry
as ever any man did, yet, when he died, the words used are, he fell asleep;he
applied himself to his dying work with as much composure as if he had been
going to sleep. He shall awake againin the morning of the resurrection, to be
receivedinto the presence of the Lord, where is fulness of joy, and to share the
pleasures that are at his right hand, for evermore.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Calling upon God - The word God is not in the original, and should not have
been in the translation. It is in none of the ancientmss. or versions. It should
have been rendered, "Theystoned Stephen, invoking, or calling upon, and
saying, Lord Jesus," etc. Thatis, he was engaged"inprayer" to the Lord
Jesus. The word is used to express "prayer" in the following, among other
places:2 Corinthians 1:23, "I callGod to witness";1 Peter1:17, "And if ye
call on the Father," etc.;Acts 2:21, "whosoevershall call on the name of the
Lord," etc.; Acts 9:14; Acts 22:16;Romans 10:12-14. This was, therefore, an
act of worship; a solemn invocationof the Lord Jesus, in the most interesting
circumstances in which a man can be placed - in his dying moments. And this
shows that it is right to worship the Lord Jesus, and to pray to him. For if
Stephen was inspired, it settles the question. The example of an inspired man
in such circumstances is a safe and correctexample. If it should be said that
the inspiration of Stephen cannotbe made out, yet the inspiration of Luke,
who has recordedit, will not be called into question. Then the following
circumstances show that he, an inspired man, regardedit as right, and as a
proper example to be followed:
(1) He has recordedit without the slightestexpressionof an opinion that it
was improper. On the contrary, there is every evidence that he regardedthe
conduct of Stephen in this case as right and praiseworthy. There is, therefore,
this attestationto its propriety.
(2) the Spirit who inspired Luke knew what use would be made of this case.
He knew that it would be used as an example, and as an evidence that it was
right to worship the Lord Jesus. It is one of the caseswhichhas been used to

56. perpetuate the worship of the Lord Jesus in every age. If it was wrong, it is
inconceivable that it should be recorded without some expressionof
disapprobation.
(3) the case is strikingly similar to that recordedin John 20:28, where Thomas
offered worship to the Lord Jesus "as his God," without reproof. If Thomas
did it in the presence ofthe Saviour without reproof, it was right. If Stephen
did it without any expressionof disapprobation from the inspired historian, it
was right.
(4) these examples were used to encourage Christians and Christian martyrs
to offer homage to Jesus Christ. Thus, Pliny, writing to the Emperor Trajan,
and giving an accountof the Christians in Bithynia, says that they were
accustomedto meet and "sing hymns to Christ as to God" (Latriner).
(5) it is worthy of remark that Stephen, in his death, offeredthe same act of
homage to Christ that Christ himself did to the Father when he died, Luke
23:46. From all these considerations, itfollows that the Lord Jesus is a proper
objectof worship; that in most solemn circumstances itis right to call upon
him, to worship him, and to commit our dearestinterests to his hands. If this
may be done, he is divine.
Receive my spirit - That is, receive it to thyself; take it to thine abode in
heaven.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
59, 60. calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, &c.—Anunhappy
supplement of our translators is the word "God" here;as if, while addressing
the Son, he was really calling upon the Father. The sense is perfectly clear
without any supplement at all—"calling upon [invoking] and saying, Lord
Jesus";Christ being the Persondirectly invoked and addressedby name
(compare Ac 9:14). Even Grotius, De Wette, Meyer, &c., admit this, adding
severalother examples of direct prayer to Christ; and Pliny, in his well-known
letter to the Emperor Trajan (A.D. 110 or 111), says it was part of the regular
Christian service to sing, in alternate strains, a hymn to Christ as God.

57. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit—In presenting to Jesus the identical prayer
which He Himself had on the cross offeredto His Father, Stephen renders to
his glorified Lord absolute divine worship, in the most sublime form, and at
the most solemnmoment of his life. In this commitment of his spirit to Jesus,
Paul afterwards followedhis footsteps with a calm, exultant confidence that
with Him it was safe for eternity (2Ti 1:12).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Stephen calledupon him whom he saw standing, and that was our Saviour.
My spirit; or, my soul: thus our Saviour commended his spirit into his
Father’s hands, Luke 23:46 and this disciple imitates his Master, and comforts
himself with this, that to be sure his soul should be safe, whateverbecame of
his body.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And they stonedStephen, calling upon God,.... As he was praying, and putting
up the following petition;
and saying, Lord Jesus receive my Spirit; from whence we learn, that the
spirit or soulof man sleeps not, nor dies with the body, but remains after
death; that Jesus Christ is a fit person to commit and commend the care of the
soul unto immediately upon its separation;and that he must be truly and
properly God; not only because he is equal to such a charge, whichnone but
God is, but because divine worship and adorationare here given him. This is
so glaring a proof of prayer being made unto him, that some Socinians,
perceiving the force of it, would read the word Jesus in the genitive case, thus;
"Lord of Jesus receive my Spirit": as if the prayer was made to the Father of
Christ, when it is Jesus he saw standing at the right hand of God, whom he
invokes, and who is so frequently called Lord Jesus;whereas the Fatheris
never called the Lord of Jesus;and besides, these words are used in like
manner in the vocative case, inRevelation22:20 to which may be added, that
the Syriac version reads, "our Lord Jesus";and the Ethiopic version, "my
Lord Jesus".

58. Geneva Study Bible
And they stonedStephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Acts 7:59-60. Ἐπικαλούμενον]while he was invoking. Whom? is evident from
the address which follows.
κύριε Ἰησοῦ] both to be takenas vocatives (Revelation22:20)according to the
formal expressionκύριος Ἰησοῦς (Gersdorf, Beitr. p. 292 ff.), with which the
apostolic church designates Jesus as the exaltedLord, not only of His church,
but of the world, in the government of which He is installed as σύνθρονος of
the Fatherby His exaltation (Php 2:6 ff.), until the final completionof His
office (1 Corinthians 15:28);comp. Acts 10:36. Stephen invoked Jesus;for he
had just beheld Him standing ready to help him. As to the invocation of Christ
generally(relative worship, conditioned by the relation of the exaltedChrist
to the Father), see on Romans 10:12; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Php 2:10.
δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου] namely, to thee in heavenuntil the future resurrection.
Comp. on Php 1:26, remark. “Fecistime victorem, recipe me in triumphum,”
Augustine.
φωνῇ μεγάλῃ]the last expenditure of his strength of love, the fervour of which
also disclosesitselfin the kneeling.
μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τ. ἁμαρτ. ταύτ.]fix not this sin (of my murder) upon them.
This negative expressioncorresponds quite to the positive: ἀφιέναι τὴν
ἁμαρτίαν, to let the sin go as regards its relation of guilt, instead of fixing it

59. for punishment. Comp. Romans 10:3; Sir 44:21-22;1Ma 13:38; 1Ma 14:28;
1Ma 15:4, al. The notion, “to make availing” (de Wette), i.e. to impute,
corresponds to the thought, but is not denoted by the word. Linguistically
correctis also the rendering: “weighnot this sin to them,” as to which the
comparisonof ‫קָׁש‬ ַ‫ל‬ is not needed(Matthew 26:15;Plat. Tim. p. 63 B, Prot. p.
356 B, Pol. x. p. 602 D; Xen. Cyr. viii. 2. 21; Valcken. Diatr. p. 288 A). In this
view the sense wouldbe: Determine not the weightof the sin (comp. Acts
25:7), considernot how heavy it is. But our explanation is to be preferred,
because it corresponds more completely to the prayer of Jesus, Luke 23:34,
which is evidently the pattern of Stephen in his request, only saying negatively
what that expresses positively. In the case ofsuch as Saul what was askedtook
place;comp. Oecumenius. In the similarity of the last words of Stephen, Acts
7:59 with Luke 23:34;Luke 23:40 (as also of the words δέξαι τὸ πν. μου with
Luke 23:46), Baur, with whom Zeller agrees,seesanindication of their
unhistorical character;as if the example of the dying Jesus might not have
sufficiently suggesteditselfto the first martyr, and proved sufficient motive
for him to die with similar love and self-devotion.
ἐκοιμήθη]“lugubre verbum et suave,” Bengel;on accountof the euphemistic
nature of the word, never used of the dying of Christ. See on 1 Corinthians
15:18.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Acts 7:59. καὶ ἐλιθ. τὸν Σ. ἐπικ.: imperf., as in Acts 7:58, “quia res morte
demum [60] perficitur,” Blass. ἐπικ., presentparticiple, denoting, it would
seem, the continuous appeal of the martyr to his Lord. Zeller, Overbeck and
Baur throw doubt upon the historicaltruth of the narrative on accountof the
manner in which the Sanhedrists’action is divided betweenan utter absence
of formal proceedings and a punctilious observance ofcorrectformalities;but
on the other hand Wendt, note, p. 195 (1888), points out with much force that
an excited and tumultuous crowd, even in the midst of a high-handed and
illegalact, might observe some legalforms, and the description given by St.
Luke, so far from proceeding from one who through ignorance was unable to

60. distinguish betweena legalexecutionand a massacre,impresses us rather
with a sense oftruthfulness from the very fact that no attempt is made to
draw such a distinction of nicely balanced justice, less or more. The real
difficulty lies in the relations which the scene presupposes betweenthe Roman
Government and the Sanhedrim. No doubt at this period the latter did not
possessthe power to inflict capital punishment (Schürer, JewishPeople, div.
ii., vol. i., p. 187, E.T.), as is evident from the trial of our Lord. But it may well
be that at the time of Stephen’s murder Roman authority was somewhat
relaxed in Judæa. Pilate had just been suspended from his functions, or was
on the point of being so, and he may wellhave been tired of refusing the
madness and violence of the Jews, as Renansupposes, orat all events he may
well have refrained, owing to his bad odour with them, from calling them to
accountfor their illegal actionin the case before us (see McGiffert, Apostolic
Age, p. 91). It is of course possible that the stoning took place with the
connivance of the Jewishauthorities, as Weizsâckerallows,orthat there was
an interval longer than Acts supposes betweenthe trial of Stephen and his
actualexecution, during which the sanctionof the Romans was obtained. In
the absence ofexactdates it is difficult to see why the events before us should
not have been transactedduring the interregnum betweenthe departure of
Pontius Pilate, to answerbefore Tiberius for his misgovernment, and the
arrival of Marcellus, the next Procurator. If this was so, we have an exact
historicalparallel in the illegalmurder of James the Just, who was tried
before the high priest, and stonedto death, since Ananias thought that he had
a goodopportunity for his violence when Festus was dead, and Albinus was
still upon his road (Jos., Ant., xx., 9, 1). But if this suggestionofan
interregnum is not free from difficulties, we may further take into
considerationthe fact that the same Roman officer, Vitellius, prefect of Syria,
who had causedPilate to be sent to Rome in disgrace, was anxious atthe same
time to receive Jewishsupport, and determined to effecthis objectby every
means in his power. Josephus, Ant., xviii., 4, 2–5, tells us that Vitellius sent a
friend of his own, Marcellus, to manage the affairs of Judæa, and that, not
content with this, he went up to Jerusalemhimself to conciliate the Jews by
open regard for their religion, as well as by the remission of taxation. It is
therefore not difficult to conceive that both the murder of Stephen and the
persecutionwhich followed were connived at by the Roman government; see,

61. in addition to the above references, Rendall’s Acts, Introd., p. 19 ff.; Farrar,
St. Paul, i., p. 648 ff., and note, p. 649. But this solution of the difficulty places
the date of Saul’s conversionsomewhatlate—A.D. 37—andis entirely at
variance with the earlierchronologyadopted not only by Harnack (so too by
McGiffert), but here by Ramsay, St. Paul, 376, 377, who places St. Stephen’s
martyrdom in A.D. 33 at the latest. In the accountof the death of Stephen,
Wendt, following Weiss, Sorof, Clemen, Hilgenfeld, regards Acts 7:58 b, Acts
8:1 a, 3, as evidently additions of the redactor, although he declines to follow
Weiss and Hilgenfeld in passing the same judgment on Acts 7:55 (and 56,
according to H.), and on the last words of Stephen in Acts 7:59 b. The second
ἐλιθοβόλουνin 59b, which Hilgenfeld assigns to his redactor, and Wendt now
refers to the action of the witnesses, as distinctfrom that of the whole crowd,
is repeatedwith dramatic effect, heightenedby the present participle, ἐπικ.,
“ruthless violence on the one side, answeredby continuous appeals to heaven
on the other”; see Rendall’s note, in loco.—ἐπικ.:“calling upon the Lord,”
R.V. (“calling upon God,” A.V.), the former seems undoubtedly to be rightly
suggestedby the words of the prayer which follow—onthe force of the word
see above, Acts 2:21.—Κύριε Ἰησοῦ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου: a direct prayer to
our Lord, cf. for its significance and reality, Zahn, “Die Anbetung Jesu”
(Skizzen aus dem Leben der alten Kirche, pp. 9, 288), Liddon, Our Lord’s
Divinity, lect. vii.; cf. Luke 23:46. (Weiss canonly see an imitation of Luke,
and an interpolation here, because the kneeling, and also another word follow
before the surrender of the spirit; but see on the other hand the remarks of
Wendt, note, p. 196.)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
59. And they stonedStephen, calling upon God] The lastword is supplied to
make the sense clearin English, but from the words which follow it is better to
read “the Lord” instead of “God,” for it is the Lord Jesus who is invoked.
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit] i.e. at its departure from my body;
which he knew was soonto take place.
Bengel's Gnomen

62. Acts 7:59. Κύριε Ἰησοῦ, Lord Jesus)Stephen still confessesHis name.
Θεὶς, laying down [resting on his knees])He was not able to do so previously:
yet he was able to pray, being more unimpeded in mind than in body. At the
same time the knees being laid down, so as to kneel, more properly accords
with his intercessionfor the sin of his enemies.—φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, witha loud
voice)with boldness of speech;in order that those raising the tumult might
hear.—Κύριε, Lord) He calls the same Jesus, Lord. Dying persons ought to
invoke Him.—ἁμαρτίαν, sin) It is not inconsistentwith maintaining patience
to call sin, sin.—ἐκοιμήθη, he fell asleep)A mournful but sweetword. This
proto-martyr had (strange to say)all the very apostles as his survivors.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 59. - The Lord (in italics)for God (in italics), A.V. The A.V. is certainly
not justified by the context, because the words which follow, "Lord Jesus,"
show to whom the invocation was made, even to him whom he saw standing at
the right hand of God. At the same time, the request, Receive my spirit, was a
striking acknowledgmentof the divinity of Christ. Only he who gave the spirit
could receive it back again, and keepit safe unto the resurrection. Compare
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
Vincent's Word Studies
Calling upon God
God is not in the Greek. From the vision just described, and from the prayer
which follows, it is evident that Jesus is meant. So Rev., the Lord.
Jesus
An unquestionable prayer to Christ.

63. PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Acts 7:59 They went on stoning Stephen as he calledon the Lord and said,
"Lord Jesus, receivemy spirit!" (NASB: Lockman)
KJV Acts 7:59 And they stonedStephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.
called Acts 2:21; 9:14,21;22:16;Joel2:32; Ro 10:12-14;1 Cor 1:2
Lord Ps 31:5; Luke 23:46
Acts 7 Resources -Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
THE FIRST OF
TWO PRAYERS
They went on stoning Stephen - Stoning is lithoboleo still in the the imperfect
tense, one stone after another!
Stephen (4736)(stephanosfrom stepho = to encircle, twine or wreathe)means
crown. It was "the victor's crown," a symbol of triumph in the Grecian
athletic games. How fitting that it is the name of this godly saint who paid the
highest price when he was stoned for speaking the truth of the Gospel!The
related word is stephanos (4735)was a wreathmade of foliage or designedto
resemble foliage and worn by one of high status or held in high regard. The
stephanos was literally an adornment worn around the head as a crown of
victory in the Greek athletic games, this rewardbeing given to the runner who
crossedthe goalfirst, to the disc thrower with the longesttoss, etc. Apart from
recognitionof athletes and winners of various kinds of competitions, in the
Greco-Romanworld, the awarding of a crownor wreathsignified
appreciationfor exceptionalcontributions to the state or groups within it. The
recipients were usually public officials or civic-minded persons serving at
their own expense.

64. As he calledon the Lord and said - This is first of two prayers, the lastwords
on the lips of Stephen. What a way to die! Praying! And to think how easily
we get distracted in our praying! Try a few stones hitting you in the head! We
certainly would not fall asleep, as I have been known to do early in the
morning!
He called (present tense)(1941)(epikaleomai)is in the middle voice which
means Stephen was calling upon Jesus in the sense ofpraying.
G Campbell Morganhas an interesting comment that "“The fires…inthe
olden days never made martyrs; they revealedthem. No hurricane of
persecutionever creates martyrs; it reveals them. Stephen was a martyr
before they stoned him. He was the first martyr to sealhis testimony with his
blood.”
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! - Normally we think of prayer "in His Name."
While Jesus Himself instructed us to pray beginning with "Our Father," (Mt
6:9), we see here that prayer to Jesus Himself is not forbidden.
Receive (1209)(dechomai= middle voice) means to be receptive to someone, to
welcome, to accept, to show hospitality, to take a favorable attitude toward
something. Stephen is asking Jesus to put the "welcomemat" out for him!
What a greatpicture!
Stephen's works recallhis Lord's similar words
And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I
COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last.(Luke 23:46+)
David's words would be apropos to Stephen...
Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomedme, O LORD, God of
truth. (Ps 31:5)
As an aside clearly Stephen believes the moment he falls asleep, he will enter
into eternallife in the presence ofJesus. He would have believed Paul's words
we are of goodcourage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body
and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Cor 5:8+)

65. There was no waiting in queue (a line of people waiting to see Jesus!) In a
word, there is no such thing as the non-Biblical teaching of Purgatory nor of
"SoulSleep."
RelatedResources:
What does the Bible say about Purgatory?
What does the Bible say about soul sleep?
What does it mean to be absent from the body?
What happens after death?
What does the Bible say about Limbo?
Blind Chang - The BoxerRebellionin China was the largestmassacre of
Protestantmissionaries in history, with 188 adults and children being killed.
Thirty thousand Chinese Christians also perished during the summer of 1900
at the hands of the Boxers. Among them was Chang Shen, the best known
evangelistin Manchuria.
Chang had been a notorious characterprior to his conversion—a gambler,
thief, and womanizer. At midlife he lost his eyesight, and neighbors
consideredit a judgment from God. Hearing of a missionary hospital in a
distant area, Chang traveled hundreds of miles only to find all the beds full.
The hospital chaplain kindly gave him his own bed, and over time, doctors
partially restoredChang’s vision. In the process they introduced him to Jesus
Christ.
When Chang askedfor baptism, missionaryJames Webstertold him, “Go
home and tell your neighbors you have changed. I’ll visit you later, and if you
are still following Jesus, Iwill baptize you.” When Websterarrived in
Chang’s village five months later, he found hundreds of inquirers.
Chang’s eyesightdidn’t last, but his evangelistic zealdid. He traveled from
village to village, winning hundreds to Christ. Missionariesfollowedin his
wake, baptizing and organizing churches of the converts he had won.

66. When he was finally arrestedby the Boxers, he was put in an open cart and
driven to a nearby graveyard while singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know. …”
At the cemetery, he was shoved into a kneeling position. Three times he
uttered the words of Stephen, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then the sword
slicedthrough his neck like a knife through butter.
The Boxers were so deeply shakenby Chang’s quiet authority that they had
his body drenched in oil and burned, so as to prevent, they thought, his
resurrection. But still apprehensive, they retreated from the area altogether,
thus saving other Christians from being butchered to death. (Robert Morgan -
From this Verse)
David Reed - Acts 7:59–60
Jehovah’s Witnessesneveraddress Jesus in prayer. They have been taught
that their prayers must be directed only to the Father and that they must call
him “Jehovah.” Ifa Witness were overheard praying to Jesus, he would be
put on trial by a judicial committee and would be disfellowshiped unless he
repented of his “sin.”
But the Scripture passageabove clearlyshows Stephenpraying to Jesus
Christ, the risen Lord. (The JW Bible changes “Lord” in v. 60 to “Jehovah,”
but v. 59 still says “Jesus.”)
A Witness may try to claim that Stephen was not praying to Jesus;he was
merely speaking to him face to face, because he saw him in a vision. In that
case, ask the JW to read the context. The vision in verse 56 took place when
Stephen was in Jerusalem, standing trial before the JewishSanhedrin court.
When he told the Jews that he saw a vision of Christ in heaven at the right
hand of the Father, they were filled with fury. They ended the trial, dragged
Stephen out of the court chamber, led him through the city streets, took him
all the way out of the city (v. 57), and then stonedhim. This naturally took a
considerable amount of time. There is no indication that Stephen’s vision as
repeatedagainoutside the city at the time of his stoning. Rather, he was, as
the Scripture states, praying to Jesus

67. Dr. Jack L. Arnold
Lesson#18
ACTS
Stephen, The Martyr
Acts 7:54-8:1
Have you ever given much thought to the fact that somedayyou might have to
die as a martyr for your Christian beliefs? A martyr's death is somewhat
remote for most of us because we live in the U.S.A. which has a constitution
which guarantees separationofchurch and state and the right to worship God
as one's consciencemay dictate. Martyrdom is like a fairy tale to most
American Christians, but Christians in various parts of this world are
suffering persecutionand dying for their Christian convictions at this very
hour. Martyrdom has been a regular experience for many throughout the
history of the church, and it may yet become our lot in America if separation
of church and state is not honored by our government.
Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian church. He was a brilliant
young man who was probably a businessman in Jerusalemand a deaconin
the localchurch at Jerusalem. He was an outstanding teacherof the Word of
God and some think if his life would not have been taken early, he would have
been called“The Teacher”ofthe first century in the Christian church.
Stephen was a progressive personwho led the way in making a smooth
transition from Old Covenant worship to New Covenantworship. He was a

68. spiritual man, full of wisdom, full of power, full of grace, full of faith and full
of the Holy Spirit. It was a young man, full of zeal and the Holy Spirit, that
God chose to be the first martyr for the Faith. Young men are idealists,
loaded with zealand bold as a lion. Stephen had all the qualifications to be a
greatman of God on earth but instead God made him a greatsaint in heaven.
Stephen preachedhis greatsermon before the Sanhedrin whereby, through
giving the history of Israelfrom Abraham to King Solomon, he defended the
charges ofthe Sanhedrin that he was guilty of blasphemy againstGodand
Moses because he spoke againstthe Temple and the Law of Moses. Whenhe
finished giving the history of Israel, he turned the tables - the prisoner became
the prosecutor - and he accusedthe Sanhedrin of being guilty of constantly
resisting the Holy Spirit of God because they were a stubborn, hard and
stiffneckedpeople who would not take the yoke of Christ. “You men who are
stiffneckedand uncircumcisedin heart and ears are always resisting the Holy
Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51). Furthermore,
Stephen accusedthem of murdering Messiah. "Whichone of the prophets did
your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously
announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers
you have now become” (Acts 7:52). And lastly, he accusedthem of breaking
the Mosaic Law which they claimedto keep. “Youwho receivedthe law as
ordained by angels, and yet did not keepit“ (Acts 7:53). This was the day
when “the prisoner chargedthe judge and the jury with murder.”
HATRED OF TRUTH Acts 7:54
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the quick, and begangnashing
their teeth at him.” -- Upon hearing Stephen's charges againstthe Sanhedrin
and all Israel, the Sanhedrin became furious and enragedwith angeragainst
this young upstart Stephen. Theywere “cut to the heart” or literally “sawn
asunder.” The words of Stephen cut through these Jewishleaders like a buzz

69. saw. Theybegan gnashing their teeth; that is, they were clattering their teeth
as a vicious animal about to tear his victim apart. They were so stirred by the
truth that they could not stand it. Truth cuts and when it is presentedone
must either acceptit or fight againstit. The truth brought conviction to the
Sanhedrin and when convictionof conscience andstubborn resistance are
combined, there is hardness of heart, rage, fury and anger. Truth never
leaves a person neutral; it will drive a person to yield or balk. Truth drives a
person to a decision, just as the truth was driving the Sanhedrin to crown
Christ or crucify Him again by putting Stephen to death.
Jesus told us that He came to divide people because He is the truth and
preaches the truth.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword. ForI came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER,
AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-
LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL
BE THE MEMBERSOF HIS HOUSEHOLD” (Matt. 10:34-36).
The natural, unsaved man hates the truth of Christ and refuses to bow to His
lordship. If men resist, buck and even get angry when the truth is presented,
we know that the Holy Spirit is bringing convictionand He is at work in that
stubborn soul.
HEAVENLY VISION Acts 7:55,56
“But being full of the Holy Spirit, gazedintently into heaven and saw the glory
of God.” -- Stephen, probably not aware that he would soondie, had a vision.
Stephen, unaware of his persecutors andhaving a countenance upon his face

70. like an angel, was looking up into heaven. Obviously, he was looking up
towards heaven, seeking divine help. This, of course, should be the attitude of
every Christian.
“If then you have been raised up with Christ, keepseeking the things above,
where Christ is, seatedatthe right hand of God. Setyour mind on the things
above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1,2).
As Stephen was looking towards heaven, God gave him a vision. He saw the
glory of God. Perhaps it was a brilliant light that he saw which was reflective
of the sum total of all the attributes of God. Why did Stephen see the glory of
God? Becausehe knew the God of glory.
Stephen, like many Christians since him, had some kind of a mental vision of
God just before passing out of this world. It is though God is giving His
people a glimpse of heavenbefore they actually getthere. This vision to
Stephen was a remarkable manifestationof Christ's love and presence with
him and it must have been a greatcomfort. I personally believe that Jesus
Christ reveals Himself in a very specialway to every Christian who dies, so
that at the moment of death a Christian knows that Christ goes through death
with him.
“And Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the
heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.’”
This vision is interesting because Stephensaw Jesus standing on the right
hand of God. We are told that after Christ's death and resurrection, He
ascendedinto heaven, taking his seatat the right hand of Godthe Father.
Christ satdown because as our GreatHigh Priest, He had finished His work

71. on the cross and everything necessaryfor salvationwas completed. “When
He had made purification of sins, He satdown at the right hand of the
Majestyon high” (Heb. 1:3b). Christ sat down because His work of
redemption was over. He did everything in His death, resurrectionand
ascensionto gain the salvationof men. Christ has accomplishedsalvation. He
satdown and it is done; it is finished. Now all a seeking sinnermust do is say,
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, fordying for me.” Church membership, baptism,
the Lord's Table, goodworks cannotsave us because Christin His death
alone can save. Absolutely nothing cansave a man from sin but the finished
work of Christ. The Bible says “Christ satdown on the right hand of the
Father.” Yet, here we see Christ standing. Why? Forsome reason, Christ
stoodup momentarily. Why? Could it be that Christ stoodup for the
receiving of the first Christian martyr into heaven? What a way to enter into
heaven! To have the living Christ stand up for a personalgreeting. Perhaps
Christ stands up to greetall Christian martyrs who give their lives for Christ.
Who knows, maybe Christ stands up to greetall Christians who die and enter
into heaven. We know for sure that He stood up for Stephen.
HORRIFYING DEATH Acts 7:57, 58a
“But they cried out with a loud voice, and coveredtheir ears.” -- These
rebellious Jews, under convictionbecause ofhearing the truth, undoubtedly
sensedthat Stephen was in some specialcommunion with God and this made
them more furious and angry. They coveredtheir ears so they could not hear
the truth and they shouted in outbursts of passionso as to vent their angry
feelings. It seems at this point that all pandemonium broke loose (lynch law
was in force)but there was some legalbasis for the stoning of Stephen.
“And they rushed upon him with one impulse. And when they had driven him
out of the city, they beganstoning him.” -- The process ofstoning has an Old
Testamentbasis. “Bring the one who has cursedoutside the camp, and let all

72. who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregationstone
him” (Lev. 24:14). “The hand of the witnessesshallbe first againsthim to put
him to death, and afterwardthe hand of all the people. So you shall purge the
evil from your midst” (Deut. 17:7). The stoning process in Jewishlaw was
very interesting. The one to be stoned was takento a cliff. The cliff had to be
twice the height of the person being stoned. The crowd, led by the two
witnesses,moved towardthe one to be stoned. About fifteen feet away, they
calledupon the victim to confess. Whenthey got about six feet away, they
took off their outer garments so as to throw the stones more freely. Then the
two witnessesrushed on the personand pushed him over the cliff. He fell to
the ground below and two people turned the victim face up. If he was still
living, the two witnesses pickedup huge stones to stone the victim. Then the
crowdwould begin to throw stones until the victim was a mass of broken
bones and a bloody mess. Stoning was an unpleasant and hideous death and
the Jews did not like to use it, but in Stephen's case theywere anxious to put
him to death by any means.
This was a very painful death for Stephen. Was Godreally with him at this
moment? Did God forsake him? Could Stephen really sing, “How Firm a
Foundation?”
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He saythan to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavorto shake,

73. I'll never, no never, no never forsake!
Yes, he could: God did not deliver Stephen from death but he did deliver him
through death. Sometimes, as in the case ofPeterand John, God delivers men
from death but in the case ofStephen He delivered him through death. We
will never know for sure on this side of glory why God delivered Peterand
John from death and delivered Stephen through death. Yet, Godis God and
He does as He pleases in heaven and earth, and whatever He does is right.
There is the story of a Presbyterian missionary and his wife serving in the
northern part of Ethiopia. One day, as they labored in a mission hospital, a
band of rebels came and kidnapped the wife and a nurse who had been
assisting them. The nurse was shot; the missionary's wife was held as hostage.
As the husband, absolutelytorn apart by what had happened to his young,
pregnant wife, searchedfor an answer, he turned to Romans 11:33, and read
it to the group around him. “0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge ofGod! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out!”
HOSTILE OBSERVER Acts 7:58b
“And the witnesseslaid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named
Saul.” -- This is our first introduction to the young, brilliant Pharisee Saulof
Tarsus in the Book of Acts, although we have reasonto believe that Saul was
probably attending the synagogue where Stephenpreached and he may have
been part of the Sanhedrin. Saul of Tarsus, laterto become the Apostle Paul,
observedthe stoning of Stephen because the stoners gave Saul their robes.
Undoubtedly Saul had heard Stephen's address before the Sanhedrin and he
despisedeverything Stephen said about Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul,
however, could not getawayfrom the truth that Stephen preachednor could

74. he erase from his mind his beautiful countenance and spirit when he was
stoned. Stephen was God's messengerto getPaul ready to become a
Christian. Without Stephen, there would never have been an Apostle Paul.
St. Augustine said, “If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have
had Paul.” Saulhated all that Stephen stoodfor, “And Saul was in hearty
agreementwith putting him to death” (Acts 8:1). We shall see in another
messagehow God supernaturally intervened into Saul's life to save him, but it
was Stephen who God used to prepare him for the time when he would be
saved.
Out of Stephen came Paul. What seemedto be a human tragedy was usedby
God to be a great blessing for the church. Stephen's death meant the birth of
Paul. Beloved, wouldyou give your life in martyrdom or watchyour children
give their lives in martyrdom if you knew that from your death or their deaths
would come greatblessing for the church? Perhaps some greatChristian
leaderwould come through this kind of martyr's death.
How many of us remember the names Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, Roger
Youderian, Nate Saint and Jim Elliot? These men gave their lives in the
reaching of the Auca Indians for Christ. It all seemeda tragedy but through
their deaths the whole Auca tribe has been reachedfor Christ and thousands
of young people in America were challengedto give their lives to missionary
work.
This merely tells that the more the church is persecuted, the more the truth is
rejected, the more the church grows numerically and spiritually. Augustine
said, “The blood of martyrs is the seedof the church.” Tertullian said, “The
more you mow us down, the more we grow.”

75. A few years ago when the rebellions were taking place in old Congo many
nationals and missionaries losttheir lives for Christ. The missionaries were
driven out and the nationals were driven underground. At that time there
were about 35,000 Christians in one province in Congo. When the
missionaries returned about a year later, they found that the numbers of
Christians had swelledto 70,000. “The bloodof martyrs is the seedof the
church.”
HUMBLE ACCEPTANCEOF DEATH Acts 7:59
“And they went on stoning Stephen as he calledupon the Lord and said,
‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’” -- As he was being stoned, realizing death
was imminent, Stephen prayed to the Lord and said, “Receivemy spirit.” He
was asking Christ to receive his spirit or the immaterial side of him into
heaven. Deathto a Christian is the passing of the human spirit and soul into
the presence ofJesus Christ. This is very clearly taught in the New
Testament.
“We are of goodcourage, Isay, and prefer to be absent from the body and to
be at home with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8).
“Forto me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philip. 1 :21).
At the moment of death, Stephen's spirit passedinto the presence ofChrist
who was standing to greethim. Stephen did not say, “receive my spirit into
limbo” or “receive my spirit into purgatory” or “receive my spirit into endless
eons of unconsciousnessduring soul sleep.” No, he said, “Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit” and Stephen knew he was passing into the presence of Christ
forever.

76. John Calvin said, “It is an inestimable comfort to know that when our souls
leave our bodies they do not wander about haphazardly, but are takeninto
Christ's safe protection, if only we place them in His hands.”
Notice that Stephen called Jesus “Lord,” a title for deity. He was saying in
front of these Christ-rejecting Jews, “Jehovah-Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Stephen prayed to Christ because Christ is God and he knew that only God
had the power to give him or any man entrance into heaven. This is a clear
testimony to the early Christian's certain belief in the deity of Christ.
Stephen died with a humble acceptanceofdeath, knowing that he was going
home to be with the Lord Jesus, his God. He did not fight dying, knowing that
it was part of God's plan for his life. Stephen was not only delivered through
death but he was delivered to death, for it was God's will that he should die.
God had this whole situation under His control.
Stephen died in a way pleasing to God. He died in the midst of service to
Christ. He died with a sweetspirit. He died a martyr's death which was
pleasing to Christ. We should all desire to die with the same kind of attitude
and, if Godwills it, we should desire to die a martyr's death. Justas Stephen
was calm, confident and fearless in the face of death so should eachChristian
display this same kind of strength at death. A positive attitude in Christ at
death is one of the most powerful testimonies for Christ.
HEART FOR MURDERERS Acts 7:60a
“And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold
this sin againstthem!’” -- We are told Stephen cried out with a “loud” voice,

77. but this was not so God could hear but so the crowdcould hear. Why?
BecauseStephenwanted them to know he had the same spirit towards those
who murdered him as the Lord Jesus Christ had towards His murderers who
said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:24).
Stephen wanted his killers to know that there is forgiveness for every kind of
sin, even murder. Stephen had no bitterness and no resentment towards his
enemies. He had learnedthe teaching of his Lord well which was, “Prayfor
your enemies.” “ButI sayto you, love your enemies, and pray for those who
persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Stephen, by saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin
againstthem,” was showing to the unbelieving world that even in death God is
doing the supernatural work in a believer's life to make him more Christlike.
How many folk there are who have had s. goodtestimony for Christ in life in
their younger years but as they grew older they became embittered with life
and grew cold towards the realities of Christ, so that they died a death not
honoring to Christ. Often people as they grow older do not want to grow
spiritually. They stay on a plateau and, therefore, they never getprepared to
face death honestly and realisticallyand with a sweetspirit.
HAPPY SLEEP Acts 7:60b
“And having said this, he fell asleep.” -- Stephen died but this death is
describedas falling asleep. The Bible speaks ofsaints falling asleepbut it
never uses this term of unbelievers who die horrible deaths. It is the body
which sleeps, not the spirit, for the spirit goes to be with Christ. The body
waits the reuniting of the spirit of the dead saint at the resurrection. When
Christ comes forthe church at the secondadvent He will come with the saints;
that is, saints who have died. “So that He may establishyour hearts
unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord
Jesus with all His saints” (I Thess. 3:13). Christian death is referred to as
sleep. When a man is literally asleep, he is still living. When he is asleep, he is

78. resting. When he is sleeping, he is going to awake. Deathfor the Christian is
sleepfor the body and the removal of the spirit into the presence ofChrist,
waiting for the resurrection. Death, then, is falling asleepand waking up in
Christ's loving arms.
Deathin generalis not as important to God as it is to us. Godhas the power
to give and take life as He wills. However, the death of a saint is very
important to God. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His
godly ones (saints)” (Psa.116:15). Godis happy, delighted and hilarious when
a saint dies because one of His children has come home to heaven. When
death comes, we cry and display sadness (as we should) but these are selfish
tears because ofthe thought of separation. Deathto us may be painful. We
may not like the thought of death and our human natures recoil at death
because it is the lastenemy, but God loves the death of a Christian. “Blessed
(happy) are the dead who die in the lord from now on” (Rev. 14:3).
CONCLUSION
Saved. What simple lessons canwe learn from the death of Stephen? First,
Stephen is a witness to the reality of the unseen and the supremacy of the
spiritual. His life was not wasted. His life was not a tragedy. His life and
death was a testimony to the glory of God. Second, a man does not have to
have a long ministry to have an effective ministry. Stephen's ministry was cut
short but out of that ministry came the Apostle Paul. Third, whether a
Christian dies as a martyr or by natural causes,his death canpowerful
testimony to the unbelieving world which has no hope. Fourth, Stephen's
name means “crown” in the Greek. Mr. Crownreceivedthe martyr's crown,
and will one day throw it at the feet of Jesus at the Judgment Seat. “Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Fifth,
Stephen's life is a prototype of all Christian martyrs. The Book ofActs in one
sense neverclosedand we are still writing it today. In this day and age, there

79. will still be some God will cause to lay down lives for Christ. In our day and
in our country, the opposition is sharpening, open hostilities towards Christ
are emerging. The opposition is getting more vicious, more furious and more
bold. As Christians continue to confront this world and our nation with the
truth of Christ, the conflict will intensify, the depravity of man will become
more evident, and the battle betweenlight and darkness may break forth like
a volcano erupting. We may find ourselves being martyred for the truth.
Remember, there is a specialcrownfor martyrs.
May we always be able to sing this hymn, For All the Saints:
“Forall the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, 0 Jesus, be forever blest.
Thou wasttheir rock, their fortress and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
0, may the soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor's crown of God!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!”

80. Unsaved. Are you without Christ? Wouldn't it be wonderful if you would
come to faith in Christ by the testimony, preaching and example of Stephen?
Recognize your need of Christ and turn to Him for salvation. Do not be
stiffneckedand stubborn. Do not hold your ears from the truth. Please do
not leave today without recognizing Him whom to know is life eternal. It is
just as simple as saying, “Thank you Lord Jesus for dying for my sins. I take
you as my personalLord and Savior.” In a moment of time you will pass
from death to life, from darkness to light. May God grant you grace to make
this decisionfor Christ.
WILLIAM BARCLAY
THE FIRST OF THE MARTYRS (Acts 7:54-60;Acts 8:1)
7:54-60 As they listened to this their very hearts were torn with vexation and
they gnashedtheir teeth at him. But he was full of the Holy Spirit and he
gazedsteadfastlyinto heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at
God's right hand. So he said, "Look now, I see the heavens openedand the
Son of Man standing at God's right hand." They shouted with a greatshout
and held their ears and launched themselves at him in a body. They flung him
outside the city and beganto stone him. And the witnessesplacedtheir
garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. So they stonedStephen as he
calledupon Godand said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Kneeling down he
cried with a loud voice, "Lord, setnot this sin to their charge." And when he
had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul fully agreedwith his death.
A speechlike this could only have one end; Stephen had courted death and
death came. But Stephen did not see the faces distortedwith rage. His gaze
had gone beyond time and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
When he said this it seemedto them only the greatestofblasphemies; and the
penalty for blasphemy was stoning to death (Deuteronomy 13:6 ff.). It is to be
noted that this was no judicial trial. It was a lynching, because the Sanhedrin
had no right to put anyone to death.

81. The method of stoning was as follows. The criminal was takento a height and
thrown down. The witnesseshad to do the actualthrowing down. If the fall
killed the man goodand well; if not, greatboulders were hurled down upon
him until he died.
There are in this scene certainnotable things about Stephen. (i) We see the
secretof his courage. Beyondall that men could do to him he saw awaiting
him the welcome of his Lord. (ii) We see Stephen following his Lord's
example. As Jesus prayed for the forgiveness ofhis executioners (Luke 23:34)
so did Stephen. When George Wishartwas to be executed, the executioner
hesitated. Wishart came to him and kissedhim. "Lo," he said, "here is a
tokenthat I forgive thee." The man who follows Christ the whole way will
find strength to do things which it seems humanly impossible to do. (iii) The
dreadful turmoil finished in a strange peace. To Stephencame the peace
which comes to the man who has done the right thing even if the right thing
kills him.
The first half of the first verse of chapter 8 goes with this section. Saulhas
entered on the scene. The man who was to become the apostle to the Gentiles
thoroughly agreedwith the executionof Stephen. But as Augustine said, "The
Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen." Howeverhard he tried Saul
could never forgetthe way in which Stephen had died. The blood of the
martyrs even thus early had begun to be the seedof the Church.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)
CALVIN
Verse 59

82. And the witnesses. Luke signifieth, that evenin that tumult they observed
some show of judgment. This was not commanded in vain that the witnesses
should throw the first stone; because, seeing they must commit the murder
with their own hands, many are holden with a certain dread, who otherwise
are less afraid to cut the throats of the innocent with perjury of the tongue.
But in the mean season, we gatherhow blind and mad the ungodliness of these
witnesses was, who are not afraid to imbrue their bloody hands with the blood
of an innocent, who had already committed murder with their tongues.
Whereas he saith, that their clothes were laid down at the feetof Saul, he
showeththat there was no let in him, but that being castinto a reprobate
sense he might have perished with the rest. (483)For who would not think
that he was a desperate, [desperado,]who had infected his youth with such
cruelty? (484)Neither is his age expressedto lessenhis fault, as some
unskillful men go about to prove; for he was of those years, that want of
knowledge couldno whit excuse him. And Luke will shortly after declare, that
he was sent by the high priest to persecute the faithful. Therefore he was no
child, he might well be counted a man. Why, then, is his youth mentioned?
That every man may considerwith himself what greathurt he might have
done in God’s Church, unless Christ had bridled him betimes. And therein
appeareth a most notable token both of God’s power and also of his grace, in
that he tamed a fierce and wild beastin his chief fury, even in a moment, and
in that he extolled a miserable murderer so highly who through his
wickednesswas drownedalmostin the deep pit of hell.
59.Calling on. Because he had uttered words enough before men, though in
vain, he turneth himself now unto God for goodcauses,and armeth himself
with prayer to suffer all things. Foralthough we have need to run unto God’s
help every minute of an hour during our whole warfare, yet we have greatest
need to call upon God in the lastconflict, which is the hardest.
And Luke expressethagainhow furious mad they were, becausetheir cruelty
was not assuagedevenwhen they saw the servant of Christ praying humbly.
Furthermore, here is set down a prayer of Stephen having two members. In
the former member, where he commendeth his spirit to Christ, he showeththe
constancyof his faith. In the other, where he prayeth for his enemies, he
testifieth his love towards men. Forasmuchas the whole perfection of

83. godliness consistethupon [of] these two parts, we have in the death of Stephen
a rare example of a godly and holy death. It is to be thought that he used
many more words, but the sum tendeth to this end.
Lord Jesus. I have already said, that this prayer was a witness of confidence;
and surely the courageousnessand violentness (485)of Stephen was great,
that when as he saw the stones fly about his ears, wherewithhe should be
stoned by and by; when as he heareth cruel curses and reproaches againsthis
head, he yet stayethhimself meekly (486)upon the grace ofChrist. In like
sort, the Lord will have his servants to be brought to nought as it were
sometimes, to the end their salvationmay be the more wonderful, And let us
define this salvationnot by the understanding of our flesh, (487)but by faith.
We see how Stephen leaneth not unto the judgment of the flesh, but rather
assuring himself, even in very destruction, that he shall be saved, he suffereth
death with a quiet mind. For undoubtedly he was assuredof this, that our life
is hid with Christ in God, (Colossians3:3.)
Therefore, casting offall care of the body, he is contentto commit his soul into
the hands of Christ. For he could not pray thus from his heart, unless, having
forgottenthis life, he had castoff all care of the same.
It behoveth us with David (Psalms 31:6) to commit our souls into the hands of
God daily so long as we are in the world, because we are environed with a
thousand deaths, that God may deliver our life from all dangers;but when we
must die indeed, and we are calledthereunto, we must fly unto this prayer,
that Christ will receive our spirit. For he commended his own spirit into the
hands of his Father, to this end, that he may keepours for ever. This is an
inestimable comfort, in that we know our souls do not wander up and down
(488)when they flit out of our bodies, but that Christ receiveth them, that he
may keepthem faithfully, if we commend them into his hands. This hope
ought to encourage us to suffer death patiently. Yea, whosoevercommendeth
his soulto Christ with an earnestaffectionof faith, he must needs resign
himself wholly to his pleasure and will. And this place doth plainly testify that
the soulof man is no vain blast which vanisheth away, as some frantic fellows
imagine dotingly, (489)but that it is an essentialspirit which liveth after this
life. Furthermore, we are taught hereby that we callupon Christ rightly and

84. lawfully, because allpoweris given him of the Father, for this cause, that all
men may commit themselves to his tuition. (490)
ALAN CARR
Acts 7:51-60
DEATH VALLEY STRATEGIES
Intro: Beginning at Acts 6:8 through the close of this chapter, Luke records
the ministry and death of Stephen. Stephen was one of the sevenmen chosen
to be the first Deaconsofthe early church. He was a man filled with the Holy
Ghost. He was a man God used greatly for His glory. He was a man God used
to accomplishmuch in a short time.
While Stephen was man of immense spiritual power, he was also a man
who suffered greatly because ofhis relationship with Jesus Christ. The Jews
were not happy that Stephen was working miracles, Acts 6:8. They called
togethertheir greatestreligious minds to debate spiritual matters with
Stephen, but they could not overcome his wisdom and knowledge ofthe things
of God, Acts 6:9-10. Seeing they could not out-maneuver Stephen
intellectually, they bribed men to lie about him, 6:11. They accusedStephenof
blaspheme, of seeking to undermine the Law of God, and of speaking against
the Temple. It was all lies, but it was all the council needed to hear. The High
Priestwas convinced and he beganto interrogate Stephen, 7:1.
When they opened the door, Stephen began to preach the Word of God, he
retold the history of the Jewishnation beginning with the callof Abraham and
ending with the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Along the way, Stephen reminded
the Jews ofthe idolatry of the nation and of how they turned to other gods
and were judged by the Lord.

85. Stephen’s words cut them to the heart, v. 54. They were brought under
such conviction that these dignified, respectedreligious leaders actually ran to
Stephen and beganto bite him with their teeth. Stephen reactedto their
attack by telling them that he saw the risen Christ at God’s right hand, they
flew into a rage, draggedhim from the city and stoned him to death, vv. 55-60.
In this sad scene from the tragedysurrounding the death of the first
Christian martyr, there is some help for us today. Stephen, in these verses,
passedthrough a place mentioned by David in Psalm 23. In verse 4 of that
precious Psalm David said this, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me.” That valley has been variously interpreted through the
years. Some say it refers to death. While others suggestthat it refers to the
hard places of this life. I am inclined to lean toward the secondmeaning.
The analogyof a shepherd leading his sheepis a precious thing. The
shepherd leads the sheepthrough places where they can feed, drink, and rest
in safety. He leads them to places where they can grow and be content. But, as
they journey from one place of peace and safetyto another, they are forced
sometimes to pass through places where the shadows grow long and the way
grows hard.
In our text, Stephen is passing through such a place. Even though Stephen
died there, he passedthrough that place of dark shadows into the very
presence ofthe Lord.
I realize that our difficulties do not rise to the level of Stephen’s. No one
has attackedus with their teeth and stoned us to death because ofour
testimony for Jesus. Our times of passing through “the valley of the shadow of
death” are painful nonetheless.
Life is filled with those times! Many of our church folks are in those hard
places right now. Sicknesses, financialtroubles, marital discord, problems
with children, and many other matters come againstus, attack us and bring
us pain. Of course, the Bible said it would be this way.

86. · Ecclesiastes 2:23, “Forallhis days are sorrows, and his travail grief;
yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.”
· John 16:33, “These things I have spokenunto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of goodcheer;I
have overcome the world.”
· Job 14:1, “Manthat is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble.”
I realize that these are difficult days and the last thing you need is a
reminder of how hard they are. I think that was canfind some help in
observing Stephen during his death valley experience. Even though Stephen
died in his valley, he was a victor and not a victim. He obtained his victory by
following certain strategies in his life. These strategiesgave Stephenvictory
where others could only see defeat. These same strategieswillhelp us when we
face our own death valley days.
As the Lord gives us liberty today, I want to point out a few of the
strategies we needto employ in our own lives. If we will carry out these simple
strategies,we will find the help we need when we enter the valley of the
shadow of death. I want to preach about Death Valley Strategies fora few
minutes today. Let’s learn from the life and testimony of Stephen how we can
enjoy ongoing victory when it’s our time to walk through the valley.
I. v. 55 BE AWARE OF HOW
YOU ARE LIVING
· The Bible makes it clearthat there was a vastdifference between
Stephen and his attackers. Theyare attacking him, but he has his attention
focusedon the Lord. Verse 55 draws attention to this difference by simply
saying, “But he…” Stephen was different from the evil men around him and it
showedin his life.
· When we move into a death valley experience in our lives, the first thing
we need to do is examine our own hearts. Sometimes the hardships are

87. brought about by our own foolish decisions, orbecause we are out of the will
of God. That is calledchastisement, and we need to know that God will use
whatevermethods He must to get our attention. He will speak as loudly as he
needs to in order to get us to listen. (Ill. Joab’s barley fields – 2 Sam. 14:28-33)
(Ill. “Canyou hear me now?”)
· Sometimes the hardships come because we are living for the Lord. God
allows suffering in our lives for His Own purposes. God does this to grow us,
to mature us, and to make us more like Jesus.
· Regardlessofthe reasonhardship has come, every believer needs to be
sure that he or she is a “But he” believer. What I mean by that is this: every
believer needs to make sure two things are true in our lives.
Ø We need to be sure that we are suffering for the right reasons, 1 Pet. 3:13-
17.
Ø We need to be sure that we reactto our hardships the right way, James
1:2; Luke 6:22-23.
When the trial comes, and the cold winds begin to blow in your life, take some
time to examine your heart. Be Aware Of How You Are Living.
II. v. 55 BE AWARE OF WHO
IS LEADING
· Verse 55 tells us that Stephen was “full of the Holy Ghost”. At that
moment in time, Stephen was exactlywhere God wantedhim to be. God had
led Stephen to that very place for that very moment for the very things that
was happening to him. It doesn’t make sense from our perspective, but God
got glory from the horrible death of Stephen. And, Stephen arrived where he
did because he was following the leadershipof the Holy Spirit. In other words,
everything that took place was the will of God for Stephen’s life.

88. · When you walk into your death valley situation take some time to
considerwho is in charge of your life. Did you arrive in that place because you
are in charge, ordid you arrive here because you were following the Lord?
· When we do the leading, we will always find ourselves in deep trouble
with no help in sight. When He does the leading, He will guide us into the
perfect places oflife. He will lead us to places where we can learn more about
Him; to places where we canexperience His amazing grace;to places where
we can grow in our relationship with the Lord.
· Sometimes the Lord will lead you to places in life that make no sense.
You will look around and wonder what in the world the Lord is doing. But, if
He has done the leading, He has brought you to the perfect place, Psa. 37:23.
He has brought you to a place of blessing and spiritual growth, Job 23:10;1
Pet. 1:7.
· Our duty in life is to yield to Him and allow Him to lead us to where He
wants us to be, even when we don’t like the destination. That was Paul’s
determination, Gal. 2:20. That is God’s command for eachof us, Rom. 6:13.
· When you enter your death valley experience, take some time to
examine your heart. Be Aware Of Who Is Leading.
III. v. 55b-56 BE AWARE OF WHERE
YOU ARE LOOKING
· While the Jewishleaders are attacking Stephen, he has his eyes on
another country. While they bite him, Stephen is looking at the glory of God
and seeing the risen Christ standing at the right hand of God in Heaven. What
a vision!
· People who are different because they are saved;people who
understand a few things because ofthe leadership of the Holy Spirit; people
who live under the leadershipof the Lord, see things ordinary people never
get to see.

89. · There is Stephen, they are biting his body and they are going to stone
him to death. He knows he will never see his family again. He will never
preach or be used to perform anothermiracle. His earthly life is over and he
knows it! What is He doing? He is not looking at the problem; He is looking at
the Savior. He knows that they might abuse him here, but in a short time; he
is going to be in the presence ofthe Lord!
· Stephen teaches us a valuable lessonin these verses. We can either
spend our lives focusedon the problems of life, or we can spend our time
focusing on the Problem solver. We can look at what is wrong, or we can look
at the One Who canmake it right. We can fix our eyes on our situation, or we
can fix them on the One Who determines the situations.
· We can look at anything we want to, but our help will come when we
learn to look past the things we cansee and place our eyes on the only one
Who can help us, Heb. 12:1-3. What you think you can see doesn’treally
matter. What matters is what you can’t see. God is working out an eternal
plan and He has made us a part of it. Our duty is to look to Him and to keep
going for His glory. We need to realize that this life with all its pain and
sorrow is but a shadow that will pass awayone day soon. The only things that
are realare those things that wait for us on the other side, 2 Cor. 4:17-18.
· (Ill. Your home is just over there. You can see it now, but it is more real
than the home you will return to in a few minutes. Your departed loved are
waiting just overthere. You can’t see them, but they are there, waiting on
you. Your glory and your rewardare just up ahead. You can’t see it, but it is
real nonetheless!Keep marching; keeplooking towardhome; keepyour eyes
on Jesus;one day we will step out of the shadow of this life into His presence
in glory. What a day that will be! By the way, that’s why believers ought to
keepa heavenly focus, Col. 3:1.)
· By the way, When Stephen saw Jesus He was standing and not sitting.
That’s interesting because the Bible tells us that Jesus ascendedto Heaven
and satdown at the right hand of God’s throne, Col. 3:1; Heb. 10:12; 12:2.
Stephen is allowedthe greathonor of seeing the glorified Christ in Heaven
standing.

90. Why is the Lord standing? Some would suggestthat Jesus is standing to
signalthat He is ready for action;that he sees whatis happening to his servant
and He is moved to do something about it. The only problem with that is this:
He didn’t do anything! He let them bite Stephen. He let the stone Stephen. He
stoodby while His servant suffered.
Why is Jesus standing? Jesus is the King of Kings. No ancientking would
stand in the presence ofa subject. King Jesus seesthe suffering of His man
and He stands to show His concern for the hardship Stephen faces. He stands
to honor this man who is honoring Him. He stands to welcome the first martyr
of the Christian era into Heaven. He stands for Stephen because Stephenhas
stoodfor Him!
One day, this life will be over and we will go into the presence of the Lord.
I do not expectHim to stand up when I meet Him. I do expect to bow before
Him to give Him my worship and to castmy crowns at His feet. I want to hear
Him say, “Well done goodand faithful servant.” That is what His standing
communicates to Stephen! Jesus is saying, “Welldone Stephen, it’s time to
come home!”
· When the hard times come, take a moment to examine your life. Be
Aware Of Where You Are Looking.
IV. v. 58-60 BE AWARE OF WHERE
YOU ARE LEANING
· They drag Stephen outside the city and they begin to caststones athim,
and they continue until he is dead. Even as the stones fall on body tearing the
skin, bruising the muscles and breaking the bones beneath, Stephen calls on
God and commits His spirit to the Lord. He places his burden in the hand of
His Lord. Like Jesus, he even prays for those who are attacking him.
· In Stephen’s dying moments we are given a glimpse of a man who is still
leaning on the Lord. When the hardships of life pile in on you, you can take a

91. lessonfrom this man. Learn to take a couple of simple steps and it will make
your way a little better.
Ø Learn to callon God in every situation – Jer. 33:3; Matt. 7:7-11. You can
trust Him to hear your plea.
Ø Learn to give your burdens to the Lord – 1 Pet. 5:7; Psa. 55:22. You can
trust Him to do right in every situation of life.
· When you enter your death valley situation, remember this truth: “Fear
thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness,”Isaiah41:10. Takestock ofyour life and Be Aware
Of Where You Are Leaning. If you are leaning on anyone or anything else but
Him, you will surely fall. If He is your helper, you will never be moved!
Conc:I wish I could tell you that this story ended with Stephen miraculously
rising from the heaps of stones. I wish I could tell you that he went home to his
family. I wish I could tell you that he lived to preach another day. That is not
what happened. Stephen died that day and he went home to be with the Lord.
That brings to mind a truth that we would do well to remember. That
truth is this: not everyone walks out of death valley alive! Some are liberated,
and some are not. Either way, God works out His perfect will in the lives of
His children. Our duty is to submit to Him and trust Him to do right.
When we enter death valley, we must be ready to die there. We canexpect
deliverance, and it will come, either here or there. We must come to the place
where we simply place our lives in His hand and believe Him, whether we
walk out of the valley into victory here, or whether we die in our valley and
wake up in His presence.
Are you in a death valley experience today? Either you are, you have been
or you will be soonenough. I want to challenge you to examine your life right
now. Be Aware Of How You Are Living; Be Aware Of Who Is in Control; Be
Aware Of Where You Are Leaning; and Be Aware Of Where You Are

92. Leaning. There’s help for us when we employ the right strategies in our death
valley situations.
STEVEN COLE
Stephen: the Martyr (Acts 7:54-8:3)
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From reading many stories of those who have given their lives for the cause of
Christ, I have concluded that Godgives specialgrace to them in their dying
moments. The Czechmartyr, JanHus, whose statue and church we saw in
Prague, was promised safe passage to discuss his criticisms againstthe
Catholic Church. But they betrayed him and burned him at the stake. He
died, not cursing at his persecutors fortheir deception and brutality, but
singing praise to God as the flames consumedhis flesh.
The story has been repeatedthousands of times. At the head of the list stands
Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Our word “martyr” is a transliteration of
the Greek wordfor “witness.” Bytheir lives and by their deaths, the martyrs
have borne witness for “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness” (Rev. 1:5).
Stephen’s death is the only death scene and martyrdom describedin detail in
the New Testament, exceptfor that of Jesus Christ. From it we learn that …

94. Whateverwe suffer due to faithfulness to Jesus, we will be rewardedwith His
eternal acceptance andthe encouragementthat He will use our service for His
purpose and glory.
I want to draw four lessons from Stephen’s death:
1. Becausewickedmen are enemies of God, those who speak out boldly for
God and againstevil will suffer.
As Paul later put it, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Satandoes not sit idly by when his realm is
challenged. And, in His mysterious, sovereignprovidence, God does not
miraculously protect all of His servants who dare to confront the prince of
darkness. He allows this choice young man to be cut down in the prime of his
ministry.
The godly manner in which Stephen died is contrastedhere with the grisly
wickednessofthese supposedly respectable Jewishleaders.He was calm,
clear-headed, articulate, and kind, even as the rocks were crushing his body.
But these normally dignified members of the high council were out of control
with rage. They gnashedtheir teeth, they screamedat the top of their voices,
they coveredtheir ears so as not to hear what they consideredStephen’s
blasphemy. They rushed upon him, drove him out of the city, and stonedhim
to death. The Greek word for “rushed” is used of the herd of demon-possessed
swine rushing off the cliff into the oceanafter Jesus cleansedthe Gerasene
demoniac. Scholars debate whether the death sentence onStephen was a
judicial decisionor mob violence. While there was a semblance of judicial
proceedings atfirst, the end result seems to be that of men controlled by rage
and hatred.
Luke notes that the witnesseswho beganstoning Stephen laid their robes at
the feetof a young man named Saul(7:58). He adds that “Saulwas in hearty
agreementwith putting him to death” (8:1). As a result, that very day a great
persecutionarose againstthe church in Jerusalem. Saul beganravaging the
church like a wild boar ravages a vineyard (Ps. 80:13), obviously with the
approval of the Sanhedrin. He entered house after house, dragging off to
prison both men and women who believed in Jesus. Manyof them were put to

95. death (26:10). Saul later describedhis ownbehavior as being “furiously
enragedat them” (26:11).
When a sinner comes under convictionthrough hearing the gospelor through
the example of a believer’s godly life, he may be broken with repentance and
come to faith in Jesus Christ. But, he also canharden his heart and go deeper
in rage, as Saul did. Some maintain this fierce opposition to the gospelall the
way to their deathbeds. Others, like Saul, eventually repent and become new
creatures in Christ. But often those around them have to endure increased
hostility and rage before they see the person broken by God’s mercy.
Becausewe live in a time and place where we have relative freedom from
violent persecution, we tend to forgetthat being a followerof Jesus Christ
makes us enemies of the evil prince of this world and his followers. Of course,
brute force is not his only weapon. He uses deceitand cunning to lull us into
adopting worldly values. A worldly Christian is no threat to his domain of
darkness. He gets us to live for the selfishpursuit of comfort, with a little
church attendance thrown in to round out the good life. It doesn’t hurt his
cause whenthe pastor gives sermons that make everyone feel goodabout
themselves, teaching them how to use God for personalwell-being and overall
family happiness.
But the moment a believer moves out of this comfortable Christianity and
begins aggressivelyto go after souls for Christ, or to give radically to the cause
of Christ, or to speak out boldly for God againstsin, he also moves into the
line of enemy fire. Often he catches “friendly fire” from fellow Christians who
are threatenedby his radical ways. But we should be prepared and not be
takenby surprise when we commit ourselves to be 100 percent for the Lord
and then suffer for it. It goes with the territory.
Maybe you’re wondering, “Why risk it? Why leave a comfortable, safe way of
life to become a targetfor Satan’s bullets?”
2. Those who suffer for Christ can be assuredof His faithful presence and
support in their suffering and His acceptancein heaven after death.

96. Far better to die with Stephen under a hail of rocks crushing our skulls and be
welcomedinto heaven by the risen Lord Jesus, than to die peacefullyin the
midst of worldly comforts, surrounded by family, but then to hear, “Depart
from Me, I never knew you!”
Note how the Lord supported Stephen in this grand finale of his short life.
First, all three members of the Trinity are mentioned in 7:55. Stephen was full
of the Holy Spirit. He gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of Godthe
Father, which must have lookedlike the brightness of the sun. To His right
hand, there stoodthe risen and ascendedJesus. Stephenwas so awedby this
vision that he could not keepit to himself. He said, “Behold, I see the heavens
opened up and the Sonof Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:56). This
is the only time that this title is used other than by Jesus. Exceptfor two times
in Revelation(1:13; 14:14), which use the phrase “one like a son of man,” it is
the lasttime it is used in the New Testament.
There were severalreasons that this statement was significant. First, it
immediately brought to the minds of every member of the Sanhedrin Jesus’
words when He had been on trial before them. The same high priest,
Caiaphas, had askedJesus,“Are you the Christ, the Son of the BlessedOne?”
Jesus replied, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand
of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61-62). Bythese
words, Jesus claimedto combine in His person the prophetic words of Daniel
7:13-14 and Psalm110:1. The Danielpassagespoke ofone like a Son of Man
who receivedfrom the Ancient of Days “dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that
all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him.” In
Psalm110, David hears the Lord saying to his Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
until I make Your enemies a footstoolfor Your feet.” Here Stephen affirms
that Jesus is exactly where He predicted He would be, at the right hand of
God, the risen Lord of powerand glory! It should have hit these men with full
force that Jesus was exactlywho He had claimed to be!
F. F. Bruce (The Book ofActs [Eerdmans]) points out that Stephen’s
understanding of the exaltedrole of Jesus was evenmore advancedthan that
of the apostles, who were still continuing to go to temple worship, join in the
Jewishrituals, and limit their preaching to the Jews. He points out that the

97. Daniel passage means that “Messiah’s sovereigntyis to embrace all nations
without distinction,” thus effectivelydoing away with the Jewishtemple
worship (pp. 166-167).He writes, “And the presence ofMessiahatGod’s right
hand meant that for His people there was now a way of access to God more
immediate and heart-satisfying than the obsolete temple ritual had ever been
able to provide.” (p. 166).
Normally, the Scriptures speak of Jesus now sitting at the right hand of God,
having accomplishedthe work of our redemption (Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2;
Eph. 1:20). But here, twice it says that Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right
hand of God. Mostcommentators agree that Jesus was standing to welcome
home His faithful witness. Jesus alwaysstands with those who stand for Him.
He gave this courageousman on the verge of death a vision of the glory of
heaven to support him in the terrible moments to follow.
It reminds me of the story of the three bold Hebrew witnesses who refusedto
bow down before the image of Nebuchadnezzar. In his fury, the mad king had
them bound and thrown into the furnace heated seventimes hotter than
normal. But to his shock, whenhe and his men lookedinto the flames, they
saw not three men bound, but four men unbound and walking around without
harm. And the appearance of the fourth was “like a sonof the gods” (Dan.
3:25). I believe that the preincarnate Jesus had joined these brave witnesses in
their moment of trial, to support and encourage them for their faithfulness to
Him. He spared them from death, but not Stephen. But He welcomedStephen
home with open arms, saying, “Well done, goodand faithful servant!”
Whenever the Lord calls on you to suffer for His name, He will be with you to
support you. Whether you die then or later, He will welcome you into His
presence in heaven for eternity.
3. When we suffer according to the will of God, we can entrust our souls to the
faithful Creatorand show His love to those who persecute us.
I am using the words of 1 Peter4:19, written to a suffering church:
“Therefore, letthose also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their
souls to a faithful Creatorin doing what is right.” Stephen did this. As the
rocks hit him, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” And, with his dying

98. breath, imitating His Savior’s words from the cross, Stephendid what was
right toward his enemies by praying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against
them!” Charles Spurgeon(“Stephen’s Death,” MetropolitanTabernacle
Pulpit, Vol. 20, [Ages Software])pointed out that Stephen’s death was full of
Jesus:Jesus seen;Jesus invoked;Jesus trusted; and Jesus imitated. I borrow
his outline here.
A. Jesus seen.
Stephen lookedinto heaven and the Lord gave him a literal vision of the
splendor of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at the right hand of His throne.
If the members of the Sanhedrin had lookedup, I think that they would have
seenthe ceiling of the council chamber. God is not in the business of revealing
His heavenly glory to hard-hearted skeptics. In fact, not every saint gets such
a literal vision of the Lord. Some dying saints seemto have such a glimpse into
glory just before their departure, but many others die without it. For them, it
is the vision of Christ through the eyes of faith, through the things revealedof
Him in His Word. As Peterwrote to those suffering for His name, “And
though you have not seenHim, you love Him, and though you do not see Him
now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvationof your souls” (1
Pet. 1:8-9).
To have that kind of vision of the unseenChrist by faith at the moment of
death, we have to cultivate it by faith right now. We need to pray as Paul
prayed, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
to [us] a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge ofHim” (Eph.
1:17).
B. Jesus invoked.
As Stephen died, he called upon the Lord Jesus in prayer. Clearly, he believed
in the full deity of Jesus Christ, or he would not have prayed to Him. It would
have been mere superstition or a worthless fancyto call out for help to a great
teacherwho had died and was still in the grave. Spurgeon wrote,

99. Dying Christians are not troubled with questions as to the deity of Christ.
Dearfriends, Unitarianism may do to live with, but it will not do to die with,
at leastfor us. At such a time we need an almighty and divine Savior; we want
“Godover all, blessedforever” to come to our rescue in the solemnarticle. So
Stephen calledupon Jesus, andworshipped him. He makes no mention of any
other intercessor. O martyr of Christ, why didst thou not cry, “Ave Maria!
BlessedVirgin, succorme”? Why didst thou not pray to St. Michaeland all
angels? Ah, no! The abomination of saint and angelworship had not been
invented in his day, and if it had been he would have scornedit as one of the
foul devices of hell. There is one Mediator betweenGod and man, the man
Christ Jesus. He invoked Christ, and no one else (ibid.).
Whenever we suffer because of our faith, we can call out to the Lord Jesus
and know that He is our merciful High Priest, sympathetic to our situation.
“Forsince He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able
to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18).
C. Jesus trusted.
Clearly, Stephen trusted Jesus to receive his spirit as it was separatedfrom his
body at the moment of death. Although he suffered a terrible, violent, painful
death, he died with a supernatural peace. He “fell asleep” (7:60)in the arms of
His Savior. Sleeprefers to the body, which rests in the grave until the
resurrectionat the coming of Christ. A believer’s soul goes immediately into
the presence ofthe Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Jesus suffereda violent death on the
cross to remove its sting, so that His followers may fall asleep, evenif they are
brutally murdered, as Stephen was. While it was proper for devout men to
grieve over Stephen’s death and to give him a proper burial, it was for their
sakes,nothis. He was safe in the presence ofthe Lord, whom he had trusted
for eternallife.
We must daily be trusting Jesus in a practicalway in every trial that we face
in order to have the habit of faith to trust Him at the moment of death.
Stephen’s life was all of one piece. He was full of faith and the Holy Spirit in
life; he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit as he died. Are you trusting, really

100. trusting, in Jesus right now? Then it will be your habit to trust Him when you
die.
D. Jesus imitated.
On the cross, Jesusprayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing” (Luke 23:34). In imitation of His Lord, Stephen’s dying words
were, “Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem!” That prayer was answeredin
the conversionof Saul. It was the prayer of a man free from bitterness toward
those who were wrongfully killing him. Stephen could pray it because he had
practiceda life of forgiving others ever since he had experiencedthe Lord’s
gracious forgivenessofhis own sins. We will only be able to show God’s
forgiveness towardthose who persecute us if we focus daily on how much the
Lord Jesus forgave us through His death on the cross.
Thus Stephen’s death teaches us to expect suffering if we follow the Savior.
But we also can expectHis faithful presence with us and His welcome into
heaven when we leave this life. Thus we must entrust our souls to Him and do
what is right. Finally,
4. Jesus Christalways uses the suffering of His saints for His greaterpurpose
and glory.
No one suffers for Christ in vain. Stephen laid down his life, but as Tertullian
observed, the blood of the martyrs is the seedof the church. The persecution
that arose againstthe church scatteredthe seedof the gospel. Watching
Stephen die had a profound and unforgettable effecton Saul. He continued
kicking againstthe goads for a while, but finally the Lord powerfully saved
him. Stephen’s sermon and his courageous, calmdeath softenedthe soilof
Saul’s heart, preparing him for that later conversion. He later wrote,
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1
Cor. 15:58).
Whenever we suffer, whether from persecutionor from other trials, we need
to keeptwo things in mind. Number one, “I am not indispensable in God’s
work.” If He takes me out now, as He did with Stephen, He can easilyraise up

101. many others to continue the work. This will keepus in the proper state of
humility. It is Christ who builds His church; I am just a small part of the
process. Second, “The Lord is mindful of my service for Him, and He will duly
reward even a cup of cold watergiven in His name.” There are no useless
parts in the body of Christ. Whatever you or I do for His name’s sake counts
in eternity. Keeping this in mind helps us not to become discouragedand lose
heart in the battle.
Conclusion
In his gripping book, Lords of the Earth [Regal], Don Richardsontells the
story of Stan Dale, who obeyed God’s call to take the gospelto the fierce Yali
tribe of Irian Jaya. They shot him with five arrows, whichhe plucked out one
by one, while shouting at his tormentors, “Run awayhome all of you! You’ve
done enough!” (p. 276). Although arrows had penetrated his diaphragm and
intestines, he managed to hike to safetyand survive.
At this point, my attitude would have been, “They’ve had their chance. I’m
not going back!” But Dale went back. This time, the warriors decided to make
sure that he died. A tribal priest moved in and fired an arrow at point blank
range, hitting him under his raised right arm as he pled with them to go home.
Another priest shot a bamboo-bladed shaft into his back. As the arrows
entered his flesh, Stan pulled them out, one by one, broke them and threw
them down. Dozens of arrows were now flying at him from all directions. He
kept pulling them out, breaking them, and dropping them at his feet, until he
could not keepup. Fifty arrows, then sixty, but still Stan stood his ground.
The startled warriors beganto worry that he might be immortal. “Fall!” they
screamedat Stan. “Die!” Finally, Stan fell, and the warriors repeateda
similar attack on his comrade, Phil Masters (pp. 302-305).
To make sure that the two white men did not resurrect, the warriors
beheadedthem and then chopped their bodies in pieces. Normally, the Yali
would immediately eatthe bodies of their victims, to increase their life force.
But in this case, theywaited to make sure that the dismembered bodies would
not resurrect. An older tribal member convincedthem not to eat them, but to
cremate the remains.

102. It would seemthat the two men died in vain. No one dared go back into this
dangerous valley. But a missionary pilot got confusedin bad weatherand flew
into the same mountainous valley where the two men had been murdered. The
plane crashed, killing everyone on board except a missionary’s nine-year-old
son. God used this strange twist of providence to get the gospelto these fierce
warriors. To find out how, you’ll have to read the book!
John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, spenttwelve years in jail
because ofhis faithful preaching God’s truth. He wrote that at the day of
judgment, “a smile or a kind look from Christ shall be worth more than ten
thousand worlds” (“The Law and Grace Unfolded,” The Works of John
Bunyan [Baker], 1:574). Keep that greatday in view every day that you live. If
you are called on to suffer for Jesus, you will be blessed, “becausethe Spirit of
glory and of God” will rest upon you (1 Pet. 4:14).
DiscussionQuestions
Agree/disagree:A gooddose of persecutionwould be healthy for the
American church.
How can we know if we’re truly suffering for the gospelor if we’re suffering
because we’re being obnoxious and insensitive?
How do the imprecatory Psalms fit in with the idea of loving those who
persecute you? Do they apply today (see Rev. 6:10)?
Should every believer be “radical” for Jesus? How canwe shake off the
lethargy of worldliness and be fully committed to Christ?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2001,All Rights Reserved.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
The First Martyr -or- Taking God for Granite (Acts 7:1-60)

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104. I confess thatthis is a play on words, but it is one that represents an important
truth. The law of Moseswas written on stone. The temple, too, was made of
stone. In one sense, the Jews had made the law of Moses (as they interpreted
it) and the temple an idol. Their “god” was a godof their making, rather than
the One who made all things (Acts 4:24). They made stone (granite?)their
“god.” Thus, they took God for granite, or perhaps we should say they took
granite for their god.
Introduction1
In 1 Kings 21:1-24, we read how Ahab, prompted by his wife Jezebel, wrongly
acquired a vineyard that belonged to Naboth. This vineyard was adjacentto
Ahab’s palace in Jezreel, and so Ahab wanted it for a garden. Ahab offered a
fair price. He was willing to pay cash or to trade for anotherpiece of land.
The problem was that the law forbade Nabothto sellhis property, because the
law required that possessionmust remain within his family. This way the land
would remain evenly distributed among God’s people. Naboth was committed
to obey the law, and thus he declined what otherwise would have been a
generous offer.
Ahab was greatly depressedbecausehe couldn’t have his garden. But Jezebel
had a plan. If the law prohibited Ahab from having this property, she would
twist the law in order to acquire it. In Ahab’s name, she privately instructed
the elders and leaders of Naboth’s city to proclaim a fast and to setNaboth at
the head of the people. The fast would give the appearance that something was
wrong, and that the leaders were seeking God’s guidance to make it right.
Following Jezebel’s orders, they seatedtwo men by Naboth who would bear

105. false testimony againsthim, accusing him of blasphemy againstGodand the
king. Naboth, it would appear, was the source of Israel’s troubles, so they took
him out and executedhim. The murder of Naboth and the seizure of his
property was carried out in the guise of upholding righteousness. Whata
horrible evil.
The prophet Elijah confronted Ahab and pronounced God’s judgment on him
for this greatevil. At the end of this account, we are given God’s assessmentof
Ahab and Jezebel:
25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to
doing evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 26 He was so
wickedhe worshiped the disgusting idols, just like the Amorites whom the
Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)(1 Kings 21:25-26, emphasis
mine)2
These were some of Israel’s darkestdays. Ahab and Jezebelhated Elijah the
prophet and consideredhim their enemy. They soughtto put him to death. It
is easyto see why God’s judgment was not only deserved, but imminent.
Now considerthe text before us in the New TestamentBook ofActs – Acts
7:1-60. We are studying the trial of Stephen, his “sermon,” and his consequent
executionby stoning. Stephen was a spiritual and highly respectedman in the
church at Jerusalem. He had just been chosenas a deacon, and the standard
he met was unusually high:
3 But carefully selectfrom among you, brothers, sevenmen who are well-
attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge ofthis
necessarytask. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of
the word.” 5 The proposalpleasedthe entire group, so they chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch
(Acts 6:3-5, emphasis mine).
As we noted in our previous lesson, God’s hand was upon Stephen in a very
specialwayso that he, like the twelve apostles, was performing many great

106. works. In addition, his preaching was so powerful that no one was able to
successfullyrefute it:
8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and
miraculous signs among the people. 9 But some men from the Synagogue of
the Freedmen(as it was called), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as wellas
some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, stoodup and arguedwith
Stephen. 10 Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with
which he spoke (Acts 6:8-10).
Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew, andthus his ministry appears to have
been primarily in the Greek-speaking synagogues.Since no one could
successfullyoppose him, his adversaries (better, the adversaries of the gospel)
gave up their debate and took a different approach:
11 Then they secretlyinstigated some men to say, “We have heard this man
speaking blasphemous words againstMoses andGod.” 12 They incited the
people, the elders, and the experts in the law; then they approached Stephen,
seizedhim, and brought him before the council. 13 They brought forward
false witnesses who said, “This man does not stopsaying things againstthis
holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him saying that Jesus the
Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs that Moseshanded
down to us” (Acts 6:11-14, emphasis mine).
I could not help but see the parallels betweenthe death of Stephen in our text
and the death of Naboth in 1 Kings 21. Both Stephen and Naboth were godly
men who were determined to live according to God’s Word. Since no lawful
means could be found to swaythem, their adversaries stoopedto accusing
both of blasphemy. In both cases, false witnesseswere employed, and the
leaders were incited to execute the righteous, as though they were wicked.
The difference betweenthese two events is also significant. The incident with
Ahab, Jezebel, and Naboth took place in the northern kingdom of Israel. We
are not surprised to read of such evil in Israel. But now, in our text in the
Book ofActs, we are in Judah; more significantly, we are in Jerusalem. And
those who orchestrate false testimonyand the resulting executionof Stephen
would appear to be devout Jews who are “defending the faith.” The incident

107. in 1 Kings 21 describes one of the lowestpoints in Israel’s history. The
incident in our text would indicate that things have never been worse in
Jerusalem. No wonder judgment is imminent. It is this very judgment of
which Jesus had spoken.3 And now He continues to speak of this judgment
through Stephen.
This is one of the most powerful sermons in all of the Bible. It not only speaks
to the Jews ofStephen’s day, but to eachone of us as well. Let us listen well to
these words, and ask the Spirit of God to illuminate our hearts and minds so
that we may learn why they have been preserved for us.
The Charges
In the beginning, it was chargedthat Stephen had spokenblasphemous words
againstMoses andalso againstGod(Acts 6:11). This developed into the more
specific accusationthat he never ceasedto speak against“this holy place and
the law” (Acts 6:13). This is further explained as teaching that “Jesus of
Nazarethwill destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses
delivered to us” (Acts 6:14). In other words, Stephen is accusedofteaching
what Jesus taught. And what Jesus taught, so far as Stephen’s accusers
claimed, was that He would destroy the temple (with Jerusalem)and the
customs which the Jews attributed to Moses (eventhough they were man-
made traditions that violated the law of Moses).4
As we noted in our previous lesson, there was an elementof truth in these
accusations. Jesusdid teach that Jerusalemwould be destroyed, and the
temple along with it:
41 Now when Jesus approachedand saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying,
“If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace!
But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Forthe days will come upon you
when your enemies will build an embankment againstyou and surround you
and close in on you from every side. 44 They will demolish you – you and your
children within your walls – and they will not leave within you one stone on
top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from
God” (Luke 19:41-44;see also Luke 13:34-35;Matthew 23:37—24:2;John
2:19-22).

108. The misrepresentationhere is that Jesus posedanimminent threat to the well-
being of Jerusalemand the temple. In His first earthly appearance, Jesushad
not come to judge but to save. Jesus came as the promised Messiah, to bear
the sins of His people, and thus to spare them from divine judgment, and to
institute times of blessing. As Peterput it,
19 “Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 so
that times of refreshing may come from the presence ofthe Lord, and so that
he may send the Messiahappointedfor you – that is, Jesus. 21 This one
heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which Goddeclared
from times long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:19-21).
Jesus came to turn people from their sins and thus to spare them from the
horror of divine judgment. Judgment came upon Jerusalembecause God’s
people rejectedtheir King (see Luke 19:41-44 andActs 3:19-21 above). God
would bring judgment upon His people because oftheir sin, because they
would not receive the One who came to bear their judgment.
The secondaccusationagainstStephenwas that he continued to preach, as
Jesus did, that the customs Moses gave themwere to be setaside. It was true
that “their customs,” which were wrongly attributed to Moses, wouldbe set
aside. But Jesus made it clearthat His coming was to fulfill, not to abolish:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have
not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth pass awaynot the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will
pass from the law until everything takes place. 19 So anyone who breaks one
of the leastof these commands and teaches others to do so will be calledleast
in the kingdom of heaven, but whoeverobeys them and teaches others to do so
will be calledgreat in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19).
The Old Covenantwas to be set aside and replacedby the New Covenant, but
this was what God had already revealedthrough the Old Testamentprophets
(see Jeremiah31:31-34;Ezekiel36:22-29). Nevertheless,Stephen’s opponents
succeededin convincing many of the Jewishpeople and their leaders that
Stephen was a traitor, who needed to die. The Sanhedrin is summoned for the

109. third trial thus far in Acts, and when it convened, the high priest asked
Stephen, “Are these things true?” (Acts 7:1)
Stephen’s “Defense”
As one can quickly sense, Stephen’s sermonis hardly a defense as we know it.
Stephen is not seeking to prove his innocence, but rather he is strongly
indicting his accusersfor their guilt. Stephen is the prosecutor, so to speak,
and is not acting as an attorney for his own defense. Stephendies because he
proves his case.
The Abrahamic Covenant
Acts 7:2-8
2 So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory
appearedto our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia,before he
settled in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your
relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the
country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God
made him move to this country where you now live. 5 He did not give any of it
to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give
it to him as his possession, andto his descendants afterhim, even though
Abraham as yet had no child. 6 But God spoke as follows:‘Your descendants
will be foreigners in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and
mistreat them for four hundred years. 7 But I will punish the nation they
serve as slaves,’said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there
and worship me in this place.’8 Then Godgave Abraham the covenant of
circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcisedhim when
he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacobof the
twelve patriarchs” (Acts 7:2-8).
Initially, I lookedatStephen’s sermon as merely chronologicalin its structure.
Thus, I was not surprised that he beganwith the callof Abram. After all,
God’s purposes for Israel begin in the Book ofGenesis with the call of
Abraham and the Abrahamic Covenant. This is followedby Israel’s bondage
in Egypt, the exodus, their time in the wilderness, and eventually their

110. possessionofthe Promised Land. Now, as I look more carefully and seek to
follow Stephen’s argument, I see that there is much more to this first
paragraph which deals with Abraham, but more about this later in our
message.
Here, as elsewhere in this sermon, Stephen does more than recite history,
preciselyas recorded in the Old TestamentScriptures. In some cases, Stephen
actually adds information to what we find in the Old Testament. Let me
illustrate this. From the accountof the call of Abraham in the Book of
Genesis, one canhardly avoid the conclusionthat this calloccurred while
Abram was in Haran:
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandsonLot (the sonof Haran), and his
daughter-in-law Sarai, his sonAbram’s wife, and with them he set out from
Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled
there. 32 The lifetime of Terahwas 205 years, and he died in Haran. 1 Now
the Lord said5 to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and
your father’s household to the land that I will show you. 2 Then I will make
you into a greatnation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great,
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,
but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the
earth will bless one another by your name.” 4 So Abram left, just as the Lord
had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old
when he departed from Haran.) 5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew
Lot, and all the possessionsthey had accumulatedand the people they had
acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the
land of Canaan(Genesis 11:31—12:5, emphasis mine).
I somehow had the impressionfrom the Genesis accountthat Abram’s father,
Terah, took the initiative in leaving Mesopotamia andsettling in Haran. And
yet Stephen tells us that “the God of glory appearedto . . . . Abraham when he
was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran” (Acts 7:2). I do not doubt
that there may have been more than one call, one in Mesopotamia and
another in Haran. But it is a different, an additional, piece of information, and
Stephen makes something of it here.

111. The Jews ofStephen’s day seemto have concludedthat the temple in
Jerusalemwas the only dwelling place of God. To speak against“this holy
place,” then, was to blaspheme. It was as though God would no longerbe
present with men if Jerusalemand the temple were to be destroyed. Stephen
will destroy this myth by reminding his accusersthat God, the God of glory,
appearedto His people at a number of other places besides “this holy place.”
To begin with, He appearedto Abram in Mesopotamia. Next, as Genesis
informs us, God spoke to Abram at Haran. Once againGod instructed Abram
to leave his family and his homeland and to journey to a land not yet revealed.
The inference is clearhere – and is clearly statedin Genesis 12:1-3 – that God
would bless him in this place to which He would lead him. The point is that
God’s presence and His powerare not limited to, and dare not be restricted
to, one place.
When Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, the PromisedLand, he did not
own so much as a foot of it, but God promised that He would give it to him as
his possession, and to his descendants after him. Think of it. When God made
this promise with Abram he had no son and no soil(Acts 7:5). Stephen then
turns to a subsequent promise of God to Abram, a promise recordedin
Genesis 15 (afterAbram had believed God and it was reckonedto him as
righteousness – Genesis 15:6). Godinformed Abram that his descendants
would live in an unidentified foreign country, where they would be mistreated
for 400 years, and after this He would bring them out to worship “in this
place” (Acts 7:6-7). We know, as Stephen did, that this place of bondage was
Egypt. We would have to conclude that God continued to care for His people,
even during the days of their captivity. God’s purposes and promises were not
limited to the borders of the Promised Land.6
I have come to see verse 8 as the key verse in this paragraph:
Then God gave Abraham the covenantof circumcision, and so he became the
father of Isaac and circumcisedhim when he was eight days old, and Isaac
became the father of Jacob, and Jacobofthe twelve patriarchs (Acts 7:8,
emphasis mine).

112. We need to remember how much the Jews of Jesus’day made of Moses, the
law, and circumcision. This remains a problem in the Book ofActs7 and
elsewhere in the New Testament, especiallyin the Book ofGalatians. The
Mosaic Covenantwas uppermost in their minds, and thus we see their
emphasis on law-keeping and on preserving the customs of Moses. Stephenis
not nearly as interested in the Mosaic Covenantas he is the Abrahamic
Covenant. That is because the Abrahamic Covenantis fulfilled in the New
Covenant, not in the Mosaic Covenant.8
Circumcision, which was so important to the Jews, was linkedmore to the
Mosaic Covenantthan to the Abrahamic Covenant.9 But Stephen is quite
clearin our text, linking the “Covenantof Circumcision” to the Abrahamic
Covenant. It is thus the Abrahamic Covenantwhich is dominant in the
remainder of Stephen’s sermon. That is because this covenantpromises God’s
blessings by faith, and not by works, and it promises God’s blessings to the
Gentiles as well as to the Jews.
If Stephen were to have stopped here, we would have the core of his
argument. His opponents are upset because Stephen, like Jesus, emphasized
the Abrahamic Covenant over the Mosaic Covenant. This is because salvation
comes through the Abrahamic Covenant, not through the Mosaic Covenant.10
It all beganwith Abraham, Stephen is saying, and the covenantGod made
with Abraham. Circumcision is intertwined with that covenant. This is the
primary covenant, and it is the basis for Israel’s hope, and that of the Gentiles
as well. Obsessionoverthe Mosaic Covenantmisses the point, forgetting how
it all began with the Abrahamic Covenant.
By the way, Stephen’s argument in these verses differs very little from what
we read in the Book of Hebrews:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was calledto go out to a place he would
later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where
he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though
it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were
fellow heirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city
with firm foundations, whose architectand builder is God. 11 By faith, even

113. though Sarahherself was barren and he was too old, he receivedthe ability to
procreate, becausehe regarded the one who had given the promise to be
trustworthy. 12 So in factchildren were fathered by one man – and this one as
goodas dead – like the number of stars in the skyand like the innumerable
grains of sand on the seashore. 13 These alldied in faith without receiving the
things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomedthem and
acknowledgedthat they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. 14 For
those who speak in such a waymake it clearthat they are seeking a homeland.
15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would
have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they aspire to a better land,
that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, Godis not ashamedto be calledtheir God,
for he has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:8-16).
Wherever Abraham was (in Mesopotamia, Haran, Canaan, Egypt, or Gerar),
God was with him. Even when Abraham lived in the PromisedLand, it was as
a strangerand a pilgrim. Only hundreds of years after Abraham’s death did
his descendants possessthe land. Abraham’s blessings nevercame in his
lifetime, but it didn’t matter because “the city” he lookedfor was a heavenly
city, not an earthly one. Abraham was savedand blessedby faith, not by
works, onthe basis of the Abrahamic Covenant, and not on the basis of the
Mosaic Covenant. Stephen’s opponents are jealouslyseeking to preserve a
covenantthat has been superseded. As Stephen’s argument unfolds, watch
how this core argument is expanded.
God’s People in Egypt
Acts 7:9-15
9 The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, soldhim into Egypt.
But God was with him, 10 and rescuedhim from all his troubles, and granted
him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made
him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Then a famine occurred
throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing greatsuffering, and our ancestors
could not find food. 12 So when Jacobheard that there was grain in Egypt, he
sent our ancestorsthere the first time. 13 On their secondvisit Josephmade
himself knownto his brothers again, and Joseph’s family became knownto

114. Pharaoh. 14 So Josephsenta messageand invited his father Jacoband all his
relatives to come, seventy-five people in all. 15 So Jacob wentdown to Egypt
and died there, along with our ancestors, 16 and their bones were later moved
to Shechemand placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain
sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem (Acts 7:9-15).
Israel’s sojourn in Egypt comes as no surprise to us since God had already
informed Abraham of this (Genesis 15:12-21;Acts 7:6-7). But now Stephen
calls attention to how this came to pass. On the surface, it may appearto be
“the luck of the draw” (accidental), but in reality it is the work of the
sovereignhand of God. Note how Stephen expressedit: The patriarchs were
jealous of Josephand thus they sold him into Egypt – But God was with him.
His point is that God was with Josephin Egypt. He did not have to be in
Canaanto be blessedor caredfor by God. He not only survived in Egypt, he
thrived there, being elevatedto the secondhighestposition in the land. Then a
famine occurred(an “actof God”?), whichprovidentially brought all of
Joseph’s family to Egypt, where they were divinely preserved. While they
were persecutedlater on, they nevertheless prospered, becoming a great
nation. When he died, Jacob’s bones were buried in Canaan, in the plot of
land Abraham had purchased. They were yet to possess the land God had
promised.
Home at Last, Hearts Still in Egypt
Acts 7:17-43
17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared
to Abraham, the people increasedgreatly in number in Egypt, 18 until
another king who did not know about Josephruled over Egypt. 19 This was
the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them
to abandon their infants so they would die. 20 At that time Moses was born,
and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his
father’s house, 21 and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter
adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moseswas trained in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds. 23
But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow

115. countrymen the Israelites. 24 Whenhe saw one of them being hurt unfairly,
Moses came to his defense and avengedthe personwho was mistreatedby
striking down the Egyptian. 25 He thought his own people would understand
that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand. 26
The next day Moses saw two men fighting, and tried to make peace between
them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 27
But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed Moses aside,
saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 28 You don’t want to kill
me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 29 When the man said
this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he
became the father of two sons. 30 “After forty years had passed, an angel
appearedto him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
31 When Moses sawit, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached
to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, 32 ‘I am the God of your
forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’Mosesbeganto tremble
and did not dare to look more closely. 33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the
sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I
have certainly seenthe suffering of my people who are in Egypt and have
heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will
send you to Egypt.’ 35 This same Mosesthey had rejected, saying, ‘Who made
you a ruler and judge?’God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the
hand of the angelwho appearedto him in the bush. 36 This man led them out,
performing wonders and miraculous signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red
Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who saidto the
Israelites, ‘Godwill raise up for you a prophet like me from among your
brothers.’ 38 This is the man who was in the congregationin the wilderness
with the angelwho spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and
he receivedliving oracles to give to you. 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to
obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40
saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who
led us out of the land of Egypt – we do not know what has happened to him!’
41 At that time they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to
the idol, and beganrejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned
awayfrom them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is
written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain

116. animals and sacrificesforty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel? 43
But you took along the tabernacle of Molochand the star of the god Rephan,
the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon’”
(Acts 7:17-43).
We will certainly not be able to dealextensively with this text, but remember
that this is what the Sanhedrin heard, and they certainly got the point. In
other words, the text speaks foritself and doesn’tneed a lot of explaining.
Notice how this sectionbegins with another reference to the Abrahamic
Covenant, which Stephen first mentioned (Acts 7:2-8) as the foundation for
his sermon:
“But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declaredto
Abraham, the people increasedgreatlyin number in Egypt” (Acts 7:17,
emphasis mine).
The events described in this sectionare introduced as being a fulfillment of
God’s promise to Abraham. The exodus of Israel out of Egypt is viewed by
Stephen in the light of the Abrahamic Covenantmore than in terms of the
Mosaic Covenant.
It was during the time when the Israelites were being mistreated that Moses
was born. He was a child who was “beautiful to God” (Acts 7:20). Now every
child is beautiful to his or her parents, but this child was beautiful to God –
God took pleasure in Moses. Forthree months, the life of Moses was spared,
in disobedience to the command of Pharaoh:
Then Pharaohcommanded all his people, “All sons that are born you must
throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live” (Exodus 1:22).
At this age, it would seemthat Moses’parents could no longer keephis
existence a secret, and so they “put him out to die” (Acts 7:21).11 I think
Stephen wants his audience to know that Moses was rejectedby his own
people on more than one occasion. First, he is rejectedby his family, just as
Jesus was initially rejectedby his siblings.12

117. Next, Moseswas rejectedby those whom he sought to save (Acts 7:23-29).
Moses grew up in the householdof Pharaoh, and he learnedthe ways and the
wisdom of the Egyptians. He learned so wellthat Stephen tells us he was
“powerful in his words and deeds.”13Whenhe slew an Egyptian to rescue an
Israelite, this became known to others. The next day Mosessoughtto
intercede betweentwo Israelites, but the guilty Israelite rebuffed him, saying,
“Who made you a ruler and judge overus?” (Acts 7:27)
Knowing that his crime was now public knowledge, Mosesfled to Midian,
where he lived as a foreigner. He married and had two sons there. After 40
years, the Lord appearedto him in the burning bush in the desertof Mount
Sinai. Moses wascurious at the sight of the burning bush and drew closer. It
was then that Godspoke to him:
32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
Moses beganto tremble and did not dare to look more closely. 33 But the
Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are
standing is holy ground” (Acts 7:32-33, emphasis mine).
Severalthings are significant about these words. First, God is speaking to
Moses while he is in the desertof Mount Sinai. Far from Jerusalem, Godis
there, and He is speaking with Moses. Second, this is not “the holy land,” or,
as the Jews ofStephen’s day would say, “this holy place,” and yet God
informs Moses thatthe ground on which he is standing is “holy ground.” This
is a holy place, even if not in the Holy Land. Third, God identifies Himself to
Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, andJacob. In other words, God
identifies Himself to Moses in relation to the Abrahamic Covenant, before the
Mosaic Covenanthas even come into being.
When Moses first soughtto be a deliverer for his people, he was rudely
rejected(“Who made you a ruler and judge over us?”). Now it is God Himself
who declares Moses to be the deliverer. He became both the ruler and the
deliverer of this people through the hand of God, which became evident by the
signs and wonders he performed in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in
the wilderness (Acts 7:35-36).

118. This Moses,who was initially rejectedbut who God raisedup as ruler and
deliverer, spoke ofthe One who would come after him:
“This is the Moses who saidto the Israelites, ‘Godwill raise up for you a
prophet like me from among your brothers’” (Acts 7:37).14
These words should sound familiar to the readerof Acts, for Peterhas cited
them in chapter 3:
“Mosessaid, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you’” (Acts
3:22).
Peterthen followedup with this statement in chapter 5:
30 “The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whomyou seizedand killed
by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and
Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:30-31).
Stephen was accusedofspeaking againstMoses andagainstGod (Acts 6:11),
and yet Stephen spoke of Jesus, ofwhom Moses also spoke. How was Jesus “a
prophet like Moses”?In the contextof Stephen’s sermon, he was rejectedby
his people, and yet he was raised to the position of ruler and deliverer by God.
When it came to Moses,the people were wrong about him, and God exalted
him, overruling their rejectionof him. When it came to Jesus (Stephenwould
surely have us infer), the Israelites rejectedHim, but God raisedHim up as
Leader and Savior, once againoverruling the rejectionof the people.
The problem was not with the leader(Moses orJesus of Nazareth), but with
the people. That is what Stephen now calls to the attention of his accusers:
38 “This is the man who was in the congregationin the wilderness with the
angelwho spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, andhe
receivedliving oracles to give to you. 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey
him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40 saying
to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses,who led us
out of the land of Egypt – we do not know what has happened to him!’ 41 At
that time they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to the

119. idol, and began rejoicing in the works oftheir hands. 42 But Godturned away
from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written
in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals
and sacrificesforty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel? 43 But you
took along the tabernacle of Molochand the star of the god Rephan, the
images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon’” (Acts
7:38-43).
Think of who Moseswas. Godhas spared his life as a child. God was with him
in Egypt and then in the land of Midian. But Godspoke with Moses atthe
burning bush, and He spoke to him on Mount Sinai. He performed signs and
wonders and led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the
wilderness, on the way to Canaan. In spite of all the indications that God was
with Moses,the people rejectedhim. In spite of the factthat they drew near to
the PromisedLand, their hearts were still in Egypt.
In the end, they were just idolaters. When Moses was outof sight (he was on
the mountain, getting the law written on stone tablets), the people decided
they wanted a “god” they could see and touch, so they instructed Aaron to
fashion a goldencalf for them, which they would worship. And this was but
one example, for God gave the Israelites over to their desires. Throughout
their years in the wilderness, in spite of the many evidences ofGod’s care for
His people, the Israelites worshipped the idols they (or their forefathers)had
served in the past.
I should point out that in this portion of his sermon, Stephen has not only
given us a review of Israel’s history from the call of Abraham to their
journeys in the wilderness, he has also cited the Old Testamentprophet Amos
(Amos 5:25-27 in Acts 7:42-43). The law and the prophets bore witness to the
coming of Jesus, the Christ, as they also testified to the sin and rebellion of
God’s people, Israel.
Moses has beena prominent personality in our text, but little is made of the
Mosaic Covenant. Instead, much has been made of the Abrahamic Covenant.
As popular as Moseswould appearto be among the Jews ofStephen’s day, the
fact is that Moseswas rejectedby the Israelites ofhis own day. What people

120. really wanted was a “god” that was the creationof their own hands, a “god”
they could take with them, a “god” that would do their bidding.
As prominent as Jerusalemand the temple were in the thinking of Stephen’s
opponents, most of Israel’s history (that Stephen cites)takes place outside the
land. This, in fact, is where the hearts of the Israelites were. Their hearts were
in Egypt (Acts 7:39), and their gods were foreign deities (Acts 7:42-43). And
this Moses,whomthey so greatly revered, never setfoot in “the Holy Land.”
He only saw it from a distance, at the time of his death. Somebody is missing
the point. What was so important to Stephen’s accuserswas not important to
the writers of the Old Testament.
One last observationfrom verse 43:
“But you took along the tabernacle ofMolochand the starof the god Rephan,
the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon’”
(Acts 7:43, emphasis mine).
The prophet Amos wrote to those living in the northern kingdom, warning
them of God’s coming judgment because oftheir idolatry, idolatry like that of
their forefathers in the wilderness. It was due to their sin that God would
deport them beyond Babylon. They would be thrust out of the land, and it
would be because oftheir sin and their resistance to the Word of God spoken
through the prophets. The temple was Israel’s idol. They assumedthat so long
as the temple was with them, God was with them. No wonder they thought of
speaking ofthe destruction of the temple as blasphemy. The temple would be
destroyed, along with Jerusalem, because the true temple (Jesus)had come to
Jerusalem, and they had soughtto destroyHim.
Stephen’s Summary on “This Holy Place”
Acts 7:44-50
44 “Our ancestorshad the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as
God who spoke to Moses orderedhim to make it according to the design he
had seen. 45 Our ancestorsreceivedpossessionofit and brought it in with
Joshua when they dispossessedthe nations that God drove out before our
ancestors,until the time of David. 46 He found favor with God and askedthat

121. he could find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built a
house for him. 48 Yet the MostHigh does not live in houses made by human
hands, as the prophet says, 49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstool
for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what
is my resting place? 50 Did my hand not make all these things?’” (Acts 7:44-
50)
Unbelieving Jews couldnot stand to hear anything about the coming
destruction of the temple. As the Law of Moses (orrather the traditions the
Jews had made up themselves and attributed to Moses)hadbecome an idol to
the Hellenistic, Greek-speaking Jews who opposedStephen, so had the temple.
They assumedthat to have the temple was to have the assurance ofGod’s
presence among them and His blessings.15
Stephen’s adversaries greatlyrevered the temple, but Israel’s history does not
bear out their disproportionate sense of adoration. When God manifested His
presence among His people, He chose to do so by means of the tabernacle.
God gave the plans to Moses while Israelwas in the wilderness, and the
tabernacle was constructedin exacting compliance to these plans. They
brought the tabernacle with them into the PromisedLand. It was with them
when Joshua led the Israelites into Canaanand possessedthe land. This was
the case until the time of David. It was David’s idea, not God’s, to build a
temple, and God granted his request, with the exception that Solomonwould
be the one to build it.
“Wellenough,” Stephen would seemto say, “David purposed to build a
temple, but one must be careful not to give the temple undue reverence and
devotion.”16 Stephennow cites the prophet Isaiah:
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and earth is the footstoolformy feet.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is my resting place?
50 Did my hand not make all these things?’”

122. (Acts 7:49-50, citing Isaiah66:1-2)
God is the Creatorof the heavens and the earth. The whole earth is His
footstool. How, then, can anyone suppose that any temple made with human
hands can do Him justice? How can anyone assume that it can contain God?
The temple was a beautiful work of the hands of man, and it had great
spiritual significance, but God no long dwelled in it. As our Lord Jesus told
the womanat the well, worship is not a matter of finding the right place, but
of finding the right person(John 4:20-26). Theyhave an exaggeratedview of
the importance of the temple.
Stephen’s Summary on Revering Mosesand the Law
Acts 7:51-53
51 “You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!You are
always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did! 52 Which of the
prophets did your ancestors notpersecute? Theykilled those who foretold
long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers
you have now become!53 You receivedthe law by decrees givenby angels,
but you did not obey it.”
Stephen is certainly not pleading for his life here. He is pressing charges
againsthis accusers,for it is they who have blasphemed God. It is they (and
their ancestors)who have rebelledagainstMoses andthe prophets. They are a
stubborn people, just as God had often said of them before:
6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousnessthat the
Lord your God is about to give you this goodland as a possession, foryou are
a stubborn people! 7 Remember – don’t ever forget – how you provokedthe
Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until
you came to this place you were constantlyrebelling againsthim. 8 At Horeb
you provokedhim and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9 When
I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant
that the Lord made with you, I remained there forty days and nights, eating
and drinking nothing. 10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by
the very finger of God, and on them was everything he said to you at the

123. mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 11 Now at
the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone
tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 And he said to me, “Getup, go down at
once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have
sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have
made for themselves a castmetal image.” 13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have
takennote of these people;they are a stubborn lot! (Deuteronomy 9:6-13;see
also Exodus 32:9; 33:3)
How painful it must have been for those who made so much of their
circumcisionto hear Stephen accusethem of being uncircumcised in their
hearts and ears (Acts 7:51). When they heard Stephen’s words, they covered
their ears (Acts 7:57). The Spirit of God had been in Israel’s midst in the past,
but He was even more dramatically present in Jesus, and now in His apostles.
To resist Jesus and the apostles was thus to resistthe Holy Spirit, and thus to
identify themselves with their rebellious ancestors.Theirancestors persecuted
the prophets of old, who foretold the coming of the Righteous One (Acts 7:52).
Now that He, the Righteous One, has come, Stephen’s adversaries have
betrayed and murdered Him. Those who talk so proudly about keeping the
law, given by angels, have been shown to be disobedient to it. They murdered
the only One who ever met the demands of the Law. It is not Stephen who is
guilty; it is his accusers!The only thing you can say for them is that they are
consistent – consistentlydisobedient to God.
The Outcome:Stephen’s Death
Acts 7:54-60
54 When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth
at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, lookedintently toward heaven
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56
“Look!” he said. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of God!” 57 But they coveredtheir ears, shouting out with a
loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 58 When they had driven him
out of the city, they beganto stone him, and the witnesses laidtheir cloaks at
the feetof a young man named Saul. 59 They continued to stone Stephen while

124. he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell to his knees and
cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem!” When
he had said this, he died (Acts 7:54-60).
Can you imagine what this must have lookedlike from Stephen’s vantage
point? Over the past 30 years, I have lookedinto the faces of many as I have
preached. Occasionally, there will be someone whose headnods (or worse). I
can understand that. Some will be listening intently, and others may be
distracted. Stephen’s audience was the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewishcourt in
the land. These men were the religious and political giants of the land. No
doubt they were all about maintaining appearances (compare Matthew 23:5-
7), so they would probably dress in a very distinguished manner and sit with
greatdignity and composure. This may have been the waythings happened on
other days, but not today! This audience must have been looking straight at
Stephen. His message wasnot subtle; it was clear, condemning, and, worse
yet, irrefutable (see Acts 6:10). There was no way to engage in debate. These
men gave way to savage andprimitive impulses. They were “cut to the
quick.”17 Theygnashedtheir teeth at Stephen.18 Talk about“body
language.” Itdidn’t take greatinsight to discern that this crowd wanted
blood, Stephen’s blood.
Dying Grace
Stephen had to know what lay aheadfor him. Luke tells us what enabled
Stephen to continue to stand fast, dying in a way that underscored the truth of
his faith and of his sermon. Full of the Spirit, Stephen lookedinto heaven,
which opened for him, showing him what lay ahead. He beheld the glory of
God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.19
Becauseofmodern technology, we have been confronted by the horrible
images of hostages, pleading for their lives as they face death at the hands of
hooded terrorists. No doubt this is preciselythe picture the terrorists wanted
us to see. The Sanhedrin would have no such pleasure;indeed it would be
quite the opposite. Stephentold his executioners whathe saw as he lookedup
into heaven: “Look!” he said. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God!” (Luke 7:56)

125. This was more than they could take. Stephen beholds the Son of Man – Jesus
of Nazareth, whom they crucified – standing at God’s right hand, in heaven.
The One they rejectedand killed is alive, and God the Fatherhas made Him
both “ruler and deliverer” (Acts 7:35). Stephen, whom they accusedof
blaspheming God, is beholding God, who awaits his entrance into his eternal
reward. Stephen does not cowerin fear, or plead for his life. He will die
beholding the face of God. I have to believe that his face was still glowing (see
Acts 6:15), like that of Moses(see Exodus 34:29-35). Whata powerful way to
underscore the truth of Stephen’s sermon.
This was the last straw for the Sanhedrin. They could stand it no more. They
coveredtheir ears and rushed at him, at one heart and mind with all the
others, whose intent was to silence Stephenas quickly as possible. After
driving him out of the city, they stoned him.
Here, Luke choosesto introduce us to Paul (or, more precisely, Saul). No
doubt he was among those who debated with Stephen (Acts 6:9ff.). He might
even have led the opposition to Stephen. He was probably among those who
heard Stephen’s sermon preachedto the Sanhedrin. He was certainly present
at Stephen’s execution(or should we sayhis “murder”). Saul watchedthe
cloaks ofthose who laid them aside to stone Stephen (Acts 7:58). I can imagine
that this scene, along with Stephen’s sermon, was permanently embedded in
Saul’s mind, never to be forgotten.
Luke gives Stephen the last word. One cannot miss the similarities between
Stephen’s words at his death and those of our Lord at the time of His death:
Jesus:“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)
Stephen: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:59)
Jesus:“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke
23:34).20
Stephen: “Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem!” (Acts 7:60)
I love Luke’s final words, describing what had to be a horrible, violent death:
“And when he had saidthis, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). I am of the persuasion

126. that the external (visible) aspects ofone’s death are not entirely synonymous
with the spiritual realities of one’s departure from this life. I base this upon
texts such as 2 Kings 2:11; 2 Kings 13:14; and Luke 16:22. In Luke 16, for
example, Lazarus seems to die a miserable death. His last days were filled
with misery. After his death, his body may even have been unceremoniously
castinto the garbage dump, without being properly buried. The rich man is
given all the comforts his money can provide.21 But something more is going
on, beyond human view. Lazarus is transported to Abraham’s bosomby
angels, but the rich man finds himself in torment. When Stephen died, I
believe that God provided an exit worthy of a courageous martyr, and thus we
are told he simply fell asleep. Whata way to go, proclaiming Jesus to his very
last breath.
Reading his final words, I could not help but conclude that Stephen’s death
was much like that of our Lord. Both were executed for things they did not do,
convictedon the basis of false charges. Bothcommitted their spirit to God.
Both askedGod’s forgiveness forthose who executedthem. Aside from the
fact that Jesus alone died as a sinless substitute, bearing the guilt and
punishment for our sins, there is another greatdifference. Stephen died while
looking into heaven, beholding heaven’s approval. When Jesus died, He was
at that moment forsakenby God, because He bore our sin and guilt. No
wonder we read,
At about three o’clock Jesus shoutedwith a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsakenme?”
(Matthew 27:46)
What a horrid death that would have been. No wonderour Lord shed great
drops of blood as He agonizedin the gardenof Gethsemane (Luke 22:44).
That is the death that eachof us deserves for our sin, a death that Jesus
endured in our place.
Conclusion
As we conclude this lesson, considersome ofthe ways that this text speaks to
us.

127. First, when Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin, it is as though our Lord
were on trial a secondtime. One of my favorite commentators on the Book of
Acts observedthat Stephen’s sermonin our text was quite different from the
earlier sermons of Peterin Acts. Specifically, he observedthat Stephen hardly
mentioned Jesus, while Peterspoke plainly of Him. The more I have thought
about this text, the more I am inclined to differ with this assessment. I believe
that the reasonwe hardly find Jesus mentioned is that while Peterspoke of
Jesus, Stephenspoke for Jesus. The lasttwo verses ofchapter 7 make this
point clearly enough to convince me at least. Stephenwas being accusedof
teaching what Jesus taught, and by and large, I believe this to be correct.
I think this overlapping of Jesus’and Stephen’s teaching may be significant.
Let me try to explain why. I believe that Joseph’s dealings with his brothers in
Genesis 42-45help us understand the concept of repentance. To make a long
story short, Josephvirtually reconstructedthe circumstances ofhis own
betrayal by his brothers. Now, rather than having the opportunity to make
Josepha slave, his brothers had the opportunity to make Benjamin a slave. At
the beginning of Joseph’s dealings with his brothers,22 it was obvious that
they regrettedtheir cruelty to Joseph(Genesis 42:21-22). But regretis not the
same as repentance. It was only after Joseph’s brothers facedthe same
temptation (to forsake their youngestbrother and thus make him a slave)and
responded differently23 that Josephrecognizedtrue repentance in his
brothers, and thereafterdisclosedhis identity to his brothers.
From the story of Joseph, we may derive this simple definition of repentance:
TRUE REPENTANCEIS DOING IT DIFFERENTLYWHEN GIVEN THE
OPPORTUNITYTO RELIVE THE SITUATION.
I am suggesting that in Stephen, God offers the Sanhedrin a secondchance.
When he stands on trial before the Sanhedrin, he is being accusedofthe very
things which were the real reasons for Jesus’rejectionand executionby the
Jewishreligious leaders. This was their golden opportunity to confess their sin
with regard to Jesus, andto acknowledgeHim as Israel’s Messiah. Instead,
they even more strongly rejectedthe gospel. Theyturned into primitive
savages, becoming like a pack of wolves. And in so doing, they reaffirmed

128. their sin and their guilt in rejecting and crucifying Jesus. This was a dark day
indeed for Israel’s religious leaders. The irony of all this is that because they
rejectedJesus once again(so to speak), they not only confirmed their guilt;
they brought on the very destruction they opposedin the preaching of Jesus
and the apostles.
In the early verses of chapter 8, we read that the death of Stephen triggereda
greatpersecutionagainstthe church in Jerusalem. I have always lookedat
this in a positive light. The death of Stephen brought about the persecutionof
the church. The persecutionof the church brought about the scattering of the
church to “all Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). Thus, God was fulfilling the
GreatCommission as the gospelwas being spread abroad. This is a very
positive message.
But there is a dark side to this that I had previously overlooked. The church is
scattered, leaving Jerusalemwith a mere handful of believers. Only the
apostles remain behind (Acts 8:1). Neveragain will we read encouraging
reports about a large number of conversions in Jerusalemand of phenomenal
growth in the church. When the church fled from Jerusalem, it was something
like Noahand his family entering the ark, or like Lot and his family fleeing
from Sodom and Gomorrah– it closedthe door to repentance and salvation
and opened the door for God’s judgment to fall upon this wickedcity. What a
tragedy for the greatcity of Jerusalemto be forsakenby God’s people.
Jerusalem’s Dayof Judgment was surely drawing near, even as they killed
Stephen for warning them about it.
Second, I believe that the death of Stephen had a profound impact on Saul
(Paul), one that servedto prepare him for his day of salvation, and more. We
know that Stephen’s preaching was so powerful and persuasive that no one
could successfullyrefute it – even Saul (who I believe engagedin the debate
with Stephen).24 I believe that Stephen’s sermon haunted Saul, until the day
of his conversion.
I am eventempted to speculate further that Stephen’s sermon provided the
rough outline for Paul’s later theology, after his conversion. As I was reading
in F. F. Bruce’s commentary on the Book ofActs,25 I noticed he suggested

129. that there are some strong similarities betweenthe teaching and theology of
the Book ofHebrews and Stephen’s sermon. Stephen’s sermon suggests that
his thinking was aheadof its time – farther, for example, than Peter’s theology
at this point in time.26 If Paul were the author of the Book ofHebrews (as I
am tempted to think), then it would not be surprising to find Stephen’s
theology(as found in his sermon) played out in greaterdetail in Hebrews. I
cannot help but think of Paul as Stephen’s successor. Paulfinished what
Stephen started.
One more thing occurredto me regarding the relationship betweenStephen
and Saul/Paul. The next person(in Acts) to stand before the Sanhedrin is
Paul. How different his trial turned out:
1 Paul lookeddirectly at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life
with a clearconsciencebefore Godto this day.” 2 At that the high priest
Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then
Paul said to him, “Godis going to strike you, you whitewashedwall!Do you
sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you
order me to be struck?” 4 Those standing near him said, “Do you dare insult
God’s high priest?” 5 Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the
high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your
people.’” 6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the
others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a
son of Pharisees.I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrectionof the
dead!” 7 When he said this, an argument beganbetweenthe Pharisees and the
Sadducees, andthe assemblywas divided. 8 (For the Sadducees saythere is no
resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge themall.) 9
There was a greatcommotion, and some experts in the law from the party of
the Phariseesstoodup and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with
this man. What if a spirit or an angelhas spokento him?” 10 When the
argument became so greatthe commanding officerfeared that they would
tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away
from them by force, and bring him into the barracks (Acts 23:1-10).
Stephen stoodbefore the Sanhedrin, no doubt knowing that they wanted
blood. He did not hold back;instead he delivered a blistering indictment

130. againsthis accusers,whichled to his death. Paul likewise laterstoodbefore
the Sanhedrin. He recognizedthat he would not receive a fair trial either (like
Stephen). He may even have discerned that they fully intended to execute him,
as they had killed Stephen. Paul identifies himself as a Pharisee and causes the
members of the Sanhedrin to turn on one another, like a pack of angry dogs.
This turns out to be Paul’s deliverance, for the trial is abortedby the violence
Paul’s words triggered.
I am not faulting Paul at all. I believe that Stephen sensedthat his mission was
accomplished, and that he would most glorify God by speaking plainly and by
dying well. That he did. I believe that Paul realized his mission (as described
in Acts 9:15-16)was not yet fulfilled. Thus, he responded in a way that gave
him additional days to fulfill his calling. He, too, would die a martyr’s death,
but later. This leads me to my next point, the sovereigntyof God.
Third, we are once againreminded that Godis sovereignin this world and
over His church. God sovereignlypurposes the death of Stephen, while He will
spare Paul when he stands before the Sanhedrin (see above). Some of the
Greek-speaking Jews seek to silence the gospelby stoning Stephen, but the
end result is that the gospelis proclaimed before the Sanhedrin, and now by
the scattering ofthe church, it is proclaimed world-wide. Greek-speaking
Jews oppose the gospel, yet their opposition only serves to spread the gospel
abroad to Greek-speaking people. The very thing these enemies of the gospel
oppose, they end up inadvertently promoting. God uses those who obey Him
to advance His gospel– men like Peterand Barnabas and Stephen. Likewise,
God uses those who oppose Him to advance His gospel – men like Pharaoh of
old, like Judas, and like these Greek-speaking Jews. The Book ofActs is the
record of God’s sovereignwork through His church, and through those who
oppose His church. As our Lord will later sayto Saul, “It is futile to kick
againstthe goads” (Acts 26:14).
Fourth, we should learn from Stephen’s knowledge and use of the Old
TestamentScriptures. We should learn from Stephen the value of history and
its lessons for later generations. The Bible frequently takes us back to “ancient
history” to teachus important lessons (Romans 15:4;1 Corinthians 9:8-10).
From Noah’s flood and the destruction of Sodomand Gomorrah, we learn of

131. man’s sin and of God’s judgment on sinners (see, for example, 2 Peter2:1-9).
Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9 review Israel’s history as a reminder of this nation’s
sins. Psalm 78 is a review of history to recallthe sinfulness of man and the
faithfulness of God. Paul turns to Old Testamenthistory to instruct the
Corinthian saints about the dangers of self-indulgence (1 Corinthians 10:1-
13).
We live in a day when history is not merely disdained; it is rewritten to justify
crookedthinking and rotten living. We should learn from history so that we
do not perpetuate the sins of the past. Let us learn from Stephen the value of
history.
Beyond this, we learn from Stephen the difference between“camels” and
“gnats.” Few people todaypreach the way Stephen did, using large portions of
Scripture and drawing from them the overall, dominant themes. As a
preacherI knew used to sayof many other preachers, “Theygo down deeper
and stay down longerthan anyone I know.” Details are important at times,
but we sometimes tend to focus on the minute details of biblical texts, rather
than on the broad, sweeping themes of Scripture. How many of us can take a
theme and trace it through the Scriptures as Stephen has done? Our
devotional books dwellon a verse of Scripture, and sometimes less. Our daily
Bible readings (even systematic Bible reading) are scatteredacrossthe Old
Testament, the Book ofPsalms, and a New Testamenttext. Why not read
largerdoses of Scripture, and seek to discern the broader themes of the
Scriptures? Why not work at tracing themes and doctrines through the
Scriptures? We need the “Vitamin C” approach to the Scriptures – we need
massive doses, nota dab here and a dab there.27
Fifth, our text encouragesmissions. You may wonderhow a passage thatends
in the murder of a Christian can encourage anyone to considermissions as a
calling. It really does, however. The principle which Stephen was seekingto
demonstrate from Old Testamenthistory is that God is not restrictedto a
particular place. Stephenreminded his listeners that God was with Abram in
Mesopotamia, inHaran, in Egypt, and in Canaan. God was with Moses in
Egypt, in Midian, and in the wilderness. Thus, Abram was able to leave his

132. homeland and family and depart for an unnamed destination. Wherever a
believer may be, God is with him:
7 Where canI go to escape yourspirit?
Where canI flee to escape your presence?
8 If I were to ascendto heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.
9 If I were to fly awayon the wings of the dawn,
and settle down on the other side of the sea,
10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me (Psalm 139:7-10).
Men and women, we canbe assuredof God’s presence, power, and protection
whereverHis will takes us. Parents, we can releaseour children to serve God
whereverHe may lead, knowing that God is with them. God’s presence is not
limited to any one place; He is with His people wherever they may be. Now
here is a truth that inspires those who would seek to serve God in distant or
remote places. This leads to our next point.
Sixth, our text informs us that martyrdom can glorify God, build up the
church, and can be a blessing and a privilege to those who die well for the
Lord Jesus. Tertullian once said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seedof the
church.” Luke would surely agree with this statement. Stephen’s martyrdom
launched an ever expanding missionary movement. The gospelspreadfrom
Jerusalemto “all Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” To
follow up on our last point, God is not only with us wherever we are on earth.
He will also be with us in death, to take us to heaven:
4 Even when I must walk through the darkestvalley,
I fear no danger, for you are with me;
your rod and your staffreassure me.

133. 5 You prepare a feastbefore me in plain sight of my enemies.
You refresh my head with oil;
my cup is completely full.
6 Surely your goodnessand faithfulness will pursue me all my days,
and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life (Psalm 23:4-6).
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterwardreceive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever(Psalm 73:23-26,
NKJV).
Not long ago we prayed for missionaries who were returning to a dangerous
part of the world. As we were preparing to pray, I calledattention to these
verses in Philippians 1:
19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers
and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 My confident hope is that I will in
no way be ashamedbut that with complete boldness, even now as always,
Christ will be exaltedin my body, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living is
Christ and dying is gain (Philippians 1:19-21, emphasis mine).
I don’t think that Paul is asking the Philippians to pray for his safetyor for a
life free from suffering and persecution. Paul’s desire is to glorify God by
advancing the gospel, whetherthis is by his life, or by his death. Paul does not
dread death; he dreads living – or dying – in a way that would dishonor the

134. Savior. Seeing Stephen’s entrance into heaven, looking into the face of His
Lord, who could wish some other fate upon Stephen?
I was at a lunch some time ago with a man who is in charge of a ministry
where missionaries are in grave danger. Someone suggestedthat there might
be ways to proclaim the gospelthat would minimize the risk of martyrdom.
This man hesitated, and then replied that he had just told those serving under
him that what the cause of Christ might need is a few more martyrs.
I don’t remember exactlywhen or where he said it, but I recallJohn Piper
saying, “There is no closedcountry to those who are willing to die for the sake
of the gospel.” Once one is committed to die (if need be) for the cause of
Christ, there is nothing that can hold him (or her) back. In some parts of the
world where I have ministered, missionaries seemto be the first to leave when
the going gets tough. “Safetyfirst!” seems to be the motto. That was not
Stephen’s motto. He faithfully proclaimed the truth of God’s Word, knowing
it would likely lead to his death. But what a triumphant death it was, evenas
our Lord’s death was triumphant. The same faith that enabled Abram to
leave his homeland and his relatives and go to an unknown country, the same
faith that enabled Abraham to offer up his only son (if need be), is the faith
that enables us to live dangerouslyfor the sake ofour Lord, whose death
ended once and for all the fearof death for those who trust in Him:
14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise sharedin
their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the
powerof death (that is, the devil), 15 and set free those who were held in
slavery all their lives by their fearof death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness,ordanger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“Foryour sake we encounterdeath all day long; we were consideredas sheep
to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through
him who loved us! 38 ForI am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come,
nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creationwill be able

135. to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-
39).
55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So then, dear
brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the
work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1
Corinthians 15:55-58).
6 Therefore we are always full of courage, andwe know that as long as we are
alive here on earth we are absentfrom the Lord – 7 for we live by faith, not by
sight. 8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be awayfrom the
body and at home with the Lord. 9 So then whether we are alive or away, we
make it our ambition to please him (2 Corinthians 5:6-9).
1 Copyright © 2006 by Community Bible Chapel, 418 E. Main Street,
Richardson, TX 75081. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson12 in the
Studies in the Book ofActs series prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on
January 22, 2006. Anyone is at liberty to use this lessonfor educational
purposes only, with or without credit. The Chapel believes the material
presentedherein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further,
not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The
publication of this material is a grace ministry of Community Bible Chapel.
2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible.
The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also knownas THE NET BIBLE, is a
completely new translationof the Bible, not a revision or an update of a
previous English version. It was completedby more than twenty biblical
scholars who workeddirectly from the best currently available Hebrew,
Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translationproject originally startedas an
attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic
distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in
the world with an Internet connectionwill be able to use and print out the
NET Bible without costfor personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to

136. share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away
free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.
3 See, for example, Luke 13:34-35;19:41-44.
4 See Matthew 15:1-9.
5 Interestingly, the KJV, NKJV, NIV and others render it something like this:
“Now the Lord had said . . . .” In this way, they have made the reading
conform to what Stephen said in Acts 7.
6 Even Abram foolishly reasonedthis way, supposing that God’s protection
was only goodwithin the borders of the land He had promised. When
Abraham sojourned in Gerar, he once againmisrepresentedhis wife Sarah as
his sister. When Abimelech took Sarah, Godrevealed to him that Sarah was
Abraham’s wife. Abraham excusedhis actions by claiming that he didn’t feel
safe in that place. He said he thought there was “no fear of God” in that place
(Genesis 20:11, NASB), which is just another wayof saying he thought God
would not protect him there. And yet God protectedAbraham and Sarah,
both in Egypt and in Gerar.
7 We will get to this in Acts 15.
8 Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant as well (Matthew 5:17-19), but only so that
He could establishthe New Covenant, which was far superior. The Book of
Hebrews takes up this matter in much greaterdetail.
9 See, for example, Acts 15:1.
10 See Galatians 3.
11 Here is anotherof Stephen’s insights into the Old Testamentaccountof
Moses,which is not clearly statedin Exodus 1 and 2. We know that Pharaoh
ordered the Israelites to kill their boy babies by casting them into the Nile
(Exodus 1:22; Acts 7:19). Moses’parents delayedas long as they could, and
finally complied with Pharaoh’s orders – exceptthat they castMoses into the
Nile in a waterproofbasket. Nevertheless,Stephenmakes it clearthat the
normal consequenceofthis would be the child’s death. It is not so clearin the

137. Exodus account(Exodus 2:1-4). If his parents had not casthim into the Nile,
an Egyptian most certainly would have, but God had other plans.
12 See John 7:1-5.
13 This additional information helps to put Moses’self-deprecating remarks
(Exodus 3 and 4) in perspective. He was not as poor in speechas he indicated,
unless he is saying something like: “Look, I haven’t been to Egypt or spoken
Egyptian for 40 years, and my Egyptian has gotten pretty rusty.”
14 Take note that Petermade a similar reference to this statementof Moses
(Deuteronomy 18:15).
15 This is nothing new. The same thing happened with the brazen serpent(2
Kings 18:4) and also with the ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 4:1-6).
16 One must keepin mind the fact that Solomon’s temple was destroyed(2
Kings 25:8-17). This is really Herod’s temple (see John 2:20), which makes it a
lot less glorious.
17 I prefer this rendering by the NASB (“cut to the heart,” KJV). It is the
same expressionthat we find in Acts 5:33, exceptno one (like Gamaliel)
attempts to curb the rage of the Sanhedrin this time.
18 A. T. Robertsonlikens this to a pack of wolves. A. T. Robertson, Word
Pictures in the New Testament(electronic edition via BibleWorks 6), en loc.
19 Much has been made of the fact that Stephen saw the Lord Jesus standing
at the right hand of God. Normally, when reference is made to Jesus being at
the Father’s right hand, He is sitting. This is the only place where Jesus is
specificallysaid to be standing at the Father’s right hand. Perhaps Jesus is
standing because He is ready to take action, either welcoming Stephenor
judging those who will kill him. Some think it is a way of honoring Stephen
and his courageous entrance into heaven. We can only speculate.
20 The NET Bible indicates that some manuscripts omit this statement. My
inclination is to acceptit.
21 See Psalm73:4-5.

138. 22 You will recallthat Josephdisguisedhimself so that they did not recognize
him, though he surely recognizedthem.
23 Earlier, in Genesis 37:24-27, it was Judah who proposedto his brothers
that they sellJosephinto slavery. Now, in Genesis 44:18-34, it is Judah who
pleads with Josephfor Benjamin’s release,offering himself instead.
24 In Acts 6:9, we are told that some from . . . Cilicia . . . opposedStephen.
Tarsus was a city of Cilicia (Acts 21:39), and we know Paul was presentat
Stephen’s death (Acts 8:1-3).
25 F. F. Bruce, The Book ofthe Acts (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1988), p. 132.
26 Remember that Peterwas a native Hebraic Jew while Stephen was a
Greek-speaking Jew. Also, Peterhad some hard lessons yet to learn, as we see
in Acts 10 and 11. Stephen’s thinking seems to be more advancedthan Peter’s,
especiallywhen it came to the expansionof the church to Gentiles.
27 When I preachedthis message, Iwrongly referred to the “Burma Shave
approach: A little dab ‘ll do ya.” I was quickly correctedafterthe message.
This was a Brillcreamslogan, not a Burma Shave slogan. Regardless,little
dabs of Scripture will not do us as well as large doses.
GEORGE T. STOKES
THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYRDOM.
Acts 7:58-60;Acts 8:1
THE apologyof Stephen struck the keynote of Christian freedom, tracedout
the fair proportions of the Catholic Church, while the actualmartyrdom of
Stephen taught men that Christianity was not only the force which was to

139. triumph, but the powerin which they were to suffer, and bear, and die.
Stephen’s careerwas a type of all martyr lives, and embraces every possible
development through which Christ’s Church and His servants had afterwards
to pass, - obscurity, fame, activity, death, fixing high the standard for all ages.
I. We have in this passage, telling the story of that martyrdom, a vastnumber
of topics, which have formed the subject-matter of Christian thought since
apostolic times. We have already remarkedthat the earliestquotation from
the Acts of the Apostles connects itself with this scene of Stephen’s
martyrdom. Let us see how this came about. One hundred and forty years
later than Stephen’s death, towards the close ofthe secondcentury, the
Churches of Vienne and Lyons were sending an accountof the terrible
sufferings through which they had passedduring a similar sudden outburst of
the Celtic pagans of that district againstthe Christians. The agedPothinus, a
man whose life and ministry touched upon the apostolic age,was put to death,
suffering violence very like that to which St. Stephen was subjected, for we are
told expresslyby the historian Eusebius that the mob in its violence flung
missiles at him. "Those ata distance, whatsoeverthey had at hand, every one
hurled at him, thinking it would be a greatsin if they fell short in wanton
abuse againsthim." The Church of Lyons, according to the loving usage of
those early times, sent an accountfor all their trouble to the brethren in Asia
and Phrygia, that they might read it at the celebrationof the Eucharistfor
their own comfort and edification. They entered into greatdetails, showing
how wonderfully the powerof God’s grace was manifested, evenin the
weakestpersons, sustaining their courage and enabling them to witness. The
letter then goes onto note the marvellous humility of the sufferers. They
would not allow any one to call them martyrs. That name was reservedto
Jesus Christ, "the true and faithful Martyr," and to those who had been made
perfect through death. Then, too, their charity was wonderful, and the Epistle,
referring to this very incident, tells how they prayed "like Stephen, that
perfect martyr, Lord, impute not this sin to them." The memory of St.
Stephen served to nerve the earliestGallic martyrs, and it has ever since been
bound up with the dearestfeelings ofChristians. The arrangements of the
Calendar, with which we are all familiar, are merely an expressionof the
same feeling as that recordedin the second-centurydocument we have just

140. now quoted. Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day are closelyunited, -the
commemorationof Christ’s birth is joined with that of the martyrdom of St.
Stephen, because ofa certainspiritual instinct. Christmas Day records the
fact of the Incarnation, and then we have according to the order of the
Calendarthree holy days; St. Stephen’s, St. John’s, and the Holy Innocents’
Day, which follow one another in immediate succession. Many persons will
remember the explanation of an old commentator on the Calendarand
Liturgy, of which Keble makes a very effective use in his hymns in the
"Christian Year" set apart for those days. There are three classesofmartyrs:
one in will and deed like St. Stephen, -this is the highest class, therefore he has
place next to Christ; another in will, but not in deed, like St. John the Divine,
who was ready to suffer death, but did not, -this is the secondrank, therefore
his place comes next to St. Stephen; and lastly come the Holy Innocents, the
babes of Bethlehem, martyrs in deed but not in will, and therefore in the
lowestposition. The WesternChurch, and especiallythe Church of Northern
Europe, has always loved the Christmas season, withits cheerful fires, its
socialjoys, its family memories;and hence, as it was in the Church of the
secondcentury, so with ourselves, none has a higher or dearer place in
memory, doubtless largely owing to this conjunction, than the great proto-
martyr. Men have delighted, therefore, to trace spiritual analogiesand
relationships betweenStephen and Christ; fanciful perhaps some of them are,
but still they are devout fancies, edifying fancies, fancies whichstrengthen and
deepen the Divine life in the soul. Thus they have noted that Christmas Day
and St. Stephen’s Day are both natal days. In the language of the ancient
Church, with its strong realising faith, men spoke of a saint’s death or
martyrdom as his dies natalis. This is, indeed, one of the many traces of
primitive usage which the Church of Rome has preserved, like a fly fixed in
amber, petrified in the midst of her liturgical uses. She has a Martyrology
which the ordinary laity scarcelyeversee or use, but which is in daily use
among the clergy and the various ecclesiasticalcommunities connectedwith
that Church. It is in the Latin tongue, and is calledthe "Martyrologium
Romanum," giving the names of the various saints whose memories are
celebratedupon eachday throughout the year, and every such day is duly
styled the natal or birthday of the saint to whom it is appropriated. The
Church of Rome retains this beautiful custom of the primitive Church, which

141. viewed the death-day of a saint as his birthday into the true life, and rejoiced
in it accordingly. That life was not, in the conceptionof the primitive
believers, a life of ghosts and shadows. It was the life of realities, because it
was the life of eternity, and therefore the early Christians lived for it, they
longed for it, and counted their entrance upon it their true natal or birthday.
The Church brought the two birthdays of Christ and Stephen into closest
union, and men saw a beautiful reasonfor that union, teaching that Christ
was born into this lower world in order that Stephen might be born into the
heavenly world. The whole of that dreadful scene enactedatJerusalemwas
transformed by the power of that beautiful conception. Stephen’s death was
no longer a brutal murder; faith no longersaw the rage, the violence, the
crushed body, the mangled and outraged humanity. The birthday of Jesus
Christ, the Incarnation of the Master, transfiguredthe death-scene ofthe
servant, for the shame and sufferings were changedinto peace and glory; the
execrations and rage of the mob became angelic songs, and the missiles used
by them were fashionedinto messengers ofthe MostHigh, ushering the
faithful martyr through a new birth into his eternalrest. Well would it be for
the Church at large if she could rise to this early conceptionmore frequently
than she commonly does. Men did not then trouble themselves about
questions of assurance, ortheir Christian consciousness.These topics and
ideas are begottenon a lower level, and find sustenance in a different region.
Men like Stephen and the martyrs of Vienne and Lyons lived in the other
world; it was the world of all their interests, of all their passionate desires, of
all their sense of realities. They lived the supernatural life, and they did not
trouble themselves with any questions about that life, any more than a man in
sound physical health and spirits cares to discuss topics dealing with the
constitution of the life which he enjoys, or to debate such unprofitable
questions as, How do I know that I exist at all? Christians then knew and felt
they lived in God, and that was enough for them. We have wanderedfar
enough afield, however;let us retrace our steps, and seek to discovermore in
detail the instruction for the life of future ages givenus in this first martyr
scene.
II. We have brought before us the cause ofthe sudden outburst against
Stephen. Forit was an outburst, a popular commotion, not a legalexecution.

142. We have alreadyexplained the circumstances whichled the Sanhedrin to
permit the mob to take their own course, and even to assistthem in doing so.
Pilate had departed; the imperial throne too was vacant in the spring or early
summer of the year 37;there was an interregnum when the bonds of authority
were relaxed, during which the Jews took leave to do as they pleased, trusting
that when the bonds were againdrawn tight the misdeeds of the pastand the
irregularities committed would be forgottenand forgiven. Hence the riot in
which Stephen lost his life. But what rousedthe listeners-Sanhedrists, elders,
priests, and people alike - to madness? Theyheard him patiently enough, just
as they afterwards heard his successorPaul, till he spoke ofthe wider spiritual
hope. Paul, as his speechis reported in the twenty-secondchapter, was
listened to till he spoke ofbeing sent to the Gentiles. Stephen was listened to
till he spoke ofthe free, universal, spiritual characterof the Divine worship,
tied to no place, bounded by no locality. Then the Sanhedrin waxed impatient,
and Stephen, recognising with all an orator’s instinct and tactthat his
opportunity was over, changes his note-charging home upon his hearers the
same spirit of criminal resistanceto the leadings of the MostHigh as their
fathers had always shown. The older Jews had ever resistedthe Holy Ghost as
He displayed His teaching and opened up His purposes under the Old
Dispensation;their descendants had now followedtheir example in
withstanding the same Divine Spirit manifested in that Holy One of whom
they had lately been the betrayers and murderers. It is scarcelyany wonder
that such language should have been the occasionof his death. How exactly he
follows the example of our Saviour! Stephen used strong language, and so did
Jesus Christ. It has even been urged of late years that our Lord deliberately
roused the Jews to action, and hastened his end by his violent language of
denunciation againstthe ruling classesrecordedin the twenty-third chapter of
St. Matthew. There is, however, a greatlessonof eternalsignificance to be
derived from the example of St. Stephen as well as of our Lord. There are
times when strong language is useful and necessary. Christ’s ordinary
ministry was gentle, persuasive, mild. He did not strive nor cry, neither did
any man hear His voice in the streets. But a time came when, persuasion
having failed of its purpose, the language ofdenunciation took its place, and
helped to work out in a way the Pharisees little expectedthe final triumph of
truth. Stephen was skilful and gentle in his speech; his words must at first

143. have sounded strangelyflattering to their prejudices, coming from one who
was accusedas a traitor to his race and religion. Yet when the gentle words
failed, stern denunciation, the plainest language, the keenestphrases, -"Stiff-
neckedand uncircumcised in heart and ears," "Betrayers andmurderers of
the Righteous One,"-prove that a Christian martyr then, and Christ’s
martyrs and witnessesofevery age, are not debarred under certain
circumstances from the use of such weapons. But it is hard to know when the
proper time has come for their employment. The objectof every true servant
and witness of Christ will be to recommend the truth as effectuallyas possible,
and to win for it acceptance. Some people seemto invert this course, and to
think that it is unworthy a true followerof Christ to seek to present his
messagein an attractive shape. They regard every human art and every
human motive or principle as so thoroughly bad that men should disregard
and despise them. Human eloquence, or motives of policy and prudence, they
utterly reject. Their principles lead some of them farther still. They rejectthe
assistancewhichart and music and literature canlend to the cause of God,
and the result is that men, speciallyas they grow in culture and civilisation,
are estrangedfrom the messageofeverlasting peace. Some people, with a
hard, narrow conceptionof Christianity, are very responsible for the
alienation of the young and the thoughtful from the side of religionthrough
the misconceptions whichthey have caused. Godhas made the doctrines of the
cross repugnant to the corrupt natural feelings of man, but it is not for us to
make them repugnant to those good natural principles as well which the
Eternal Fatherhas implanted in human nature, and which are an echo of His
own Divine self in the sanctuaryof the heart. It is a real breach of charity
when men refuse to deal tenderly in such matters with the lambs of Christ’s
flock, and will not seek, as St. Stephen and the apostles did, to recommend
God’s cause with all human skill, enlisting therein every goodor indifferent
human motive. Had St. Stephen thought it his duty to actas some unwise
people do now, we should never have had his immortal discourse as a model
for faithful and skilful preaching. We should merely have had insteadthe few
words of vigorous denunciation with which the address closed. At the same
time the presence of these stern words proves that there is a place for such
strong language in the work of the Christian ministry. There is a time and
place for all things, even for the use of strong language. The true teacherwill

144. seek to avoid giving unnecessaryoffences, but offence sharp and stern may be
an absolute duty of charity when prejudice and bigotry and party spirit are
choking the avenues of the soul, and hindering the progress oftruth. And thus
John the Baptistmay call men a generationof vipers, and Paul may style
Elymas a child of the devil, and Christ may designate the religious world of
His day as hypocrites; and when occasioncalls we should not hesitate to brand
foul things with plain names, in order that men may be awakenedfrom that
deadly torpor into which sin threatens to fling them. The use of strong
language by St. Stephen had its effectupon his listeners. Theywere sawn
asunder in their hearts, they gnashedtheir teeth upon the martyr. His words
stirred them up to some kind of action. The Gospelhas a double operation, it
possesses a twofoldforce-the faithful teaching of it cannotbe in vain. To some
it will be the savourof life unto life, to others the savourof death unto death.
Opposition may be indeed unwisely provoked. It may be the proof to us of
nothing else save our own wilfulness, our own folly and imprudence. But if
Christian wisdom be used, and the laws of Christian charity duly observed,
then the spirit of opposition and the violence of rage and persecutionprove
nothing else to the sufferers than that God’s word is working out His
purposes, and bringing forth fruit, though it be unto destruction.
III. Again, the locality, the circumstances,and the surroundings of Stephen’s
martyrdom deserve a brief notice. The place of his executionis pointed out by
Christian tradition, and that tradition is supported by the testimony of Jewish
custom and of Jewishwritings. He was tried in the Temple precincts, or
within sight of it, as is manifest from the words of the witnesses before the
council, "He ceasethnot to speak againstthis holy place. We have heard him
say that this Jesus of Nazarethshall destroy this place." The mob then rushed
upon him. Under ordinary circumstances the Romangarrison stationedin the
neighbouring town of Antonia, which overlookedthe temple, would have
noticed the riot, and have hastenedto intervene, as they did many years after,
when St. Paul’s life was threatened in a similar Jewishoutburst. But the
political circumstances, as we have already shown, were now different. Roman
authority was for the moment paralysed in Jerusalem. People living at great
centres such as Rome once was, or London now is, have no idea how largely
dependent distant colonies or outlying districts like Judaea are upon personal

145. authority and individual lives. In case ofa ruler’s death the action of the
officials and of the army becomes necessarilyslow, hesitating;it loses that
backbone of energy, decision, and vigour which a living personalauthority
imparts. The decease ofthe Roman Emperor, synchronising with the recallof
Pontius Pilate, must have paralysedthe actionof the subordinate officer then
commanding at Antonia, who, unaware what turn events might take,
doubtless thought that he was safe in restraining himself to the guardianship
and protectionof purely Roman interests.
The scene ofStephen’s murder is sometimes locatedin the Valley of
Jehoshaphat, nearthe brook Kedron, under the shadow of Olivet, and over
againstthe Garden of Gethsemane. To that spotthe gate of Jerusalem, called
the Gate of St. Stephen, now leads. Another tradition assigns the open country
northeastof Jerusalem, onthe road to Damascus andSamaria, as the place
consecratedby the first death suffered for Jesus Christ. It is, however,
according to the usual practice of Holy Scripture to leave this question
undecided, or rather completely disregardedand overlooked. The Scriptures
were not written to celebrate men or places, things temporary and transient in
themselves, and without any bearing on the spiritual life. The Scriptures were
written for the purpose of setting forth the example of devotion, of love, and of
sanctity presentedby its heroes, and therefore it shrouds all such scenes as
that of Stephen’s martyrdom in thickestdarkness. There is as little as possible
of what is merely local, detailed, particular about the Scriptures. They rise
into the abstractand the generalas much as is consistentwith being a
historicalnarrative. Perhaps no spot in the world exhibits more evident and
more abundant proofs of this Divine wisdom embodied in the Scriptures than
this same city of Jerusalemas we now behold it. What localitycould be more
dear to Christian memory, or more closelyallied with Christian hope, than
the Holy Places, as they are emphatically called-the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre and its surroundings? Yet the contending struggles ofRoman
Catholics, Greeks, andArmenians have made the whole subject a reproach
and disgrace, andnot an honour to the Christian name, showing how easily
strife and partisanship and earthly passions enterin and usurp the ground
which is nominally set apart for the honour of Christ Jesus. It is very hard to

146. keepthe spirit of the world out of the most sacredseasons orthe holiest
localities.
Stephen is hurried by the mob to this spot outside the Holy City, and then
they proceedin regular judicial style so far as their fury will allow them. Dr.
John Lightfoot, in his greatwork "Horae Hebraicae," dealing with this
passage, notes how we can trace in it the leading ideas and practices of Jewish
legalprocesses.The Sanhedrin and their supporters draggedSt. Stephen out
of the city. because it was the law as laid down in Leviticus 24:14 - "Bring
forth him that hath cursedwithout the camp." The Jews still retained vivid
memories of their earlierhistory, just as students of sociologyand ethnology
still recognisein our own practices traces ofancientprehistoric usages,
reminiscences ofa time, ages now distant from us, when our ancestors lived
the savagelife in lands widely separatedfrom our modern homes. So did the
Jews still recognisethe nomad state as their original condition, and even in the
days of our Saviour lookedupon Jerusalemas the camp of Israel, outside of
which the blasphemer should be stoned.
Lightfoot then gives the elaborate ceremonialusedto insure a fair trial, and
the re-considerationofany evidence which might turn up at the very last
moment. A few of the rules appointed for such occasionsare wellworth
quoting, as showing the minute care with which the whole Jewishorder of
executionwas regulated: "There shall stand one at the door of the Sanhedrin
having a handkerchiefin his hand, and a horse at such a distance as it was
only within sight. If any one therefore say, I have something to offer on behalf
of the condemned person, he waves the handkerchief, and the horsemanrides
and calls the-people back. Nay, if the man himself say, I have something to
offer in my own defence, they bring him back four or five times one after
another, if it be a thing of any moment he has to say." I doubt, adds Lightfoot,
they hardly dealt so gently with the innocent Stephen. Lightfoot then
describes how a crier precededthe doomed man proclaiming his crime, till the
place of execution was reached;where, after he was stripped of his clothes, the
two witnessesthrew him violently down from a height of twelve feet, flinging
upon him two large stones. The man was struck by one witness in the
stomach, by the other upon the heart, when, if death did not at once ensue, the
whole multitude lent their assistance. Afterwards the body was suspended on

147. a tree. It will be evident from this outline of Lightfoot’s more prolonged and
detailed statementthat the leading ideas of Jewishpractice were retained in
St. Stephen’s case;but as the executionwas as much the act of the people as of
the Sanhedrin, it was carried out hurriedly and passionately. This will account
for some of the details left to us. We usually picture to ourselves St. Stephen as
perishing beneath a deadly hail of missiles, rained upon him by an infuriated
mob, before whom he is flying, just as men are still maimed or killed in street
riots; and we wonder therefore when or where St. Stephen could have found
time to kneeldown and commend his spirit to Christ, or to pray his last
prayer of Divine charity and forgiveness under such circumstances as those
we have imagined. The Jews, however, no matter how passionate andenraged,
would have feared to incur the guilt of murder had they actedin this rough-
and-ready method. The witnesses mustfirst strike their blows, and thus take
upon themselves the responsibility for the blood about to be shed if it should
turn out innocent. The culprits, too, were urged to confess theirsin to God
before they died. Stephen may have takenadvantage of this well-knownform
to kneeldown and offer up his parting prayers, which displaying his steadfast
faith in Jesus only stirred up afresh the wrath of his adversaries, who
thereupon proceededto the last extremities.
Stephen’s death was a type of the vast majority of future martyrdoms, in this
among other respects:it was a death suffered for Christ, just as Christ’s own
death was suffered for the world at large, and that under the forms of law and
clothed with its outward dignity. Christianity proclaims the dignity of law and
order, and supports it-teaches that the magistrate is the minister of God, and
that he does a divinely appointed work, but Christianity does not proclaim the
infallibility of human laws or of human magistrates. Christianity does not
teachthat any human law or human magistrate can dictate to the individual
conscience, orintrude itself into the inner temple of the soul. Christianity
indeed has, by a long and bitter experience, taught the contrary, and
vindicated the rights of a free conscience,by patiently suffering all that could
be done againstit by the powers of the world assuming the forms and using
the powers of law. Christians, I say, have taught the dignity of law and order,
and yet they have not hesitatedto resist and overturn bad laws, not however
so much by active opposition as by the patient suffering of all that fiendish

148. cruelty and lust could devise againstthe followers of the Cross. Justas it was
under the forms of law that our Saviour died and Stephen was executed, and
Peterand Paul passedto their rest, so was it under the same forms of law that
the primitive Church passedthrough those ten greatpersecutions which
terminated by seating her on the throne of the Caesars. Law is a goodthing.
The absence oflaw is chaos. The presence oflaw, even though it be bad law, is
better than no law at all. But the individual Christian conscienceis higher
than any human law. It should yield obedience in things lawful and
indifferent. But in things clearlysinful the Christian conscience willhonour
the majestyof law by refusing obedience and then by suffering patiently and
lovingly, as Stephen did, the penalty attachedto conscientious disobedience.
IV. Let us now briefly notice the various points of interest, some of them of
deep doctrinal importance, which gather round St. Stephen’s death. We are
told, for instance, that the martyr, seeing his last hour approaching, "looked
up steadfastlyinto heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on
the right hand of God." Surely critics must have been sorelyin want of
objections to the historical truth of the narrative when they raised the point
that Stephen could not have lookedup to heaven because he was in a covered
chamber and could not have seenthrough the roof! This is simply a carping
objection, and the expressionused about St. Stephen is quite in keeping with
the usus loquendi of Scripture. In the seventeenthof St. John, and at the first
verse, we read of our Lord that "lifting up His eyes to heaven" He prayed His
greateucharistic prayer on behalf of His Apostles. He lifted His eyes to heaven
though He was in the upper chamber at the time. The Scriptural idea of
heaven is not that of the little child, a regionplaced far away above the bright
blue sky and beyond the distant stars, but rather that of a spiritual world
shrouded from us for the present by the veil of matter, and yet so thinly
separatedthat a moment may roll awaythe temporary covering and disclose
the world of realities which lies behind. Such has been the conceptionof the
deepestminds and the profoundest teaching. St. Stephen did not need a keen
vision and an open space and a clearsky, free from clouds and smoke, as this
objectionimagines. Had St. Stephen been in a dungeon and his eyes been
blind, the spiritual vision might still have been granted, and the consolation
and strength afforded which the sight of his ascendedLord vouchsafed. This

149. view of heaven and the unseen world is involved in the very word revelation,
which, in its original Greek shape, apocalypse, means simply an uncovering, a
rolling awayof something that was flimsy, temporary, and transient, that a
more abiding and nobler thing may be seen. The roof, the pillars, the solid
structure of the temple, the priests and Levites, the guards and listeners, all
were part of the veil of matter which suddenly rolled awayfrom Stephen’s
intensified view, that he might receive, as the martyrs of every age have
received, the specialassistance whichthe King of Martyrs reserves forthe
supreme hour of man’s need. The vision of our Lord granted at this moment
has its own teaching for us. We are apt to conjure up thoughts of the
sufferings of the martyrs, to picture to ourselves a Stephen perishing under a
showerof stones, anIgnatius of Antioch flung to the beasts, a Polycarpof
Smyrna suffering at the stake, the victims of pagan cruelty dying under the
ten thousand forms of diabolicalcruelty subsequently invented; and then we
ask ourselves, couldwe possibly have stood firm againstsuchtortures? We
forgetthe lessonof Stephen’s vision. Jesus Christ did not draw back the veil
till the last moment; He did not vouchsafe the supporting vision till the need
for it had come, and then to Stephen, as to all His saints in the past, and to all
His saints in the future, the Masterreveals Himself in all His supporting and
sustaining power, reminding us in our humble daily spheres that it is our part
to do our duty, and bear such burdens as the Lord puts upon us now, leaving
to Him all care and thought for the future, content simply to trust that as our
day is so shall our grace and our strength be, Stephen’s vision has thus a
lessonof comfort and of guidance for those fretful souls who, not. content with
the troubles and trials of the present, and the help which God imparts to bear
them, will go on and strive to ascertainhow they are to bear imaginary
dangers, losses, andtemptations which may never come upon them.
Then, again, we have the final words of Stephen, which are full of important
meaning, for they bear witness unto the faith and doctrine of the apostolic
Church. They stonedStephen, "calling upon the Lord, and saying. Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit"; while againa few moments later he cried, "Lord,
lay not this sin to their charge." The latterpetition is evidently an echo of our
Lord’s own prayer on the cross, whichhad setup a high standard of Divine
charity in the Church. The first martyr imitates the spirit and the very

150. language ofthe Master, and prays for his enemies as Christ himself had done
a short time before; while the other recordedpetition, "Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit," is an echo likewise ofour Lord’s, when He said, "Father, into Thy
hands I commend My spirit." We note speciallyabout these prayers, not only
that they breathe the spirit of Christ Himself, but that they are addressedto
Christ, and are thus evidences to us of the doctrine and practice of the early
Church in the matter of prayer to our Lord. St. Stephen is the first distinct
instance of such prayer, but the more closelywe investigate this book of the
Acts and the Epistles of St. Paul, the more clearlywe shall find that all the
early Christians invoked Christ, prayed to Him as one raisedto a
supernatural sphere and gifted with Divine power, so that He was able to hear
and answertheir petitions. St. Stephen prayed to Christ, and commended his
soul to Him, with the same confidence as Christ Himself commended His soul
to the Father. And such commendation was no chance expression, no
exclamationof adoring love merely. It was the outcome of the universal
practice of the Church, which resortedto God through Jesus Christ. Prayer to
Christ and the invocation of Christ were notes of the earliestdisciples. Saul
went to Damascus "to bind all that calledupon the name of Jesus." [Acts
9:14] The Damascene Jewsare amazedat the converted Saul’s preaching of
Jesus Christ, saying, "Is not this he that in Jerusalemmade havoc of them
which called on this name?" [Acts 9:21] While again Romans 10:12 and 1
Corinthians 1:2 prove that the same customspread forth from Jerusalemto
the uttermost parts of the Church. The passage to which I have just referred
in the Corinthian Epistle is decisive as to St. Paul’s teaching at a much later
period than St. Stephen’s death, when the Church had had time to formulate
its doctrines and to weighits teaching. Yet even then, he was just as clearon
this point as Stephen years before, addressing his Epistle to the Church of
God at Corinth, "with all that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in
every place";while again, when we descendto the generationwhich came
next after the apostolic age, we find, from Pliny’s celebratedletter written to
Trajan, describing the practices and ideas of the Christians of Bithynia in the
earliestyears of the secondcentury, that it was then the same as in St. Paul’s
day. One of the leading features of the new sectas it appearedto an intelligent
paganwas this: "They sang a hymn to Christ as God." St. Stephen is the
earliestinstance of such worship directly addressedto the Lord Jesus Christ,

151. a practice which has ever since been steadily maintained in every branch of
the Church of Christ. It has been denied, indeed, in modern times that the
Church of England in her formularies gives a sanctionto this practice, which
is undoubtedly apostolical. A reference, however, to the collectappointed for
the memorial day of this blessedmartyr would have been a sufficient answer
to this assertion, as that collectcontains a very beautiful prayer to Christ,
beseeching assistance,similar to that given to St. Stephen, amid the troubles of
our own lives. The whole structure of all liturgies, and speciallyof the English
liturgy, protests againstsuch an idea. The Book ofCommon Prayer teems
with prayer to Jesus Christ. The Te Deum is in greatpart a prayer addressed
to Him; so is the Litany, and so are collects like the prayer of St. Chrysostom,
the Collectfor the First Sunday in Lent, and the well-knownprayer for the
Third Sunday in Advent-"O Lord Jesus Christ, who at Thy first coming didst
send Thy messengerto prepare Thy way." The EasternChurch indeed
addresses a greaternumber of prayers to Christ directly. The Western
Church, basing itself on the promise of Christ, "Whatsoeverye shall ask the
Father in My Name, He will give it you," has ever directed the greaterportion
of her prayers to the Fatherthrough the Son; but the few leading cases just
mentioned, cases whichare common to the whole WesternChurch, Reformed
or unreformed, will prove that the West also has followedprimitive custom in
calling upon the name and invoking the help of the Lord Jesus Himself. And
then when Stephen had given us these two lessons, one of faith, the other of
practice;when he had taught us the doctrine of Christ’s divinity and the
worship due to Him, and the practice of Christian charity and the forgiving
spirit which flows forth from it, even towards those who have treatedHis
servants most cruelly, then Stephen "fell asleep," the sacredwriter using an
expressionfor death indicative of the new aspectwhichdeath had assumed
through Christ, and which henceforth gave the name of cemeteries to the last
resting-places ofChristian people.
V. The executionof St. Stephen was followedby his funeral. The bodies of
those that were stoned were also suspendedon a tree, but there was no
opposition to their removal, as afterwards in the greatpersecutions. The
pagans, knowing that Christians preachedthe doctrine of the resurrectionof
the body, strove to prove the absurdity of this tenet by reducing the body to

152. ashes. The Christians, however, repeatedlyproved that they entertained no
narrow views on this point, and did not expect the resurrectionof the identical
elements of which the earthly body was composed. Theytook a broader and
nobler view of St. Paul’s teaching in the fifteenth of 1st Corinthians, and
regardedthe natural body as merely the seedout of which the resurrection
body was to be developed. This is manifest from some of the stories told us by
ancient historians concerning the Christians of the secondcentury. The
martyrs of Vienne and Lyons have been already referred to, and their
sufferings described. The pagans knew of their doctrine of the resurrection of
the body, and thought to defeat it by scattering the ashes of the martyrs upon
the waters ofthe Rhone; but the narrative of Eusebius tells us how foolishwas
this attempt, as if man could thus overcome God, whose almighty power avails
to raise the dead from the ashes scatteredoverthe oceanas easilyas from the
bones gathered into a sepulchre. Another story is handed down by a writer of
Antioch named John Malalas, who lived about A.D. 600, concerning five
Christian virgins, who lived some seventy years earlierthan these Gallic
martyrs, and fell victims to the persecutionwhich ragedat Antioch in the days
of the Emperor Trajan, when St. Ignatius perished. They were burned to
death for their constancyin the faith, and then their ashes were mingled with
brass, which was made into basins for the public baths. Every person who
used the basins became ill, and then the emperor causedthe basins to be
formed into statues ofthe virgins, in order, as Trajansaid, that "it may be
seenthat I and not their God have raisedthem up."
But while it is plainly evident from the records of history that the earliest
Christians had no narrow views about the relation betweenthe present body
of humiliation and the future body of glory, it is equally manifest that they
paid the greatestattentionto the mortal remains of their deceasedfriends,
and permitted the fullest indulgence in human grief. In doing so they were
only following the example of their Master, who sorrowedover Lazarus, and
whose ownmortal remains were caredfor by the loving reverence of
Nicodemus and Josephof Arimathaea. Christianity was no systemof Stoicism.
Stoicismwas indeed the noblest form of Greek thought, and one which
approachedmost closelyto the Christian standpoint, but it put a ban upon
human affectionand feeling. Christianity actedotherwise. It flung a bright

153. light on death, and illuminated the dark recessesofthe tomb through the
resurrectionof Jesus Christ and the prospect for humanity which that
resurrectionopens up. But it did not make the vain attempt of Stoicismto
eradicate human nature: Nay, rather, Christianity sanctifiedit by the example
of Jesus Christ, and by the brief notice of the mourning of the Church for the
loss of their foremostchampion, St. Stephen, which we find in our narrative.
Such a gratificationof natural feeling has never been inconsistentwith the
highest form of Christian faith. There may be the most joyous anticipation as
to our friends who have been takenfrom us, joined with the saddest
reflections as to our own bereavement. We may be most assuredthat our loss
is the infinite gain of the departed, and for them we mourn not; but we cannot
help feeling that we have sustaineda loss, and for our loss we must grieve. The
feelings of a Christian even now must be thus mixed, and surely much more
must this have been the case when devout men buried Stephen and made
greatlamentation over him.
The lastresults we note in this passage ofStephen’s death are twofold.
Stephen’s martyrdom intensified the persecutionfor a time. Saul of Tarsus
was made for a while a more determined and active persecutor. His mental
position, his intellectual convictions, had receiveda shock, and he was trying
to re-establishhimself, and quench his doubts, by intensifying his exertions on
behalf of the ancient creed. Some of the most violent persecutions the Church
has ever had to meet were seton foot by men whose faith in their own systems
was deeply shaken, or who at times have had no faith in anything at all. The
men whose faith had been shakenendeavoured, by their activity in defence of
the systemin which they once fully believed, to obtain an external guarantee
and assurance ofits truth; while the secretunbeliever was often the worst of
persecutors, becausehe regardedall religions as equally false, and therefore
lookedupon the new teachers as rashand mischievous innovators.
The result then of Stephen’s martyrdom was to render the Church’s state at
Jerusalemworse forthe time. The members of the Church were scatteredfar
and wide, all save the Apostles. Here we behold a notable instance of the
protecting care of Providence over His infant Church. All save the Apostles
were dispersedfrom Jerusalem. One might have expectedthat they would
have been speciallysought after, and would have been necessarilythe first to

154. flee. There is an early tradition, however, which goes back to the second
century, and finds some support in this passage,that our Lord ordered the
Apostles to remain m the city of Jerusalemfor twelve years after the
Ascension, in order that every one there might have an opportunity of hearing
the truth. His protecting hand was over the heads of the Church while the
members were scatteredabroad. But that same hand turned the apparent
trial into the Church’s permanent gain. The Church now, for the first time,
found what it everafter proved to be the case. "Theythat were scattered
abroad went about preaching the word." The Church’s presentloss became
its abiding gain.
The blood of the martyrs became the seedof the Church. Violence reactedon
the cause ofthose who employed it, as violence-no matter how it may
temporarily triumph-always reacts on those who use it, whether their designs
be intrinsically good or bad; till, in a widely disseminatedGospel, and in a
daily increasing number of disciples, the eye of faith learned to read the
clearestfulfilment of the ancient declaration, "The wrath of man shall praise
God, and the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain."
Rev. David Holwick T After Acts: Early Church series #2
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 30, 2004
Acts 7:51 - 8:4
MARTYRS - THE BLOOD IS SEED

155. I. They paid the price. (MemorialDay tie-in... flags at graves)
A. Perpetua's story.
The year was 202, the city was Carthage, a Roman city in North
Africa (what is now Tunis).
Perpetua was a 22-year-oldnoblewomanwho lived there with her
husband, her infant son, and her slave, Felicitas.
Carthage was home to a vibrant Christian community, and
Perpetua was a new believer.
Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, however, believedChristianity
undermined patriotism to the empire.
He decidedto persecute Christians, focusing his attention on
North Africa.
Among the first to be arrestedwere five Christians taking
classesto prepare for baptism, one of whom was Perpetua.
Her father immediately came to her in prison.
As a pagan, he realized there was an easyway for Perpetua to
save herself: simply deny she was a Christian.
"Fatherdo you see this vase here?" she replied.

156. "Could it be called by any other name than what it is?"
"No," he replied.
"Well, neither canI be calledanything other than what I am,
a Christian."
In the next days, Perpetua was moved to a better part of the
prison and allowedto breast feed her child.
On his next visit, her father pleaded more passionately:
"Have pity on my gray head. Have pity on me, your father."
He threw himself down before her and kissedher hands.
"Think of your brothers; think of your mother...; think of your
child, who will not be able to live once you are gone.
Give up your pride!"
Perpetua was deeply touched but remained unshaken.
She tried to comfort her father - "It will all happen as God
wills, for you may be sure that we are not left to ourselves
but are all in his power."
The day of the hearing arrived.
Perpetua and her friends were marched before the governor,
Hilarianus.

157. Perpetua's friends all admitted to being Christians.
They refused to make the required sacrifice to the emperor.
Then the governorturned to question Perpetua.
At that moment, her father, carrying Perpetua's sonin his
arms, burst into the room.
He grabbed Perpetua and pleaded, "Perform the sacrifice.
Have pity on your baby!"
Hilarianus, probably wishing to avoid executing a mother still
nursing a child, added, "Have pity on your father's gray
head; have pity on your infant son.
Offer the sacrifice forthe welfare of the emperors."
"I will not."
"Are you a Christian, then?" askedthe governor.
"Yes, I am," Perpetua replied.
The governorthen condemned Perpetua and her friends to die in
the arena.
Perpetua, her friends, and her servant Felicitas were led to
the stadium.
Wild beasts and gladiators roamed the arena floor, and in the

158. stands, crowds roared to see blood.
Immediately a wild heifer chargedthe group.
Perpetua was tossedinto the air and onto her back.
She satup, adjusted her ripped tunic, and walkedover to help
Felicitas.
Next a leopard was let loose, and it wasn'tlong before it
attackedand mauled the Christians.
Still, the crowd was impatient, and began screaming for the
deaths of the Christians.
Perpetua and her friends were lined up, and one by one, slain
by a gladiator's sword.
The accountof Perpetua's life and death was is one of the
most complete stories recordedby the early church.
Some of it was takenfrom Perpetua's ownprison diary.
The story stands out as a clearpicture of a young mother
whose love of Christ supersededall other loves.
She was not alone - tens of thousands of other Christians
laid down their lives for their faith. #26683
B. Tertullian's famous quote.
1) The leaderof the early church said,

159. "The blood of the martyrs is the seedof the church."
2) The more the church was persecuted, the more it grew.
II. All who are godly will suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12
A. Jesus predictedit.
1) Just as he suffered, he promised we would.
2) "A time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he
is offering a service to God." John 16:2
a) (very appropriate today)
3) "Forwhoeverwants to save his life will lose it, but
whoeverloses his life for me will find it." Matt 16:25
4) "Whoeverdisowns me before men, I will disownhim before
my Father in heaven." Matt 10:33
B. The Church experiencedit.
1) It beganwith Stephen. Acts 7
a) Residents ofJerusalemwere appalled at his message.
1> You don't need a temple, you just need Jesus.
2> Even the Apostle Paul helped kill him.
b) In the early years, most persecutionwas local.
1> Nero killed hundreds of Christians, including Paul
and Peter, after Rome burned.
A> However, he did not try to wipe out the church.

160. 2> Romanempire was so vast it had to be tolerant of
religion.
A> Jews hadspecialstatus and did not have to
sacrifice to the Emperor.
B> Christians had no specialstatus.
2) Systematic persecution, A.D. 250-330.
a) Empire came under siege - barbarians, disasters.
1> Christians get blame for every disasters.
Tertullian commented:
"If the Tiber overflows or the Nile doesn't,
the cry goes up: Christians to the lion!"
A> Few likedthem anyway.
B> Christians' exclusivism, negativity (hellfire).
2> Their presence unhinged the harmony of existence.
A> By not sacrificing, they became enemies.
B> They also showedtheir courage.
b) Greatestpersecutioncame under Emperor Diocletian.
1> His edict in A.D. 303 orderedthe destruction of all
Christian places of worship and written materials
as well as the executionof Christians.
2> Nine years later, a Romangeneralstoodnear the
Milvian Bridge and saw something strange in the
sky.

161. It was the cross ofthe Lord Jesus Christ, and next
to it the words, 'Under this sign, conquer.'
III. Christians still die for their faith.
A. More martyrs today than in the first four centuries.
1) Muslims who become Christians face the death penalty in
Sudan, Mauritania, Iran and Iraq.
2) It is illegal for a citizen to be a Christian in Saudi
Arabia, or for a foreignerresident to have a Bible.
3) Thousands of Christians have been killed in Sudan,
Indonesia, Nigeria and India. #4943
B. Faithful unto death.
Festo Kivengere was a Christian bishop in Uganda, Africa, a
country that was terrorized by dictator Idi Amin.
In 1973 three men in his church were arrestedby the government
and sentencedto death.
Festo told of what happened.
People were commanded to come to the stadium and witness an
execution.
Deathpermeated the air as a silent crowdof 3,000 watched.

162. Festo had permission from the authorities to speak to the men
before they died.
They brought the men in a truck and unloaded them.
They were handcuffed and their feet were chained.
The firing squad stoodat attention.
As Festo walkedto the center of the stadium, he was wondering
what to say.
How do you give the gospelto doomed men who are probably
seething with rage?
He approached the prisoners from behind, and as they turned to
look at him, what a sight!
Their faces were all alight with an unmistakable glow and
radiance.
Before Festo couldsay anything, one of them burst out:
"Bishop, thank you for coming!
I wantedto tell you: the day I was arrested, in my prison cell,
I askedthe Lord Jesus to come into my heart.
He came in and forgave me all my sins!
Heaven is now open, and there is nothing betweenme and my God!
Please tellmy wife and children that I am going to be with Jesus.

163. Ask them to accepthim into their lives as I did."
The other two men told similar stories, excitedly raising their
hands, which rattled their handcuffs.
Festo felt that what I neededto do was to talk to the soldiers,
not to the condemned.
So he translatedwhat the men had said into a language the
soldiers understood.
The military men were standing there with guns cockedand
bewilderment on their faces.
They were so dumbfounded that they forgotto put the hoods over
the men's faces!
The three facedthe firing squad standing close together.
They lookedtowardthe people and began to wave, handcuffs and all.
The people waved back.
Then shots were fired, and the three were with Jesus.
The crowdstoodin front of them, their hearts throbbing with joy,
mingled with tears.
It was a day never to be forgotten.
Though dead, the men spoke loudly to all of KegeziDistrict and

164. beyond.
There was an upsurge of life in Christ, which challenges death
and defeats it.
The next Sunday, Festo was preaching to a huge crowd in the
hometown of one of the executed men.
Again, the feelof death was over the congregation.
But when he gave them the testimony of their man, and how he died,
there erupted a greatsong of praise to Jesus!
Many turned to the Lord there.
#1997
IV. What we can learn from the martyrs.
A. We need heroes of the faith.
1) Main feeling at Toledo University, where our missionary Nancy
Bartolec ministers - spiritual apathy.
2) Be bold for Jesus.
a) If we deny him, he'll deny us...
B. We must support those who are persecuted. Hebrews 10:34
1) Letters of support.
2) Gain knowledge ofthe situation.
a) John Hanford, friend who works in U.S. State Department on

165. religious persecution.
C. Do you believe Christianity enough to die for it?
1) It is not just a preference or hobby.
2) Even better - will you live for it?
a) Justmake sure you don't kill for it.
1> Fanaticismis not faith.
2> (Yesterday's suicide attack in Saudi Arabia.)
3) Live boldly for Jesus.
==========================================================
===============
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1997 "VictoryIn Death, " by Ray Stamps of Los Gatos, California;
Leadership Journal, Winter 1985, page 48.
# 4943 "ChurchGrowing FasterThan Ever But At GreatCost," Matt
Sanders
Baptist Press (with Goshen.net), http://www.baptistpress.org/
November 8, 1999.

166. #26683 "Perpetua's Choice:Facing The ToughestTemptation," Mark Galli,
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/8r4/8r4017.html;
Today's Christian, July/August 1998.
For information on helping persecuted Christians, see International
Christian Concern at http://www.persecution.org
These and 25,000others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
Acts 7 - IVP New TestamentCommentaries
Resources» Commentaries » Acts » Chapter 7 » exegesis
View Acts 7:54--8:3
Stephen's Martyrdom

167. Justin Martyr, beheadedfor the faith in A.D. 165 said, "The more we are
persecuted, the more do others in ever increasing numbers embrace the faith
and become worshippers of God through the name of Jesus" (Dialoguewith
Trypho 110). Contrastthe impact of modern-day martyrs for other causes.
Who remembers what Che Guevara stoodfor? Luke's accountof Stephen's
death helps us understand the effect dying for the gospelhas, and in so doing
challenges us to acceptits truth claims.
Stephen's stoning climaxes his witness and introduces an important turning
point in the witness of the Hellenistic JewishChristians of Jerusalem. The
intensity and scope ofpersecutionand the extent of witness both take
quantum leaps.Stephen's Accusers Respondwith Rage (7:54)
Stephen's indictment (7:51-53)so penetrates "uncircumcisedhearts" that the
Sanhedrin is furious (literally "sawnthrough in their hearts";compare 5:33).
They are "torn up" not with repentant sorrow for their sins but with seething
angeragainstthe preacherof repentance. They grind their teeth with such a
hissing sound, such a hateful screwing of the mouth, that Stephen knows they
have but one aim: to do awaywith him (compare Ps 34:16 LXX; 36:12 LXX).
As we have seenbefore, when facedwith the truth those in error will either
acceptthe messageorseek to silence the messenger, evenpermanently (Acts
4:18; 5:28, 40).Stephen's Execution(7:55-58)
One man full of the Holy Spirit faces a galleryof men full of hate. Luke is not
describing a specialmomentary gifting in Stephen (as Haenchen1971:292;
Bruce 1990:240), but the fitting climax of a life in the Spirit (6:5, 8, 15;
Williams 1985:132). The galleryconcentrateson him; Stephen gazes into
heaven (atenizo is strongerthan the NIV lookedup to; compare 1:10; 3:4, 12;
6:15). God grants that Stephen may peer into heavenitself with his mind's eye
and see the glory of God (either a circumlocution for God the Fatheror the
shekinahglory that both conceals andreveals the divine presence and nature;
compare 7:2; 22:11).

168. This vision positively culminates the climactic thesis of Stephen's sermon: God
dwells in heaven, not in temples made with hands (7:48-50). The Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God is at the center of Stephen's attention and
the heart of his confession. Sonof Man, a phrase otherwise presentprimarily
on the lips of Jesus during his earthly ministry, points at once to Jesus'
incarnation, saving death and resurrection, and heavenly exaltation, universal
dominion, and glorious future reign (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:22, 44; 18:31;19:10;
21:27, 36; 22:69/Dan7:13; Ps 110:1). When we think of the title againstits
background(Dan 7), the divine nature of this figure comes to the fore.
By this confessionStephenand Luke invite us to see Jesus forwho he really is,
and in that vision to recognize him as worthy of worship, of complete devotion
and obedience evento death.
The Sanhedrin will have none of this "Jesus worship." To them it is a
blasphemy (Mk 14:61-64)that their loud yells must drown out and their
hands must prevent from entering their ears (Strack and Billerbeck
[1978:2:684]relate the rabbinic teaching on such a pious duty). And what a
perfect picture of their spiritual deafness, these who are "uncircumcisedin
ear" and refuse to take that essentialfirst step to salvation--having ears to
hear God's message (7:51;Lk 4:21; 8:8; 9:44; 14:35; Acts 28:27/Is 6:10).
Like a herd of stampeding animals (compare Lk 8:33), yet intent on one
purpose (NIV all), they rush togetheragainstStephen, drag him out of the city
and begin to stone him. Throwing him down from a high place, they gather
and heave paving stones on top of him until death comes. Theseare the
appropriate punishment, place and executioners (the witnesses)forthe sin of
blasphemy (Lev 24:14;Deut 17:7; m. Sanhedrin 6:1, 4; 7:4).
In an extraneous note indicating the custodianof the witness-executioners'
cloaks Luke introduces us to a young man named Saul. He will figure
prominently in the advance of the church in the near and long term (Acts 8:3;
chaps. 9, 13--28).
When we reflecton how quickly a dignified high court was transformed into a
lynch mob, we see how thin canbe the veneer of civility and judicial order in
society. This is especiallytrue when those opposing God's truth see themselves

169. as guardians of his message. There is nothing to stop their violence, as Stephen
and many martyrs in his train have learned.StephenDies Peacefully(7:59--
8:1)
Jewishcustomprescribed that the condemned be given opportunity to confess
his sins on his way to execution so that he might have "a share in the world to
come" (m. Sanhedrin 6:2). Stephen's declarations revealhis innocence and his
Christian grace to those who have wrongedhim. In prayer he calls on Jesus to
take him into his presence atdeath (compare Acts 2:21). He echoes his Lord's
words of confident trust on the cross and againconfessesJesus'divinity
(compare Lk 23:46/Ps 31:5). Having used Lord very sparingly in his sermon
(Acts 7:31, 33, 49), now without hesitationhe addressesLord Jesus with the
most important petition any human can bring to God. He is answered, and so
can we be, for the Lord Jesus stands at God's right hand, ever ready to receive
us to be with him in glory at the time his sovereignwill has ordained (Lk
23:43).
Whether falling under the weightof a paving stone hurled from above or
deliberately kneeling in prayer, Stephen cries out with a loud voice (contrast
Acts 7:57), asking that Jesus not "establishthe sins" of his executioners (Rom
10:3; compare Lk 23:34). How will this happen? If they will hear and receive
the goodnews (24:47;Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43), then their sins will be
forgiven, and they will not have to face the final punishment for a sin standing
againstthem.
Is Stephen's prayer answered? Augustine said, "The Church owes Paulto the
prayer of Stephen" (quoted in Barclay1976:62). In fact, Saul is the one
adversary named in the incident. Luke is laying the groundwork for the great
victory God will win through Saul's conversionand subsequent missionary
service.
Like his Lord, Stephen dies at peace with God, himself and the world--even
his enemies. He fell asleep. By showing us how to die, he also shows us how to
live and models the secretofstaying powerof Christian witness even to death.
If he candie for his Lord like that, confidently, forgiving his enemies, there

170. must be something to this Jesus who he says reigns at God's right
hand.Persecutionand the Church's Advance (8:1-3)
In what may be a reverse parallelism, Luke concludes Stephen's martyrdom
with the twin themes of persecutionand the church's further advance. The
hinge phrase on which they turn is exceptthe apostles. Whetherbecause
Hellenistic, not Hebraic, JewishChristians are targetedin the persecutionor
because the apostles feela duty to hold things togetherat Jerusalem, they stay
there. Their continued presence in Jerusalemcertainly does provide stability
and continuity for the young church's life and mission. There is no hint from
Luke that their lack of initiative at this point is disobedience to Acts 1:8.
From this apostolic centerthe centrifugal forces of persecutionand ever-
expanding witness push out. The main impetus is a greatpersecutionagainst
the church at Jerusalem. It is closelyconnectedwith Stephen's death, for it
happens on that day. Persecution--"harassing somebodyin order to persuade
or force him to give up his religion, or simply to attack somebodyfor religious
reasons"--encompasseda wide range of activities from ridicule to social
ostracismto occasionalbeatings to confiscationofproperty to imprisonment
to execution (Marshall1980:151;Krodel 1986:158). Saul"tried" (attempted,
not incipient, action as NIV; E. F. Harrison 1986:140;Gal1:13, 23)to destroy
the church, as a wild animal mangles its prey (Lake and Cadbury 1979:88;
compare Acts 20:28; Is 65:25). He goes from house to house and drags both
men and womenoff to prison. This imagery and these actions give us a sense
of the severity of the persecution.
But the dispersion through persecutioncreates a band of missionaries, not
refugees. All are scattered, as seedis sown, and go about evangelizing (Acts
8:4; compare Lk 8:5, 11). Judea and Samaria, the secondtwo theaters for the
GreatCommission's fulfillment, have now been entered. A Christian witness
is raised in Jerusalemevenafter Stephen's death. Devout men, whether non-
Christian Jews (E. F. Harrison 1986:139;compare 2:7) or Hebraic Christian
(Williams 1985:136), bury Stephen and publicly mourn him (NIV does not
point out the public aspectwith its wording mourned deeply). This is a

171. courageouswitness to Stephen's innocence, for Jewishcustomforbade public
mourning of one executed for blasphemy (m. Sanhedrin 6:5-6).
Indeed, "the blood of martyrs is the seedof the church." And today the same
dynamic is at work, whetherin China since the coming of communism or in
Uganda and EastAfrica with their political turmoil or in the previously
predominant religious hostility of Latin America. The fruit of witness under
persecution, even martyrdom, is now being harvested. The gospelborn by
Spirit-filled Christians is life. Deathcannot stop it!
H. A. IRONSIDE
Stephen’s Final Indictment (Acts 7:51-60)
And so Stephen rehearsedthe history of Israel up to the building of the temple
by Solomon and showedhow God all along had displayed His grace but they
had been continuously rebellious againstHim, Then he turned on the
audience and cried, “You are just like your fathers were!” It took courage for
Stephen to say this. It was like the prisoner putting the judge on the docket.
There sat the leaders of Israel to judge him, but this devoted servant of God
spoke the word that judged them! “Ye stiffneckedand uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always resistthe Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
What a tragic indictment that was, and how true it still is! God through the
Holy Spirit has spokento us as a people in many, many ways, but we have
rejectedHis testimony, spurned His Word, and resistedthe Holy Spirit. God
give us grace to humble ourselves before we are broken in judgment. For we
must either bow in penitence under the mighty hand of God or be humbled in
the day when His judgments are poured out on us. Stephen continued:
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain
them which showedbefore of the coming of the Just One [that is, of the Lord

172. Jesus];of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have
receivedthe law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it (52-53).
There they stopped him. He hadn’t finished; he had a greatdeal more to say.
He doubtless intended to go on and present the claims of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but they would hear no more. “Cut to the heart,” they ground their
teeth in hatred of him.
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, lookedup stedfastlyinto heaven, and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” This is
very significant. We are told in the Epistle to the Hebrews that when Jesus
had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
on high; but here, as Stephen lookedup, he saw the Lord standing. What does
it mean? It is just as though the blessedLord in His greatcompassionfor
Stephen had risen from His seatand was looking over the battlements of
Heaven to strengthen and cheerthe martyr down on earth. Stephen
exclaimed, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Sonof Man standing on
the right hand of God.” That revealing vision should have broken them down,
brought them to repentance, and shownthem they were fighting againsttheir
own best interests. Instead(so hardened were they in their sins), “they cried
out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one
accord, And casthim out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid
down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.”
Thus Saul comes into the picture. He was to take up the story that Stephen
had to drop.
They stoned Stephen, as he calledon the Lord, “Receive my spirit.” “And he
kneeleddown, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their
charge.” Oh, the love that filled that man’s heart! “Don’t judge them for
this.” It was like the beloved Master saying, “Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do.”
And with these words he fell asleep-andthat is what death is to the Christian,
falling asleep. The fearof death is gone,

173. [For Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same;that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver
them who through the fearof death were all their lifetime subject to bondage
(Hebrews 2:14-15).
The Stoning of Stephen: Acts
Acts 7:54 - 8:1
Dr. S. Lewis Johnsongives exposition on the reactionof the Jewishleaders to
Stephen's sermon and his resulting martyrdom.
SLJ Institute > Acts > The Stoning of Stephen: Acts
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[Message]We’re turning to Acts chapter 7 in verse 54, and reading for our
Scripture reading verse 54 through the 1st sentence ofchapter 8 in verse 1.
For those who may not have been here, over the past few weeks,we have been
studying the life of Stephen, in a sense. We have takena look at Stephen and
his ministry, before he was seizedby men and brought before the Sanhedrin.
And then, in our last study, we lookedathis magnificent sermon, given for us
in the first 53 verses of chapter 7 of Acts. And now, we look at his stoning.
And Peter[sic, Stephen] has just reachedthe climax of his message, andit’s a
very harsh climax, one might think, but a very true one. He has accusedhis
audience of being stiff-neckedand uncircumcisedin heart and ears, accusing
them of always resisting the Holy Ghost, “Justas their fathers did, so are
you,” he said. Then he asks the question, “Which of the prophets have not
your father persecuted? And they have slain them, those very ones that
showedyou the coming of the Just One, before hand, and now you have
become betrayers and murderers of the one that the prophets spoke about.”
And then, to make it as bad as it possibly could be, so far as they are
concerned, because theyput a greatdeal of trust in keeping the law and living
by the Law he said, “You have receivedthe law by the disposition of angels,
and you have not kept it.” Then in verse 54, Luke continues the story.
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed
on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost lookedup
steadfastlyinto heavenand saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the
right hand of God, and said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Sonof
Man standing on the right hand of God.’Then they cried out with a loud
voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and casthim
out of the city, and stonedhim. And the witnesses laiddown their clothes at a

175. young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling
upon God, and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’”
Now, if you have an Authorized Version, you’ll notice that word God is in
italics. There is no God in the original, simply the statement that Stephen was
calling upon and Godis supplied as being true to the context. Perhaps it
means, simply, calling upon our Lord, and saying “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.” And then, Luke says.
“And he kneeleddown, and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge.’And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
And now, the first line, the first sentence ofverse 8.
“And Saul was consenting unto his death.”
May the Lord bless this reading of his word. Let’s bow togetherin a moment
of prayer.
[Prayer] Our Heavenly Father, we are deeply touched by this incident that we
have just read about. And as we reflect upon the life of this, evidently, young
man, Stephen, full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and as we look at his life, so
often we think that Stephen was takenawayin the prime of his testimony; and
sometimes we think that perhaps Thou shouldest have let him stay with us, for
surely he would have been a fruitful servant. But Lord, we forget that Thou
art in controlof the affairs of life and what a marvelous testimony this young
man did give and how wonderful for him that having given his testimony, as
the first of the greatChristian martyrs, he should be takenimmediately into
Thy presence, in evidence of Thy love and concernfor him. We are grateful,
Lord, for the sense ofthe control of history that we see in Thy hands. And we
thank Thee that the same experiences may be evident in our own lives.
And as we face the future, O Lord, enable us to face the future in the faith of
Stephen, who sensedand knew that spiritual things are the most real things in
our lives. Enable us, Lord, to evaluate our lives in the light of the spiritual
things, in the light of the eternalthings, and enable us to serve Thee
wholeheartedlyin the time that Thou dost give us. We pray for this assembly
of believers and friends and visitors, and we ask, O God, that Thou wilt

176. minister to eachone present, many needs are representedhere. O God, we
pray that Thou wilt through the Holy Spirit, confront and give conviction and
conversionthrough the power of the Holy Spirit as the need may exist. If there
are those here, who do not know our Lord, may they leave with the knowledge
of Him.
For those of us, Lord, who do know Thee, but who need to serve Thee more
perfectly, we pray that Thou wilt give us fresh views of the reality of our
Triune God and the reality of spiritual things. Deliver us, Lord, from
worldliness and fleshliness, and enable us to give ourselves more completely to
Thee. We thank Thee and praise Thee for the church of Jesus Christ. We pray
Thy blessing upon every member, whereverthey may be today, in whatever
church they may be in. And for those, Lord, who are preaching the true word
of God, bless them richly. Give them fruit. May the whole body be
strengthenedand built up and increased, in accordancewith Thy will. We
pray for this assembly, for its leaders, its elders, who need our petitions, its
deacons, its members and friends. We thank Thee, especially, for those whose
names are in our calendarof concernand, Lord, we ask that Thou wilt
minister to them in these hours of trial and difficulty. Lord, be to them what
Thou hast said that Thou art in the Scriptures, “the Shepherd of our souls.”
May their hearts turn to Thee and receive from Thee in their experience of
difficulty and tribulation. We pray for our country. We ask, Lord, Thy
blessing upon our President, and for those associatedwith him in government.
We commit this meeting to Thee and we ask, Lord, that we may have the
experience of Thy presence with us.
For Jesus’sake. Amen.
[Message]Today, we are concluding our brief study of Stephen, the preaching
deacon, Mr. Crown, because that’s the name of Stephen. Remember,
Stephanos, the Greek word that means crown. We’ve said that he was an
important and remarkable New Testamentcharacter, from three standpoints:
from the practical, everyday living standpoint, Stephen is the first Christian
martyr; not the first martyr for divine truth, but the first Christian martyr,
the first church martyr.

177. Theologically, he was the first greatChristian apologist, too. And some of the
greatapologists afterwards follow in Stephen’s shoes. He was perhaps the
most enlightened teacher of his time, outstripping the pillars of the church,
James and John and Peter. It seems, from pondering Stephen’s words that he
understood better than any of them the fact that the Christian church is not
under the Law of Moses, as a code. And, also, that we worship God, now, not
in a particular place, as the Lord Jesus had saidin his interview with the
woman of Samaria, “Salvationis of the Jews, but the time is coming when
men shall worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and there will be no particular
locationupon the earth, where worship is to be carriedout.”
If you read the Old Testament, you’ll see how important Jerusalemwas. That
was the place where worship was to be carried out. But, now, worship is to be
done in spirit and in truth, wherever the disciples and believers of our Lord
exist.
Historically, Stephen is also the link betweenPeterand Paul, joining the
Hebrew Christian disciples of Jerusalemto the Greek Christian disciples in
Antioch. And as we read through the book of Acts, we will note that the
headquarters of the Christian movement will move from Jerusalemto
Antioch. It’s from Antioch that the sprint of the Gospelwill take its course.
Now, we lookedat his seizure, when in the synagoguesofthe Hellenistic Jews,
he had been teaching and had been teaching in such remarkable power that
they were not able to resistthe wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. We
saw that men illegally took him before the council. And there before the
council, he delivered his greatsermon. And as men looked at Stephen, as he
stoodbefore the council, they thought that they saw an angel. One cannot help
but think that, evidently, in Stephen’s case, there was some fulfillment of that
magnificent text in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, when Paul wrote to the
Corinthians and said to them, “But we all with open face beholding, as in a
glass, the glory of the Lord, are changedinto the same image, from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Evidently, the Lord was helping Stephen as he stoodbefore the council and
gave his magnificent testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ. What he did, in a

178. sense, was to go back and interpret Israel’s history from the standpoint of
heaven, and then in his sermon, laying greatstress upon the fact that the law
is no longerthe code by which believers live, and that Jerusalemis no longer
the place. He preachedthe Lord Jesus Christ. He preachedhim, we said last
Sunday, in his types. For when he told the story of Josephand Joseph’s
rejection, and then the story of Moses and Moses’ rejection, andthen he led
up to the climax and saidthat “They have persecutedthe prophets who
showedbefore of the coming of the Just One.” It was evident that againstthis
backgroundhe was trying to show them that they were reacting just as their
fathers had done to the revelation of God, in Old Testamenttimes.
Well, it was a kind of sermon that courted death. It was the kind of sermon
that a man, in the days of the Christian church preaches only after he has
already been calledto another church or else he has an independent source of
income and is not dependant upon the congregationatall. It was a sermon
that courted death and that is, of course, whathe received. The death came.
So, now, today, we’re finishing up the story of Stephen and we come to his
stoning. And there are some other lessons that appear here, too. They are of
perhaps a more practicalnature.
I don’t really like the word “practical.” Youknow, when you go to theological
seminary, you study PracticalTheology, andthen you study Systematic
Theology, also. Now,to my mind there’s nothing more practicalthan
Systematic Theology. And, I’d like to say, for the benefit of those of you in the
audience who may have gone to theologicalseminaryand studied Practical
Theology, if PracticalTheologyis taught properly, it should be taught
systematically. So when we talk about PracticalTheology, we’re reallytalking
about things that concerneveryday life not things that are practicaland
Systematic Theologyis impractical. It’s not that at all.
But these lessons are lessons that touch our daily life in a very significant way.
For example, we learn in Stephen’s life the reality of the unseen, the
supremacy of the spiritual over the material. Our life, we should remember, is
really just a vapor. We tend to think we have so many years to live. Now, I
don’t tend to think that. I get up in the morning and I look in the mirror and I
say, “You don’t have many years left.” [Laughter] But I remember, when I

179. was your age, and I gotup and I lookedin the mirror, and it never dawned
upon me that there might come a time when I was old. Oh, I knew that that
would be down the way, but it was so far away I put it off from me.
It’s goodfor us to remember, when we are young, that our life is but a vapor.
I’ve taught in theologicalseminaries for thirty-five years now, and I very
frequently in the years of teaching, I would say to the young men who were
sitting in front of me, “Now, I’m going to be in heaven before you. And I’m
happy overthat. That I’m going to be in heavenbefore you.” And they would
all laugh and smile. And, I’m sure they thought, yes, that is true. And,
generally, of course, it is true. But I would say to them and say to you, too,
there are many of my students who are in heaven, and I’m not there yet.
In fact, when I first beganteaching, about the first year or two, when I
finished teaching, one bright young man, with greatprospects, became head
of a theologicalseminaryand Bible college. He’s been with the Lord for
twenty-five years now. So we never know when our time in the will of Godwill
come.
Stephen is a greatlessonfor us. The things that really count are the things
that are unseen and spiritual. Let us never forgetthat. Our life, the Psalmist
describes as a vapor. Now, a vapor doesn’tstay with us very long. And looked
at in the light of eternity, we have a very short time to live. That’s one thing
we learn. So many Christians go through life with one foot in the world and
one footin the things of the Lord. They live carelessly;they live at ease.I
know I’ve experiencedthat. It’s one of the things that I would like to finally
gain the victory over, so that I could really look at my life and say, “I think
that by the grace ofGod I’m living to the glory of God now.”
Another thing that we learn from Stephen is what happens when a Christian
dies. It’s a beautiful incident in that it tells us exactlywhat happens when a
Christian dies. His spirit goes to be with the Lord. His body falls asleep. In
other words, the body is placed in the grave; we go to be with the Lord. The
Christian church has never believed in soul-sleep. The greatmass of the
Christian church, in orthodoxy, has never acceptedsucha thing as limbo or
purgatory. We have believed that when we die, our spirits go to be with the

180. Lord. Our bodies are placedin the grave, awaiting the bodily resurrection. So
to put it in a catch-phrase that you may remember, I’m sure that you’ve
already heard it before, the Christian church believes not in soul-sleepbut
body-sleep, the body sleeps;we go to be with the Lord, as believers in him.
And for those who are not Christians, there is no such thing as soul-sleepfor
you. You are reservedand held under punishment for the day of the final
judgment. And then you face an eternity of separationfrom the Lord God.
The Bible speaks ofit in the terms of the lake of fire, everlasting judgment,
and such other terrible expressions as that. Stephen lets us know what
happens to a Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the
Lord. What a magnificent future we have. And, of course, we learnfrom
Stephen how a Christian should die. He dies courageously. He dies at peace.
He dies boldly. He dies proclaiming the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“And God sustained His servant, and gave him a magnificent vision as he
died.”
Well, looking at our passage,you’ll notice the rage of the council in verse 54,
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed
on him with their teeth.” As Stephen preached, the temper of the council
moved from an initial interest; for he was a new voice. We’re always
interestedin hearing a new voice, aren’t we? They heard Stephen. I know that
some of them were initially interested in the things that he said. Then as
Stephen continued and it became more evident that he was going to press
upon them the necessityofmaking a decisionin their lives, their initial
interest turned to consternation. And, finally, it rose to what might be called
an animal rage, for the words that are used to describe their attitude are
words that would be used to describe a buzz saw.
His words cut upon them and in them, like a buzz saw. In fact, that
expression, “Theywere cut to the heart,” was a word the root of which is used
to describe the death of Isaiah, as one who was sawnasunder. So they were
cut to heart like a buzz saw. And the teeth of those who were hearing him,
speaking figuratively for the word is used of “the clattering of wolves teeth,”
when they are angry, and also of “chills and fever,” which most of us have
experiencedat one or another time, they actually were gnashing upon him

181. with their teeth and grinding their teeth in anger at the things that he was
saying.
George BernardShaw, who would never have been a member of any good
Evangelicalchurch, not only because he would not have wanted to be, but also
because they would not have wanted him as a member in spite of the fact that
he was well known to all of us, summed up the contents of Stephen’s message
in this way, “A quite intolerable speakernamedStephen delivered an oration
to the council in which he first inflicted on them a tedious sketchofthe history
of Israel, with which they were presumably as well acquainted as he, and then
reviled them in the most insulting terms as “stiff-neckedand uncircumcised.”
Finally, after boring and annoying them to the utmost bearable extremity, he
lookedup and declaredthat he saw the heavens opened and Christ sitting on
the right hand of God. This was too much. They threw him out of the city and
stoned him to death. It was a severe way of suppressing a tactless and
conceitedboor. It was pardonable and human, in comparisonto the slaughter
of poor Ananias and Sapphira.”
Now, there is a greatman’s attitude toward Holy Scripture and towards
Stephen. My, how ignorant can you be of divine truth and yet be an intelligent
man? In the first place, Stephen didn’t bore them at all. They were, obviously,
so caught up in what he said that they were willing to put him to death at the
end. They heard the things that he was saying and, therefore, they reactedas
they did. And, furthermore, as one well-knowncommentatorpoints out, one
thing that the Jewishpeople loved to do was to go back over their past history.
It was not a tedious thing for them to hear someone interpret the history of
Israelto them. They were very much interestedin that because they were the
covenantpeople, the people to whom God had given the greatcovenants of the
Old Testament.
You see, it’s possible for even a wise man to totally misunderstand Holy
Scripture. That’s something we need to remember. It is not because we are
wise that we understand Scripture. It is when an individual comes to the
recognitionthat he is lost and then to the acceptance ofthe Lord Jesus as
personalSavior, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit that leads to
regenerationand faith, he comes to understand things. Until that takes place,

182. even the wisestofmen are in spiritual darkness. The natural man receiveth
not the things of the spirit of God; they are foolishness to him. Neither canhe
know them for they are spiritually discerned. Mr. Shaw was a natural man;
he did not understand.
Well, then, Stephen has his great vision. He’s controlledby the Spirit, so we
read, “Full of the Holy Ghost, he lookedup steadfastlyinto heavenand saw
the glory of God.” Remember, he beganhis sermonwith a reference to the
God of glory, who appearedto Abraham. And, now, at the end of his sermon,
he looks up and sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Sonof Man
standing on the right hand of God.”
It was, of course, a magnificent moment of comfort for Stephen because in the
midst of the most terrible experience, he has the encouragementofseeing the
glory of God and seeing the Lord Jesus into whose hands he had committed
himself, standing at the right hand of God, as if to welcome the first Christian
martyr to heaven.
I think, there’s also something else about this “standing.” You go back in the
Old Testamentand you will find that the Lord Jesus is referred to as Son of
Man in Daniel chapter 7 in verse 14. There, Daniel is given the vision of the
Son of Man, who comes to the Ancient of Days, sitting upon his throne, and
receives a kingdom. And then later on, other details are given which indicate
that receiving of the kingdom is something that will, ultimately, be manifested
at the advent of the Son of Man.
Now, I don’t know whether you know this or not, probably, in your reading of
Scripture you’ve seenthis; the favorite term that Jesus usedof himself was the
term Son of Man. He used that term more than any other to describe himself.
Scholars have puzzled over that for generations. Theyare still puzzling over
it. If anyone was going to say, “I’m going to write a doctoraldissertationon
Son of Man,” he would be told by any self-respecting New Testamentscholar,
“You will never be able to read the literature on that topic. There is too much
and it is still being written upon.” Son of Man, the clue, many recognize in
that Danielpassage.The term, Son of Man is a term that describes the Lord

183. Jesus on the way to the receptionand manifestation of his kingdom. And
that’s what Stephen sees. He’s the only one who calls our Lord, Son of Man,
after our Lord speaks ofhimself as Sonof Man.
There are a couple of expressions, lateron, that are similar, but this is the
only time in which anyone addresses ourLord as Son of Man. Now, since the
Son of Man is the one who receives the kingdom and manifests his kingdom in
his secondadvent, and brings his kingdom, overthrowing the enemies of God,
I suggestto you, just as a suggestion, that when our Lord stoodup at the right
hand of the Father, and welcomedStephen, he was not only welcoming him as
the first Christian martyr, but he was encouraging him and others that the
time is coming when the Sonof Man will arise from the right hand of the
Father, come at the direction of God, and finish his mediatorial work by
overthrowing the enemies of God, establishing his kingdom, and serving as the
Messianic King. So this was, I say, a magnificent vision. He says, “Isee the
heavens opened, I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Now, I say, there may be some significance in the fact that our Lord stoodto
welcome him. One well-knownScottishpreacher said, “Faith sometimes acts
in a very willful way upon our Lord. He rose to greetthis first martyr for, you
see, he’s sitting at the right hand of the throne of God because he’s finished
his redemptive work. But, he rises to greetStephen.”
Well, faith does sometimes, it seems from the human standpoint, act in a very
willful wayupon our Lord, but we know enough theology, I hope in Believers
Chapel, to know that there is nothing that transpires apart from the decretive
determinative will of God. And we may sense through our prayers that certain
things are done in a remarkable way, but, afterwards, we learn that God had
planned things that way.
Now, there follows then after this comment of Stephen, when he says he saw
the glory of God, and he saw the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
God, there follows the lynching of Stephen. That’s a very hard term to use,
but that is exactlywhat it was. Lynch law comes into effect. And we know, of
course, that the Jews did not have authority to put a man to death; and so, it
might appear as we read this, and so far as I know that’s the way it was, that

184. they were so carried awaywith angerat the things that Stephen was saying
that they illegally put him to death. And the masterof ceremonies atthe
lynching of Stephen in his stoning is the apostle-to-be, Paulhimself.
The custom of stoning was a very brutal custom. It was the customfor those
who were the witnesses to appear and witness againstthe individual. And
after they had witnessedagainstthe individual, they were the ones who were
to castthe first stones. And when the decisionwas reachedto stone, as a result
of the sin of blaspheme and other specific sins, the individual who had been
chargedand accusedandconvicted was then takenout of the council to the
place where he would be stoned. Usually it was a place that had a cliff, or at
leasta large pit, and about ten cubits, according to Mishnaic Law, later.
About ten cubits from the pit, he was askedif he would confess.And he was
assuredthat if he were to confess his sin that he would have a place in the
world to come. In other words, he would be savedspiritually, even though he
must die physically. Then when they came closerto the pit, he was stripped of
his clothes and then someone pushed him into the pit. He was turned over so
that his face was up, and then a large stone was takenand dropped upon his
heart.
Now, if the individual died when the large boulder was dropped upon his
heart, then nothing else was done. But if he was still living, then the whole
congregationwas required to stone him to death. And Stephen experienced
the stoning to death. So they casthim out of the city, they stoned him, the
witnesses laiddown their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul
and they stonedhim. And as they stonedStephen to death he called out and
said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Now, I want you to notice how similar this is to the words of our Lord. They
are very interesting because in the first place, remember, that Jesus whenhe
died said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.” Our Lord addressed
the Father. Stephen addresses the Lord Jesus. Isn’t it striking? The Christian
church never felt any difficulty in our Lord addressing the Father and
Stephen addressing the Lord Jesus becausethe early church regardedthe
Lord Jesus as possessing the same nature as the Father, as being himself very
God of very God. And so for Stephen to address our Lord as “Lord Jesus,

185. receive my spirit,” the early Christians thought that that was perfectly proper.
They were not Unitarians. If they had been Unitarians, then, of course, they
would not say, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He did not have the authority
to do that. Unitarianism is something that an individual can live by but it’s not
something that a person can die by. Unitarianism is contrary to the teaching
of the word of God.
Donald Grey Barnhouse many years ago was preaching in the West,
preaching on what happens to individuals after they die. He commented upon
the factthat he had passeda church in Detroit, which had the name The
church of the Divine Paternity. And, underneath, there was a sign that said,
“We believe in the fatherhood of god, the brotherhood of man, and salvation
by character.” And then, Dr. Barnhouse said, “Thatis a Unitarian kind of
church. We believe in salvationby character. We believe in the fatherhood of
God, the brotherhood of man.” Then, he went on to say, “We’re savedonly by
the work that Jesus did. We often sing,” he said, “’Jesus paidit all, all to him I
owe, sin had left a crimson stain, he washedit white as snow.’” And then, Dr.
Barnhouse paraphrasedthe way some sing it. “Jesus paid it ninety percent,
only ninety percent to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washedit
light pink.”
Our Lord has accomplished the whole of the saving work that should be
accomplished. Dr. Barnhouse was getting along in years when he preached
this sermon. I imagine he was about fifty years of age. [Laughter] And he said,
“If I should happen to be hit by an auto and am in the hospital, you might say,
‘He’s sinking.’ You’d never be more wrong. I’ll be rising,” he said. “If I died
you might look upon my body and say, ‘He certainly looks natural.’ You’d be
right. I’d never be more natural than then. For only my body is there; while
my spirit is with the Lord.” Then he went on to saythat to illustrate the truth
that in death we come into the presence of the Lord in a very specialway, he
said, “Let’s imagine a family that has a son who is away, perhaps serving in
the service, and you may hear the parents saythings like, ‘When John comes
home, he will do this,’ or ‘When John comes home, he will do that.’ But,
finally, when John comes up on the porch of that home, they will say, ‘Why,
John, you’re here.’ They move from the third person to the secondperson.”
And he said, “Have you ever read Psalm23, with that in mind? ‘The Lord is

186. my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in greenpastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restorethmy soul. He leadeth me in
the paths of righteousness, forHis name’s sake.’But now the Psalmistwill
speak of death. ‘Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil.’ Nor ‘for He will be with me,’ but ‘for Thou will art with me.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.’ It’s almostas if when he thinks of
death he thinks of a more personalrelationship with the Lord.”
So Stephen says, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” When the time comes for us
to die, Unitarianism will not help us. What we need is faith in the Triune God
and faith in the secondperson, our magnificent Savior, who is Godover all,
blessedforever, as the Apostle Paul puts it. And, I want you to notice another
thing about this marvelous statementof Stephen’s. He said, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.” So far as Stephen was concerned, there was no other
mediator than the Lord Jesus. He did not shout out, “Ave Maria, blessed
Virgin, help me?” Mary cannothelp in that moment. He did not say, “O,
Michaeland all the angels,” thoughwe name churches after such, “Help me?”
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
As a matter of fact, he doesn’t sayanything about his good works. He doesn’t
say, “Lord, I thank Thee that Thou hast seenmy goodworks and now you will
receive me into heaven in the light of them.” He doesn’t say, “Lord, I thank
you, that if I were living in nineteen hundred and eighty-four, I would be a
member of Believers Chapeland I know you would receive men and women
from Believers Chapel.” No. It’s nothing but, “Lord Jesus, receivemy spirit.”
He is trusting simply in our Lord. I like, also, what follows. We read, “And he
kneeleddown and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their
charge.” Theykilled his body, but his spirit vanquished them. The real
conqueror in Stephen’s death is Mr. Crown, himself. You might have thought
that Stephen was overcome and that the physical overcame the spiritual,
because didn’t they put him to death, didn’t they throw him in the pit, didn’t
they stone him to death, and there was nothing left but that physical body?
Stephen’s voice is stopped. Does not the physical overthrow the spiritual?
Well, no, that’s not true. Stephen still speaks. We don’t even know about those
individuals who threw stones at him, for they are reservedunto the Day of
Judgment, so far as we know. It’s Stephen who has really conquered. He’s the

187. real conqueror. You see, whenit comes to determining who has won and who
has not won, the final verdict is not written at sundown; the final verdict is
written by the Lord God.
Now, one final note in chapter 8 in verse 1. Well, I really should say something
about that last sentence ofverse 60, “And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.” Now,sometimes we’re inclined to read that as if that is a reference to
his spirit. That is not a reference to his spirit. That’s a reference to his body.
Remember that the New Testamentway of expressing the death of a
Christians, is to saythat he has fallen asleep. That greatword koimao is a
term that is used, metaphorically, of a Christian’s death, physical death. So
that when an individual has fallen asleep, the reference is to his body. To be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So as I mentioned in the
introduction, Christians believe in body-sleep, not soul-sleep. You see, he has
just said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And so when he had saidthis, he fell
asleep. It’s clearlya reference to his body. His body fell asleep. His body is
placed in the grave. And when the resurrectiontakes place, guess who will be
there. Stephen. And I’ll be there, too, and so will you, if you have believed in
the Lord Jesus. Stephenwill be resurrectedwhen we are resurrected. What a
privilege. What a privilege to be resurrectedwith the apostles. Foryou see,
only one personhas been resurrectedat this point, the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s
the only one. He’s the first fruits of the resurrection.
Now, I know you are thinking, “Perhaps, well, people have died and have
come back.” Yes, but not resurrection. Notcome back with a glorified body.
Only the Lord Jesus has receiveda glorified body. Only the Lord Jesus has
been resurrectedat this point. He’s the first fruits and then those that are
Christ’s at his coming. And so the whole church shall be caught up together
with the apostles andothers and we shall be resurrectedthen.
And, finally, I say, in verse 1 of chapter8, “And Saul was consenting unto his
death.” You might think, well, the story has ended with the mangled body of
Stephen. No, the witness is dead but the truth lives on. And, as a matter of
fact, in Stephen’s very dying, he has sewnthe seedof a tremendous harvest
and he is sowing it, the Lord God, is sowing it in the heart of perhaps the
hardest man in that crowd, Saul.

188. He later calls himself, “Less than leastof all the saints.” He calls himself, “The
greatestofall the sinners.” But when Stephen dies, efficacious grace is
beginning its work in the heart of Saul; and it will lead, ultimately, to his
conversionand a greatharvest of souls.
Tertullian was right when he said, “The more ye mow us down, the more we
grow. The seedis the blood of Christians,” traditionally rendered as, “The
blood of the martyrs is the seedof the church.”
Now, let me conclude with just a few words. Stephen, then, is a witness to the
reality of the unseen and the supremacy of the spiritual. He saw the glory of
God. Even Saul did not see the glory of God. Stephen saw the glory of God.
Stephen is also a witness to the manner of a faithful Christian’s death. It may
be in the midst of service. Stephendied in the harness, so to speak. He died
with his serving boots on.
When I finish the sermon this morning, Mrs. Ray, the church secretarycame
and said, “Did you read that in the paper this morning, about the preacherin
Louisiana who died while he was preaching, just a couple of weeks ago?” So I
went home betweenthe service and I cut the article out. “LastSermon;
Visiting Minister Dies While Preaching in Louisiana church Service,” he was
a man who was preaching and then, to illustrate a point, he went over and sat
down, I’m not going to do it [Laughter] he went over and sat down to
illustrate how it is that so often people really do not work. He said he’s tried of
seeing preachers and ministers pushing churches, trying to getthem to do
something. And he said, “I’m tired. I’m going to go over and sit down.” And
he went over and sat down, just to illustrate the point. In fact, he said it was
just to illustrate the point. Incidentally, he had saidin the course of his
sermon that he knew that this might be the last time that he would ever be
able to address this congregation, becausehe was a minister in a church in the
North, and he was down in Louisiana. And he said, “I know this may be the
last time that I’m going to be able to preach here and so I want to be able to
preach as powerfully as I can.” Well, anyway, he walkedover. He leaned back
as if he was resting. And he died. In fact, they couldn’t even figure out for
awhile if he was still living because they thought, his head didn’t drop or
anything like that. He just satthere, but what an illustration for a

189. congregation. He was takento the hospital. The service was finished. And
severalpeople, so the accountsays, gave themselves to the Lord.
Well, Stephen was a man who died in a similar way, excepthis was forceful.
We might say it was terrible for Stephen to die then. Just think of the
potential of Stephen, who understood so much Christian theologyand was so
full of the Holy Spirit and faith and boldness and courage, whatthe church
lost when they lostStephen. Not a thing, really. It was the will of God. You
may think, well, what a pity. Or, we may say, “Whata mystery!” But, what a
privilege, really, because we are still talking about Stephen, and admiring the
faith and courage ofthis man, and praising the Lord God who is responsible
for it.
Your death, too, may be a puzzle; but you canbe sure that, ultimately, there is
a reasonfor it, in our sovereign, loving, merciful Father’s plans. It may be a
painful death. Stephen’s was a very painful death. And in Stephen’s case, he
died in the presence ofhis enemies. You probably won’t have to do that. You
probably will die with your head upon a downy pillow. But he did not have
the privilege. Your death may be painful. It may be. But, nevertheless, the
Lord God will be with you. He was with Stephen. What a calm, confident,
fearless wayto die. Stephen had many goodreasons for asking why. “Lord,
I’m a deacon. I’m a preaching deacon. And the church needs me. I’ve been
chosento take care of the widows. Why am I being taken?” Buthe trusted the
church militant, to the Captain of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. No
quivering lips, for Stephen. Bold and courageous, he committed himself to the
Lord God.
Isn’t it interesting, how people die and how they are born and begin to live?
When we come into this earth and world, we come in weeping. Well, really,
our children cry, don’t they? And then when we come in weeping, people are
smiling. It’s a baby or it’s a girl or it’s a boy. But when we go out, people are
weeping, because they are losing us but Christians are smiling.
I love that story. I’ve told it before, but I love this story of the well-known
Christian, who lapsedinto something like a coma a few days before he was to
die. And everybody beganto wonder if he really was dead. He stayedin that

190. state. He was not making any move at all. And the family was gathered
around his bed. He was a preacherand a goodpreacherand they beganto
talk. And some of them said, “Maybe he’s already gone?” And they were
trying to figure it out. And, finally, one said, “Feelhis feet?” Nobodyever died
with warm feet. And suddenly, the eyes flickered, and the voice spoke and
said, “JohnHus did.” [Laughter] For those of you, who don’t know any
church history at all, John Hus was burned at the stake. He hadn’t lost his
sense ofhumor, as he was passing out of this earthly existence. [More
laughter] When you stand by a Christian’s bedside and very often they know
what’s happening and they are looking forwardto the presence of God. I’ve
stoodby the bedside of some in which they were praying, “O Lord, receive my
spirit now.”
So Stephen was calm, confident, fearless. His mind is filled with the Lord God.
He talked about Joseph. He talked about Moses.He talkedabout the infinite
greatness ofthe Lord God. And when a person is so filled with the Lord as
Stephen was, it’s time to go. He didn’t talk about the ritual. He didn’t talk
about the sacraments. He didn’t talk about priest-craft. He didn’t talk about
baptism. He didn’t talk about the Lord’s Supper. He came to the more
fundamental things of spiritual life; his relationship to the Lord Jesus. And his
death was of a peace with his life.
Isn’t it wonderful to die, in a life that has been lived in the will of God? So
often, individuals die and preachers have a hard time knowing what to say at
their funeral. Often, they are professing Christians;and yet, the life has been
so contrary to what we would like it to be now as they enter the presence of
the Lord. Such a difference, such a disjunction betweenthe kind of life and
the spiritual relationship that it should have. It’s very difficult, very difficult
to preach a sermon, a funeral sermon, for an individual who has made a
professionof faith, but who is not really lived, so far as his family and friends
can tell, as a Christian.
I always think of the story of an individual, who was giving a eulogyof a man
who had died, who was known to be a wickedman, and he was talking about
him, and he tried to play up all of his goodpoints. And, finally, his widow
turned to his son and said, “John, go up and look in that casketandsee if it’s

191. really pop?” [Laughter] But, Stephen’s life was the kind of life that matched
his death. And, you know, in Believers Chapelthat should speak to some of us,
too. It should speak to us of the necessityof being sure that the kind of life
that we live matches our professionof faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, if I
may conclude by saying, Stephen’s death was useful to God; he being dead yet
speaketh. And, preeminently, he was speaking to Saul, who would be the
Apostle Paul. “And Saul was consenting unto his death.” Magnificentdeath.
May God help us to live a life like Stephen’s and die a death like Stephen’s, as
well.
If you are here today, and you have never believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,
you cannotdie like Stephen died. You cannot die in the faith that Stephen
had. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” May God so work in your life, you
recognize your lost condition. Flee to him, receiving the Lord Jesus as your
own Saviorand leave this auditorium this morning with the possessionofthe
forgiveness ofyour sins. If you are here without Christ, we invite you to trust
in him. Don’t leave without that decisionbeing made. We may not see you
next week. You may not see me next week. MayGod help you to realize how
serious it is, to leave this life without faith in Christ.
And for those of us who are believers, may today, the first day of the week, be
an occasionin which we ask the Lord God to enable us to live more
conformably to the professionof faith that we have made. We need this in
Believers Chapel. We need it in the lives of all of us. And may God help us in
our community to be the kinds of testimonies to his sovereigngrace thatwill
reflectglory upon his Name.
Let’s stand for the benediction.
[Prayer] Father, we are so grateful to Thee for the life of Stephen. What a
magnificent gift to us! We are grateful to Thee, for we know that Thou art the
ultimate source and origin of the blessednessofthis man’s life and testimony.
And we thank Thee for the encouragementthat it affords us. And, O God,
enable us to live in more conformity to the kind of professionthat so many of
us have made. Deliver us from having one footin the world and one foot in the
things of our Lord. Give us right priorities. And, Lord, if there should be

192. someone without Christ, at this very moment, be speaking to them whether a
young person or an old person bring them to the trust in Christ that means
eternal life.
For Jesus’sake. Amen.
JOHN MACARTHUR
The Stoning of Stephen
Sermons Acts 7:54–60 1724 Dec31, 1972
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For our study this morning, we come to the closing portion of the seventh
chapter of Acts. And this is not only the closing ofthe seventh chapter of Acts,
but it is the closing of the life of Stephen. This is a very dramatic, and a very
interesting, and a very instructional part of the word of God.
I think very often it is passedover and kind of filed because – as so many
passages– we know a little bit about it; therefore, we think we know
everything about it. And even I find myself having difficulty narrowing it
down.
There is much theologythat canbe taught from this, and I’ll just trust God
that we’ll getback here again and again as days go by and not try to do it all
this morning. But in these verses that deal with the stoning of Stephen, what
hit me most dominantly as I read it and reread it and read it and meditated on

193. it and studied it, what I kept seeing – and I always look for some common
factorthat ties a passageofScripture togetherso that we can considera
reigning thought or something to hang our thoughts on – the thing that kept
coming up was the tremendous contrastthat weaves through this passage, the
contrastbetweena Spirit-filled man dying and the hate-filled mob killing him.
Everything here is contrast, and the contrastis extreme. It appears almostto
be the contrastbetweenheaven and hell, if I could put it as extreme as
possible. And the real victim of this passage is not Stephen. He is no victim at
all. He wins. He dies, but he dies the victor. They live. They live the loser. The
mob is the tragedy. Stephen’s was the victory.
Now, you remember the circumstances,and if you have not been here the last
couple of weeksand heard the sermon of Stephen and that which brought
about the need for that sermon, then you’re somewhatat a loss to getinto this
with all the intensity that’s really in it. But let me just pick up some of the
pieces so that you kind of feel your way into the text with a little bit of a
running start.
The early church has grown. In the time of their growth, they have run into
certain organizationalproblems. They therefore needed to selectsevenmen
who could handle some of the administration. They were men who had to be
highly qualified spiritually, full of the Holy Ghost. They were men who needed
to have goodreputations; those kind of men who would be chosenby their
peers to rule over them.
And of those men, one was chosenby the name of Stephen. He is listed first,
indicating he may have been the first one chosen. He was ranking in terms of
spiritual life. He was not a Jewish – I should say, he was not a Palestine Jew –
he was a GrecianJew;that is, he was a Jew that lived outside of Palestine. He
was selectedto be a key to the structure of the early church.
Now, he spent himself in preaching in synagoguesin Jerusalem, but
synagoguesthat were run by foreign Jews. WhenforeignJews came to
Jerusalem, they went to their ownsynagogues where they could hear their
own language. And so Stephen beganto extend the gospelto these foreign
Jews by preaching in these synagogues.

194. Well, he ran into a lot of reaction, and it was negative. And they came after
him with accusations. Theysaid, “Stephen, by offering us this Jesus Christ,
and by giving us this new covenant, you’re guilty of blaspheming God, Moses,
the law and the temple.” And that’s the big four in Judaism. You don’t
blaspheme those.
And so they indicted Stephen for blasphemy, and they brought him to trial
before the council. And in the chapter that we have just begun to study,
chapter 7, he gives his great defense. He defends himself to the council, and all
through chapter 7 he is defending himself – but not only that. At the same
time that he gives his defense, he indicts Israelfor the execution of Messiah,
and he also presents Jesus as Messiah. By the time he is done with his defense,
they are on trial; he has accusedthem of blasphemy.
He says, “I believe in God,” – in effect, in his sermon – “you don’t. I believe in
Moses;you don’t. I believe in the law; you break it all the time. I believe in the
temple; if you’d have believed in the Temple, it wouldn’t have been destroyed.
You’re now on your third temple. Guess who doesn’tbelieve in the temple?
God has to keepwiping it out.”
And so he turns the tables completelyon them and indicts them, and it’s a
building thing. It just kind of builds. And you can see first there’s a little
agitation. Then there’s a little more agitation. Then there’s steam, and then
there’s smoke and then there’s fire, you see.
And so when you come to chapter7, verse 51, Stephen climaxes out by saying,
“You stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears” – what he means by
that is: you won’t bow to God, and secondlyyour religion is only external –
“you do always resistthe Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do ye. Which of
the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who
showedbefore the coming of the Just One, of whom you now are the betrayers
and murderers,” “...who have receivedthe law” – you have no excuses;you
knew the truth – “by the disposition of angels and you haven’t kept it.”
And so the thing climaxes out in a fantastic indictment where they are the
blasphemers, not Stephen. And it’s a masterpiece ofa sermon. And by the
time that comes out, they are in fury. They are in frenzy. And contrastedto

195. their fury and their rage and their frenzy is the majestic calm of Stephen. He
stands there serene, absolutelyin control, sustainedby the Lord, while they
are torn into shreds.
And so that’s the picture of contrastthat begins to weave itselfthrough these
few verses. And really what it boils down to, in a generalsense, is the contrast
betweena hostile, Christ-hating world and the gentle, loving, Spirit-filled
servant of God who confronts that world.
The world gives its worst;the Christian shows his best. Stephen had
confronted the world boldly, dynamically. He said the things that needed to be
said, eventhough they were painful, even though they hurt. Even though he
knew they were going to costhim his life, he said them because he was
expendable for the sake ofthe truth. They killed him, but God glorified him.
Now, let’s follow these contrasts, and if you follow along with us in the text
and on that little piece of paper, I’m sure you’ll be able to see whatis
unfolding in this most dramatic picture.
The first contrastbetweenthe Christ-hating mob and the man of God is the
contrastbetween“full of anger” and “full of the Holy Spirit.” Verse 54,
“When they heard these things,” and I think that Stephen’s sermon was
interrupted before it was everfinished, “...whenthey heard these things” –
and I think that Stephen’s sermon was interrupted before it was ever finished
– “...whenthey heard these things” – you see, they always prided themselves
on their obedience to God, worship of God, ‘we love the law’, ‘we love the
prophets’, and all this, and he had just torn that to bits. “And when they
heard these things, they were cut to the heart.” That means they were sawnin
half.
You see, atfirst when they listened to him, “Oh, yeah, he’s right, sure,” and
they were nodding, probably, because allhe was doing was reciting their
history. And they had to agree. And he did that purposely, to keeptheir
attention. But then as the drift of the argument became clear, their interest
beganto change, and pretty soonit turned into horror. And then it turned
into fury. And they were cut to the heart by now; they were sawnin half. The

196. greatsaw of conviction had ripped them right through the middle, and they
knew everything he said was true, and they were ripped apart.
And you know, in this kind of a rage, it says in verse 54, “...theygnashedon
him with their teeth.” They beganto grind their teeth at him. This is the
picture of rage mixed with frustration. They didn’t know how to give vent to
their wrath, and so they just stoodthere and ground their teeth at him. And,
you know, I couldn’t help but read that: “they gnashedon him with their
teeth,” and think they were already in a little bit of hell because that’s how
many people are going to spend forever, just grinding their teeth in fury at
God.
You say, “What makes you think that?” Listen as I read Luke 13:28. I’m
going to read severalpassages.Write them down if you want to look them up
later, but don’t try to follow. I’ll go a little quickly. Jesus, speaking to Israel,
Luke 13:28, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see
Abraham and Isaac and Jacoband all the prophets in the kingdom of God,
and you yourselves thrown out.”
You see, the Jews hadwaited all along for the kingdom. They had dreamed of
the kingdom. The King came, offered them the kingdom, and what did they
do to the King? They killed the King; they forfeited the kingdom, and Jesus
says, “You’re going to spend forever grinding your teeth at God when you see
you didn’t get into the kingdom.”
And in Matthew we have it again, in chapter 8 in verse 12. Listen to these
words; they’re fearful words. “But the sons of the kingdom” – you know who
that is? That’s Israel, the rightful heirs to the kingdom – “shall be castinto
outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then you go on in Matthew to chapter 13, and you have it all over again.
Whenever you hear something once in the Bible, it’s absolutely important.
Whenever you hear it repeated overand over again, it is extremely important.
Matthew, chapter 13, and verse 42, well, 41, “The Son of Man shall send forth
His angels and they shall gatherout of His kingdom all those that offend and
them who do iniquity and castthem into the furnace of fire. There shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.” You know, hell’s going to be full of mad

197. people, angry people. Verse 50, “And shall castthem into the furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Chapter 22 of Matthew, verse 13, Jesus isn’t finished. He says, “Thensaid the
king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, casthim
into outer darkness...thereshallbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” You find
it againin chapter24 of Matthew as He’s still talking about the kingdom.
Verse 51, “...shallcut him asunder, appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites...there shallbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Hell is going to be full of people forever gnashing their teeth at God in fury.
And these people were alreadyso hell-oriented that they were already that far
along that when they facedthe truth of Christ again, they gotmad. And you
know something? This tells us a little bit about the kind of angerit is, because
they could’ve repented; but they didn’t. It’s not the kind of angerthat leads to
repentance;it’s the kind of anger that remains bitter and hateful.
You say, “Well, isn’t it true that if people go to hell, if they were given a
secondchance, wouldn’t they want to get out?” I don’t believe they would. If a
man won’t respond to the loving grace ofGod, he’ll never respond to God’s
judgment. It’ll only make him mad. He’ll only hate God all the more.
You say, “Is there any evidence for that?” I believe there is, in the Book of
Revelation. This is a footnote, but let me maintain it for a moment. In
Revelationchapter 9, verse 20 – and I’ll read severalverses from Revelation –
it says, “And the rest of the men, who were not killed by these plagues” – and
that means a third of the world; it just has talked about the sixth trumpet
during the Tribulation, when a third of the world is going to be killed by fire,
smoke and brimstone. And then he says, “Theywere not killed, yet repented
not.” Verse 21, “Neitherrepented they of their murders, sorceries” – that’s
pharmakeia in the Greek;it’s the word for drugs – “...norof fornication” –
sexualsin – “nor of their thefts.”
You see, evenafter the horror of judgment, when God wipes out one-third of
the earth, they’re not going to repent. They’re only going to getmad. In
Revelation11:15, “The seventh angelsounded. There came voices from
heaven saying, ‘The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our

198. Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.’ And the four
and twenty elders, who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and
worshipped God and said, ‘We give thanks.’” And all this praise is going on.
And verse 18 says, “And the nations were angry.” They get mad.
But the classic example is in chapter 16, when final greatdevastating
judgment pours out of God on that greattribulation population. It says in
verse 8, “And the fourth angelpoured out his bowl upon the sun, and power
was given unto him to scorchmen with fire.” The sun’s going to burn the skin
right off men. “And men were scorchedwith great heat” – listen to this –
“...andrepented no, and blasphemed the name of God. And they repented not
to give Him glory.”
Verse 10, “And the fifth angelpoured out his bowl upon the throne of the
beast, and his kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawedtheir tongues
for pain” – absolute pitch black all over the world. You say, “They’ll repent
then.” It says in 11, “And blasphemed the God of heaven...andrepented not.”
If grace and love don’t bring repentance, judgment never does. It only makes
them mad.
Jesus had offered grace upon grace upon grace. Stephencame along and said,
“You’ve rejectedit so long, you’ve had it,” and that only made them all the
more furious, until they began to grind their teeth. Hell is going to be full of
people who are very, very angry.
Now, I believe that these leaders were apostates.I believe that these leaders
were past feeling. I believe they were so hard, they were rocks. Ibelieve they
were damned by their continuous willful rejection, and now they were locked
in a judicial kind of blindness. You see, when you willfully reject, willfully
reject, willfully reject, then God moves in and judicially blinds.
In the case ofIsrael, it’s reiteratedin Romans chapter 11, verses 7 through 10,
and that’s a very familiar passageand one which we should note with great
care. In Romans 11, verse 7, it says, “Whatthen? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seekethfor, but the electionhath obtained it, and the rest were
blinded.” Somebody blinded them. “As it is written, ‘God hath given them the
spirit of slumber’.” You say, “Did God blind Israel?” Absolutely, but only

199. after they willfully blinded themselves. It’s like Pharaoh. It says, “Pharaoh
hardened his heart,” “Pharaohhardened his heart,” “Pharaohhardened his
heart.” Bang, “Godhardened Pharaoh’s heart.”
You see, grace runs its course, and then it runs out, and God moves in
judicially and confirms that blindness. “God hath given them the spirit of
slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears thatthey should not hear. And
David said, ‘Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling
block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may
not see, and bow down their back always’.”
These people had heard the truth. They had heard Jesus. Theyhad seenHis
miracles. They had heard the apostles. They’dseentheir miracles. They’d
heard the witness of the early church, the message, andthe miracles of Peter
and John, the message, the miracles of Stephen. They had seenit all, and they
had rejectedand rejectedand rejected. And Stephen here is simply now not
inviting them anymore, but indicting them.
And the point of his sermon here is to bring about judgment. That’s why you
don’t hear any invitation in it. It’s indictment. It’s giving a basis for
judgment. And they reactedas all people do to judgment; they got mad. They
got mad. You see, evenPaul said, “It is the grace ofGod that bringeth” – what
– “salvation.” Judgmentupon an apostate only makes him all the more angry.
And yet, in all their fury, they were at leastdirect enough, as we shall see in a
moment, to maintain some kind of logic in the execution of Stephen.
And so they got mad. They gnashedon him with their teeth. The storm in all
of its fury begins to break on Stephen’s head. In their madness, they were
speechlesswith rage. Theycouldn’t even find words to give vent to their
burning hatred. All they could do in their frenzy was grind their teeth, an
expressionof impotent rage, of inexpressible frustration. And I don’t think
this was a sudden outburst. I think it was a growing thing that gradually grew
higher and higher as Stephen continued to speak, and actually it never died
awayuntil Stephen lay before them, horribly mangled, blood-spattered, and
dead.

200. You see, these dignitaries had never quite facedsuch a prisoner as Stephen.
He spoke like a judge, not a prisoner. He seemedto be an accuserratherthan
the accused. And he hit the nail right on the head. He hit them right where
they lived, and he was right on. And they didn’t want anybody to expose and
unbare their sins, and so they reactedsatanically.
You’ll remember that Herod killed John the Baptist because Johnpointed to
Herod’s sin and rebuked him for it. You’ll remember that the Pharisees
nailed Jesus to a cross becauseHe demanded; he denounced, I should say, and
exposedtheir hypocrisy.
The Jews reactedin the same manner toward the apostles. Stephenwas the
first of multitudes of men who in their unflinching exposure of the sins of
others, have died for it. And so they were mad, full of anger.
You know, the Bible warns people like this. If you’re getting to the place in
your life where you just get mad when somebody tells you about Christ,
you’re standing on the brink of judgment. The Bible says in Hebrews 3,
“Harden not your hearts. Don’t be hardened to the deceitfulness ofsin lest
you obtain an evil heart of unbelief.” So they were hard.
But, in contrast – I love this – they were full of anger, but Stephen was full of
the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 55. “And he, being full of the Holy Spirit,
lookedup steadfastlyinto heaven.” Isn’t it a beautiful contrast? Theywere
completely ripped apart. They were torn up. Stephen was together. He was
full of the Holy Spirit.
And I like this thing. It says in verse 55, “But he, being.” It’s saying this, “But
he, being continually full of the Holy Spirit.” Stephen didn’t have to make any
adjustment in his life to die. You see? He didn’t have to getit all togetherin
the lastmoment; it had been togetherfor a long time. He was being full of the
Holy Spirit. He was full of the Holy Spirit in chapter 6. That’s why they chose
him. He’s still full of the Holy Spirit in chapter 7.
And that’s what Paul was saying, you see, in Ephesians 5:18. When Paul gave
the command, he said this: “Be filled with the Spirit.” The actual Greek is,
“Be being kept filled with the Spirit.” Be being. We are to be continually being

201. controlled by the Spirit. And that was Stephen. He was full of the Spirit all the
time. It wasn’tsome sudden shot. It was a preexisting, permanent state.
Some people would tell us that if you’re filled with the Spirit, you do ecstatic
things. If that were true and you obeyedthe Scripture, then you’d be doing
nothing but that all the time, because this is not a sudden-shot experience. It is
that which is to be the continuous pattern of the life of the Christian.
Unfortunately for most of us, we yield and then we don’t yield, we yield and
then we don’t yield, and it’s kind of a rollercoasterthing. But Stephen was
being full of the Holy Spirit.
And to be filled with the Spirit, beloved – we’ve talked about this many times;
let me just saythis – means to be controlled by the Spirit, yielded to Him.
That’s all it means. And Stephen was controlledby the Spirit. And because
the Spirit was in control, you see, the normal reactions didn’t take over. You
see, the Spirit was in control. And so he responded in a godly, trusting,
faithful fashion. He didn’t respond in the flesh. He responded in the Spirit.
And I’ll tell you, that’s his strength and that’s our strength.
There’s another thing that comes to my mind here that I want you to see that
I think is important. I believe – and this is a footnote, but it’s important – I
believe that there’s a specialwork of the Holy Spirit for a Christian in a crisis.
All right? You gotthat much? I believe there’s a specialwork of the Spirit for
a Christian in a crisis.
And I believe that we do not have to think – now, watchthis one – we do not
have to think, “I cannot get into a real tough situation; I can’t really face the
world and be bold and forceful for Christ because I’ll never be able to hack
it.” I believe it is just at that point that the Spirit of God is doubly poured out
in a double portion upon you.
You say, “Where do you get that?” Well, if you know me very well, you know
I got it out of a verse somewhere,and it is 1 Peter4:14. It says this. “If you be
reproached” – and he’s talking about slamming yourself up againstthe world,
againstthe system, and saying what’s true – “If you be reproachedfor the
name of Christ, happy are you.” Now you say, “You’re kidding. Who’s
happy? Why would you ever be happy?” Because the Spirit of glory and of

202. God rests on you. In other words, there’s some specialdivine intervention of
the Spirit of God.
Have you ever heard anybody talk about dying grace? Iused to wonder. I
have read literally thousands of pages ofhistorical information on the death of
Christians and the death of martyrs, everywhere from the early church right
on through to the present day when people were being martyred in China,
when people were being martyred in other places in our current, modern
world for the cause of Christ. And in reading all of this, I have never one time
read of a Christian who died a raving, screaming maniac. Have you?
There is something that God does, in I believe the willing death of a believer in
the face of persecution, that grants to him the adequacy to die giving God the
glory. And I think that’s what God bestowedupon Stephen in a double sense.
So, I’m saying that to say this: Don’t ever shirk from being bold in the world
for fearthat you don’t have the resourcesto handle it. It’s at that point that
God pours out a double portion of His Spirit to make it adequate.
So many times we look at the extreme situations as to how we’ve performed in
the minimal situations. And, you know, if we did that we’d certainly all be
defeated, because we blow it so many times. But I believe it’s when we really
hit the world, and we are totally helpless and at the mercy of them, that God
intervenes.
The apostle Paulhad so much going for him, and yet he knew this. He said,
“It’s when I am the weakestthat I am truly” – what – “strong.” It’s when I
get into a situation I can’t do anything about that God just pours His strength
into me. You see? So he says, “You know what I getexcited about? I don’t get
excited about being health; I getexcited about being sick. I get excitedabout
my infirmities. I getexcited about persecution. I getexcited about being
beaten up. That just gets me excited, because whenI am weak, then I am
strong.”
And I believe it is at that point that when a Christian will face his world, just
believe God that if you’ll go out there and be bold in the world, He’ll give you
the Spirit of glory to restupon you so you’ll be adequate. Now, when I say
“confrontthe world,” – I was talking about this in a convention I was in

203. Portland, this one fellow came to me afterwards, and he said, “Whenyou
mean ‘confront the world’, do you just mean keeptalking about Jesus allthe
time, like if a guy in my shop swears, Irun over and say, ‘Don’t swear,
because the Lord isn’t pleased’, and that I just run around and do that? I
mean: is that what you mean?” And I said, “No.” Isaid, “You would just
really become obnoxious if you did that.”
Here’s what I mean when I say “boldness.”I mean this. Number one, plan to
create opportunities to communicate Christ. Okay?
Number two, when the opportunity comes – here’s the key– don’t water
down the message. Yougot it? Be bold in the presentation. Stephen didn’t run
in there, knock down the doors of the Sanhedrin, and say, “All right, you
guys, shut up; I’ve got something to say.” He was invited. He spoke in
response to their questions. So did Peter. You earn the right to say something,
and when you sayit, boldness is saying what must be said, you see.
When you confront the world, you speak the truth. It’s so easyto water down
the thing and make it into nothing. We need to speak the truth. And Stephen
spoke the truth. And Stephen received, I think, a special – let’s callit special
grace, forthis occasion. You trust God for it. Stick your neck out. Be bold. Let
the world hit back, and watchhow God sustains you. I promise you He’ll do
it. So don’t shirk the responsibility because youdon’t feeladequate. When
you’re in your worstmess, you’re strong.
All right, so the contrastis so exciting. Here are they, full of anger, and here is
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit – calm, collected, stable, serene. Asecond
contrastcomes out of that: spiritual blindness and spiritual sight. They can’t
see anything; he sees everything.
Now, let’s first of all look at his spiritual sight. It’s so good. Verse 55, here he
is, and they’re just grinding their teeth and he can see the fury coming. And
what does he do? The circumstances are pretty rough. The first thing you
want to do in a tough situation is getyour eyes off the tough situation. True?
If you’ve gota bad situation, don’t look at your situation. Look up.

204. And that’s exactly what he did. “He, being full of the Holy Spirit” – what’s the
next two words – “lookedup.” That’s good. If you run around looking down
all the time, you’re never going to getover your problem. Stephen lookedup.
You say, “What was he looking for?” I know what he was looking for. I know
very well what he was looking for.
You say, “How do you know?” BecauseI readin Acts, chapter 1, verses 10
and 11, these words. In verse 9, Jesus ascendedinto heaven. It says, “And
while they lookedsteadfastly...He wentup.” “Two angels appearedin white.”
Verse 11 says they said this, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you shall so come in like
manner as you’ve seenHim go.”
Where did Jesus go? Whatdo you think Stephen was looking for? He was
looking for Jesus. You know who he saw when he gotup there? Jesus. Look at
it. Verse 55, “Lookedup into heaven.” Heaven just opened up for his view.
God pulled back the curtains, “and he saw the glory of God, and Jesus
standing on the right hand of God.” He saw what he was looking for.
I mean, the situation gottough, so he lookedto the Lord. That’s the only place
to look. He had sight. Well, he’d always had pretty goodspiritual sight ever
since he met Christ, but this was something like he’d never had. I mean, there
are only a few in scripture that actuallygot a glimpse right into heaven.
Ezekielsaw the glory of God. Isaiah saw the glory of God. Remember, in
chapter 6 of Isaiah, “The year king Uzziah died I saw the Lord high and lifted
up, and his train filled the temple.” And he goes into that fabulous thing; the
cherubim were there, and all that deal.
Paul saw heaven. He was takenup into heaven, 2 Corinthians 12. And dear
old John on the Isle of Patmos;he had one vision of the glory of God. It was
something else, wasn’tit? Readit in chapters 4 and 5 of the book of
Revelation.
So, there had been a few that saw the glory of God, and here’s Stephen. And
he looks up, and he sees the glory of God. You see, Godonly manifests
Himself in His glory, light, the Shekinahglory of God. He saw that Shekinah

205. glory, and to the right of the Shekinah was Jesus, standing. He saw what he
wanted to see. He didn’t look in vain. God gave him a glorious revelation.
You say– well, something interesting here, and that is the fact that in the
Book ofHebrews, it says, “After Christ had accomplishedredemption, He
went to heaven, took the right of the Father, and He satdown.” You say,
“What’s He doing up?” Well, He sat down in terms of redemption, but He
always gets up when His children getin trouble. Somebody said He stands up
to help the saints and welcome them home. Maybe He was standing up ready
to greetStephen, as well as help him.
He is seatedin terms of His redemptive work; it is accomplished. He is
standing in the sense ofHis sustaining high priestly work. That’s still going
on, you see? So He gets up to help His own. Stephen looks up and He’s
standing up. That indicates action, doesn’tit? He didn’t look up and see Him
sitting there resting;he saw Him standing up. “Stephen, I’m coming to your
rescue.”
So, Stephen had spiritual sight. What a vision. And he just lost all the
consciousnessofwhat’s going on around him. I mean, he was so absorbedin
looking into heavenit was absolutely fantastic. Here’s the glory of God, and
Jesus is standing on the right hand.
And you know something? He got lost in the deal and he started to yell.
Stephen did. And you know what he yelled? It’s terrific. Verse 56, he said,
“Behold.” You know what that means? “Hey, you guys, look at this.” And the
only people around are his enemies, and they’re in a frenzy. “Look at that,”
he says. “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right
hand of God.” And that did it. I mean, they could take so much, and that was
the coup de grâce. Thatwas the final straw. They absolutely lost themselves at
that point.
You say, “Why?” Listen to this. These words were familiar words to that
council. What Stephen said took their minds right straight back to a
conversationthey had with another prisoner. They had this other prisoner
one time on trial, and the same group here, and the trial was in the same
place, most likely. They had accusedHim of blasphemy, too. And they

206. brought in false witnesses, andthe false witnessesdidn’t come across. And
there wasn’t enough evidence to kill this one. So the high priest finally just
said to this other prisoner, “You tell me plainly. Are You the Messiah?” And
do you remember what that prisoner said? “I am.”
And in Mark 14:62, this is what He said after He said, “I am.” “And you will
see the Son of Man seatedat the right hand of the Almighty.” Who said that?
Jesus saidit. And they said, “Uh, ha, ha, ha; real funny. You, seatedat the
right hand of God?” He says, “Iam the Messiah. You’ll see Me seatedatthe
right hand of God.” And they killed Him for such blasphemy.
You know what Stephen says? “You know what I see? I see the Son of Man
seatedat the right hand of God.” Oh. That’s what they killed Jesus for
claiming. Now Stephen verifies that it is true. No wonderit says in verse 57,
“Theystopped their ears and screamedand ran after him.” You see, Stephen
had hit the nail on the head.
And, of course, they had to kill Stephen. I mean, they either had to kill
Stephen or admit that they were wrong in killing Jesus, right, because
Stephen is making the same claim for Jesus that Jesus made for Himself, that
“I am who I claim to be, and I have a seaton the right hand of the Father, and
I’m going there.” And they killed Him for saying it, so they’ve got to kill
Stephen for saying it too.
Oh, they were furious. It was blasphemy that Jesus evensaid He’d be there,
and Stephen says, “I see Him, and He is there.” That’s the first statement in
scripture presenting Christ at the right hand of the Father. He said He was
going back there, and here’s proof positive. He’s there. He’s there. Stephen
saw Him there.
Whenever the believer gets in trouble, He gets up. He must be up a lot. That’s
okay. One of these days, He can sit forever.
And so they were furious. This was the most blatant, final blasphemy, and
unless they were willing to admit their former decisionregarding Jesus was
wrong and they had, in fact, killed their Messiah, theyhad to kill Stephen.
And so Stephen had spiritual sight and they were stone blind.

207. Verse 57, “Then they cried out with a loud voice.” They just started screaming
“yeah,” – you know, just yelling. They couldn’t stand this. And they slammed
their hands over their ears. That is not exactlyopen-mindedness.
“And they ran upon Stephen with one accord” – they were togetheron that
one. Blind, blind, blind. Jesus calledthem “blind leaders of the blind,” and
they would both fall into the ditch. They always resistGod’s truth, verse 51,
always, always, always.And here they hear God’s truth again, and what do
they do? Slam their hands over their ears. Now, that’s ridiculous.
You say, “If you were arguing with somebody over a cause, andthere were
valid points on your side, and the guy did that, you’d think he was an idiot.”
They didn’t want God’s truth. They never had wanted God’s truth. They’d
resistedthe Holy Spirit all along, killed God’s messengers, killedHis Messiah,
rejectedHis law. This is par for the course.
At the end of the book of Acts, the apostle Paul makes some statements that
are so interesting in regardto this. Paul says – really, taking it from Isaiah, in
Acts 28:26, quoting Isaiah – “Go unto this people and say, ‘Hearing you shall
hear and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see and not perceive.’For
the heart of this people is made fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes have they closed, lestthey should see with their eyes.” Theyclose
their own eyes. “And hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and should be converted, and I should heal them.” They close up. They don’t
even want to know the truth. And so God confirms them judicially in their
ignorance.
And so they didn’t hear, and they were classic apostates. Theywere what 2
Peter2:20 says when it says they had knownthe truth but they had gone back.
They were dogs returning to their vomit; 2 Peter 2:22. They were, Hebrews 6,
people who knew the truth, seenthe miracles, beena part of all of it, and they
had rejectedit, and they had fallen away, and it was impossible to renew them
to repentance, seeing that they crucified the Sonof God and put Him to an
open shame.
They were wild. They were derisive. Their reasonwas gone. Theysaw only
fury. It says, “Theyran.” The word is “rushed.” Interesting, here’s a footnote

208. for you. The word “ran” is the same word exactly that’s used of the pigs that
were demon-possessedthatran off the cliff in Mark 5. It’s also the very same
word used in Acts 19 of the mad rush of the mob at Ephesus upon the
Christians. They were a demonic mob. In fury, they just ran at Stephen. And
so the contrast.
And that led to the next contrast:death and life. They were killing. For them,
it was death. But for Stephen, it was life. They thought they were killing him,
but it was only just giving him a little trip into eternal life. Verse 58, “They
casthim out of the city, and stoned him,” and the witnesses laiddown their
clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.”
Now, there are severallegalthings they did. Leviticus 24:14 said that you had
to be stonedoutside the city, so they had the presence of mind to take him out
of the city. Secondly, Leviticus 24:16 saidstoning was the punishment for
blasphemy, so they were right on that count; at leastdetermining that this was
blasphemy. The third thing was that you could never execute anybody unless
you had two or three witnesses, andapparently they managedto gettwo or
three guys that would be the witnesses.
Deuteronomy 17:7 says, “The hand of the witnesses shallbe first upon him to
put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.” So the man who
witnessedhad to be the executioneras well. That’s a very wise law. People
thought twice before they accusedsomebody.
Now, how did they stone him? Well, the Mishnah, the Jewishcodificationof
law, tells us. There’s a little paragraph there, and I’ll read it to you. “The
drop from the stoning place was twice the height of a man. There was a
precipice of about 10 feet plus, rocks below. One of the witnesses pushes the
criminal off from behind so he falls face-forwardonto the rocks. Thenhe is
turned over on his back. If he dies from the fall, that is sufficient.” That’s for
sure. “If not” – that’s what it says – “If not, the secondwitness takes a large
stone and drops it on his heart. If this cause death, it is sufficient. If not, he is
then stoned by all the congregationofIsrael.” Now, that was the method of
stoning.

209. Well, they wantedto do it up, and do it up right, so they stripped for action.
The witnesseslaid down their clothes at a young man’s feet. They took off
whatevermight bind them so they could really let it fly. This gives you a little
idea of the fury of these people. It wasn’t just to kill him; it was to vent the
fury that was in them. This is how much they hated everything he stoodfor,
and it wasn’treally Stephen they hated. Who did they really hate? They hated
Jesus. And Stephen was doing what Paul said. He was filling up in his body
the afflictions of Christ. And so they stonedhim.
Verse 59 says, “And they stoned Stephen.” Notice that the man who was
standing there was Saul. The factthat he was the guy standing in the front
where they put their garments is a fairly goodindication that he may have
been the ringleaderin the whole thing. And since Stephen had been arguing in
the synagogue ofthe people from Cilicia, and Paul was from Cilicia, it’s very
likely – as we said before – that he was arguing with Paul, and that Paul,
being the kind of activist that he was, was probably heading up this whole
reactionto Stephen. And so they killed him.
Deathsatisfiedthem. They wanted death. But for Stephen it wasn’t death. It
was life. Jesus said, “I am the resurrectionand the life. He that believeth in
Me, though he were dead” – what – “Yet shall he live. And whosoeverliveth
and believeth in me shall never die.” There’s no death. It’s simply going from
one thing to the next. And as I’ve said many times before, if you’re a
Christian, the biggestchange has already happened. Deathisn’t going to be as
big a change as your salvationwas. Think about that.
You say, “Well, I thought when you died your spirit went into limbo.” I don’t
find any verse in my bible that talks about limbo. There is no limbo.
Somebody said, “Well, don’t you go to purgatory for a while?” You find the
word “purgatory” in the Bible and you will be one in all humanity who found
it. There is no limbo in the bible. There is no purgatory. You say, “Well, what
about soul sleep?” You can’t find soul sleepin the Bible either.
Stephen lookedup in death and he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And
there’s no answerthat says:See you in a thousand years.

210. Stephen knew who waited for him, just like Jesus knew who waited for Him
on the cross, whenHe said, “Father, into Thy hands” – what – “I commend
My spirit.” Stephen knew who was waiting. He saw Him up there. Don’t tell
me that the believer is going to look to Jesus in an hour like that and then be
separatedfrom Him for some vast period of time or going to have to earn his
way into His presence. Don’ttell me that. That’s foreignto all of scripture.
Don’t tell me that the little girl that I read about on her deathbed talking to
her parents just in the moment of death expressedto her parents that she saw
the face of Jesus, andHis arms were outstretchedto receive her. Don’t tell me
that that isn’t the true hope that a Christian has. Don’t tell me that I’m going
to go to some strange place for ‘x’ number of years in oblivion. What for? It’s
purposeless.
The apostle Paulsaid in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 8, “Absent from the
body is present with the Lord.” And I love what he said in Philippians 1:23.
Listen. He says, “ForI am in a strait betweentwo. I’m trapped. I’ve gottwo
goodthings.” He says this: “I have a desire to depart and be with Christ,”
which is far better than the other alternative. You say, “If you depart, where
are you going to be?” With Christ. There’s no gap. There’s no lost time, lost
space interval.
They were killing him, but look at it. Stephen was calling on God and saying,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” What is the spirit of a man? It’s just the
immaterial part of him, the inner man. It’s just all I am without my body,
which – believe it or not – is a whole lot. It’s the real me.
I mean, you cancut off my arm and I’m still the real me. You can cut off my
leg and I’m still the real me. You keepgoing; you’re going to getto me. But I
am the immaterial me that lives in a body. But even if you kill the body, you
haven’t killed me. And it’s the real me, with all my consciousness, thatis going
to go into the presence ofGod. There’s just going to be one thing subtracted
from the realme, S-I-N. Hallelujah. And I’m going to be with Jesus.
This week, we’ve had some dear friends go to be with the Lord. PearlGenette.
A young 16-year-oldgirl by the name of JanetStewartwho came here last
Sunday to spend Christmas with her family and with us here at Grace and

211. then that evening went to be with the Lord. And Charles Gray’s funeral the
other day, we knew where he was. He’s with the Lord. We have that hope.
And so Stephen gives us even greaterhope by saying, “Lord, receive my spirit.
I’m coming.” And the Lord’s standing up ready to receive him. Don’t let
anybody tell you there’s any such thing as purgatory. There’s not – nor any
other waiting place. And so he was entering into the eternallife that he hoped
for in his heart.
And that leads us to the last contrast:death and life, and then hate and love.
Oh, they were such a hating mob. They hated him so much because they hated
Jesus. Theywere venting such venom and fury. Their hate is seenin just the
way they stonedhim. They took their clothes off so that they could blast him.
And you’ll notice that it’s interesting that it says in 58, “...andcasthim out of
the city and stoned him,” and it’s in the linear tense. And it’s also linear in
verse 59, “...theykept on stoning him,” which means the fall didn’t kill him,
and the first stone dropped on his heart didn’t kill him. That meant the whole
crowdgot in and just kept pummeling him with stones. They hated him.
But I want you to see the contrastof the love in the heart of this man. “And he
kneeleddown.” He somehow gothimself into a praying position under all
that. “...andcried with a loud voice.” He shouted it, and I think he probably
not only wantedGod to hear it, but he wanted them to hear it. “And he cried
out, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge’.” God, be merciful to them. See,
boy, that’s something. That’s something. You’d think the guy would say
something else besides that.
You know, there was an old prophet in the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 24, by
the name of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada. And Zechariah was both prophet and
priest, and he got into a little trouble, and they – the Jews decidedto kill him.
This is just another one of the prophets they killed. And they killed him
betweenthe altar and the sanctuaryin the temple. So, they were really uptight
at him. They didn’t even have the presence ofmind to drag him out of town.
They did it right in the temple.

212. And as Zechariah was breathing his lastbreath under the stones, you know
what he prayed? SecondChronicles 24:22, here was his words. “Jehovah, look
upon it and require it,” which being interpreted means: “God, get them.”
Now, that’s a similar circumstance, but a very opposite prayer.
I like the grace of Stephen, don’t you? Stephen says, “Father, forgive them.”
Hey, a Christian can only love like that – do you know that – only because the
love of Christ was shedabroad in his heart.
When George Wishart, a wonderful Christian, was to be executedfor his
faith, the executionerhesitate, because he had such a magnetic and beautiful
characterthat he resistedkilling him. Wishart, the historians tell us, went
over to his executionerand kissedhim on the cheek. “Lo,” he said, “here is a
tokenthat I forgive thee,” and the executionwas done.
Jesus did the same thing, and Stephen does it here. What a testimony. All that
hate, and in Stephen’s heart there is only love. That’s the characterof
Christian love. It loves indiscriminately. It doesn’t depend on the attitude of
the other one. Would to God we could all die like that. Would to God we could
all live like that.
And then I like the way it ends. “And when he had said this, he” – what – “fell
asleep.” Isn’tthere a beautiful peace aboutthat? And they were still alive, but
grinding their teeth, and would spend all eternity doing it. He just fell asleep
in the arms of Christ.
I love Stephen. Now I love him much more after these lastfew weeks,and I
think I’ve discoveredwhy I love him so much, and it’s the same reasonI love
Paul so much. It’s because he’s so much like Jesus. Jesuswas full of the Spirit,
and so was Stephen. Jesus was full of grace;so was Stephen. Jesus was boldly
a preacher;so was Stephen. Jesus was lovingly forgiving; so was Stephen.
Jesus gave His life for others; so did Stephen.
When somebody tells me, “Be like Jesus,” that’s hard for me to be. To be like
Jesus, it’s too – it’s too far. So I’m not going to sayto you, “Be like Jesus.” I’m
going to say, “Be like Stephen.” That at leastbrings it down to where we are.

213. Do you know what the apostle Paul said? “Be ye followers of me as I am of
Christ.” You see, Paul knew there had to be an intermediary step.
Someone always comes up and says, “Well, your problem is you’re following
man. You should be following Christ.” Oh, I hate that statement. That’s a
dumb statement. Be like Stephen. Stephen was like Jesus.
There was a man who’ll never forgetit. Chapter 8, verse 1, and Saul was
consenting unto his death. “There stoodthat man.” You know something?
From Stephen came Paul. From Paul came the world.
Augustine said, “The church owes Paulto the prayer of Stephen.” Stephen
was expendable for Paul – watch this – Paul was expendable for the world.
Let me ask you something? Forwhom are you expendable?
Let’s pray.
Father, we thank You for Stephen. God, I ask myself the question, for whom
would I give everything I am and have? Forwhom would I live and die, that
they might hear, that they might know the Christ?
Stephen gave everything, and through it there came Paul, and through Paul I
came to You, and all of us did because he wrote the Word that led us to You.
So, I thank you for Paul and I thank You for Stephen, and I want to be like
both of them because they were like Jesus. Give me their courage and their
boldness. Give that to all of us. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
Now, this morning we're picking up where we left off a couple weeks ago in
Acts chapter 7. In fact, I want us to back up a few verses and begin with the
stoning of Stephen-who you should remember was the first Christian martyr.
Today we're focusing on Acts 7:57 through Acts 8:25 so take your Bibles and
open them to that text and keepthem open throughout the message. Butlet's
begin by looking once more at this text through the eyes of The Visual Bible,

214. where the narrator, Luke, played by DeanJones is telling us of Stephen's
death at the hands of the Sanhedrin.
Acts 7:57
57 - At this they coveredtheir ears and yelling at the top of their voices, they
all rushed at him,
58 - draggedhim out of the city and beganto stone him. Meanwhile, the
witnesses laidtheir clothes at the feetof 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 saidthis, he fell asleep.
Acts 8:1
1 - And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great
persecutionbroke out againstthe church at Jerusalem, and all exceptthe
apostles were scatteredthroughout Judea and Samaria.
2 - Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
3 - But Saul beganto destroy the church. Going from house to house, he
draggedoff men and women and put them in prison.
4 - Those who had been scatteredpreachedthe word wherever they went.
5 - Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.
6 - When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they
all paid close attention to what he said.
7 - With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and
cripples were healed.
8 - So there was greatjoy in that city.

215. 9 - Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorceryin the city
and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boastedthat he was someone great,
10 - and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and
exclaimed, "This man is the divine powerknown as the GreatPower."
11 - They followedhim because he had amazed them for a long time with his
magic.
12 - But when they believed Philip as he preachedthe goodnews of the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men
and women.
13 - Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followedPhilip
everywhere, astonishedby the greatsigns and miracles he saw.
14 - When the apostles in Jerusalemheard that Samaria had acceptedthe
word of God, they sent Peterand John to them.
15 - When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit,
16 - because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had
simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 - Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they receivedthe
Holy Spirit.
18 - When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles'
hands, he offered them money
19 - and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my
hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 - Peteranswered:"Mayyour money perish with you, because youthought
you could buy the gift of God with money!
21 - You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right
before God.

216. 22 - Repent of this wickednessand pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive
you for having such a thought in your heart.
23 - For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
24 - Then Simon answered, "Prayto the Lord for me so that nothing you have
said may happen to me."
25 - When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peterand
John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospelin many Samaritan villages.
Sermon:
Now-as I said a moment ago-there are two foundational principles that we can
draw from this text and the first is this...
1. In the Christian life Godcan use BAD for the GOOD of His Kingdom.
Remember-Josephlearnedthis lessonthe hard way. When he met with his
brothers years after they had sold him into slavery, he said,
"You intended to harm me but God intended it for good." (Genesis50:20).
And, as we look back over history we see this principle over and over again-
God takes the BAD that inevitably comes into our lives, since we do live in a
BAD, fallen world and in His sovereigntyHe uses it both for our goodand His
glory.
In this month's issue of Christianity TodayI came across anarticle that says
Muslims are very interestedin seeing in Mel Gibson's film, The Passionofthe
Christ. You see, they've heard that it is anti-Semitic and Muslims are pro
anything that is anti-Semitic so they are flocking to see this movie. And many
are then asking questions about Christianity. I believe God will use this BAD
thing-the hatred the Muslims have for the Jews forthe GOOD of His kingdom
because I believe this curiosity about The Passionwill result in thousands of

217. Muslims coming to embrace a faith in Jesus. Isn'tthat awesome!Only God
can bring goodfrom bad!
And we can see anotherperfect example of this principle here in this text.
Think of it.
Stephen is martyred. The first deaconis the first Christian to die because of
his faith in Jesus. And, as I pointed out two weeksago, Stephenwas an
awesome individual. He was one of those people that others were drawn to.
Everybody loved Stephen. He was greatly admired-a gifted minister of the
Gospel-BUT his life was brutally snuffed out-a HORRIBLE THING
happened. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, it was only the beginning-only
the first bad thing! As we saw dramatized a moment ago, Stephen's murder
was the catalystfor a widespread persecutionof the church, a persecutionthat
was led by a man named Saul. Look at Acts 8:3-4:
"Saulbegan to DESTROYthe church. Going from house to house, he
draggedoff men and women and put them in prison."
At this point in his life Saul actedmuch like a Gestapo officerin World War
II dragging Jews from their homes and sending them off to concentration
camps. In fact, the Greek here pictures Saul as a wild beaston the rampage,
tearing his victims to shreds-and that's pretty much what he did. I say this
because laterin Acts, after he becomes a Christian and changes his name to
Paul, he confesses,"Ipersecutedthe followers ofthis Way to their death..."
(Acts 22:4)
Now-you'll remember from our earlier study that there had been persecution
before, threats, imprisonments-even beatings. But up until this point it had
been directed only at the Apostles.
Now, with Saul at the helm, persecutionis directed to the membership at
large. And to make matters worse, for the first time we find the leaders of

218. Judaism UNITED in their oppositionof Christianity. Before it was only the
Sadducees but now Pharisees like Saulare involved as well.
So-atfirst glance things look ALL BAD don't they! But our hindsight shows
that once againGod used all this BAD for incredible GOOD.
And, in case youmissed it, let me point out severalBENEFITS-severalgood
things that came from this time of persecution.
A. First, the Christian faith SPREAD.
When the Christians fled the persecutionin Jerusalemthey took the Gospel
with them and in so doing they spreadthe Christian movement outward. I
mean, Saul's attempt to stamp out the church's "fire" merely scatteredthe
"embers" and started new "fires" all around the world. Amazingly enough,
what began as PERSECUTION endedin PROCLAMATION. Think of it in
this way...the stones that were thrown at Stephen were like stones thrown in a
pond that sent waves ofthe gospelrippling everoutward. This kind of
reminds me of Dr. Seuss'book The Cat in the Hat. Remember? They spilled
that pink stuff on the furniture and the more they tried to cleanit up, the
more they spread it all over the house and eventually the entire yard was
pink! That's basicallywhat happened here. The more Saul and the others
tried to wipe out "the stain" of Christianity, the more they spread it.
In fact, the word here in verse 1 that we translate as "scattered" is the Greek
word, "diaspeiro" and it literally means "to scatterseed." This is another
goodword picture of what happened. God used this persecutionas a
mechanism to scatterthe seeds of the Gospelall over Judea and Samaria and
even beyond, and wherever the seedfell, a church grew!This reminds me of
something that evangelistLuis Palauonce said,"The church is like manure.
Pile it togetherand it stinks up the neighborhood. Spread it out and it
enriches the world."
Now-here's something interesting that I came across in my study this week.
Some scholars don't think the Christians in Jerusalemfled out of FEAR but
rather because they felt Stephen's stoning was the sign from God that it was
time to hit the road with the Gospel. This is because in Matthew 10:23, Jesus

219. had said,"Whenyou are persecutedin one place, flee to another." Perhaps the
early Christians had learnedthis from the apostles, so whenthe persecution
came they thought, "That's our cue-let's get going!" All this reminds me that
a LITERAL translation of the Great Commissionwould be worded like this:
"AS YOU GO, make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:20) because that's
what happened. AS THEY WENT - WHEREVER they went, they shared the
gospel. And, in this first part of Acts 8 Luke gives us an example of this "as
you go evangelism" in the form of the ministry of another deacon, named
Philip-a Christian "seed" that ended up in Samaria, where he proclaimed the
Gospeland performed powerful miracles in Jesus'name.
Now-the fact that a Jew preachedand ministered in Samaria itself was
amazing because there was a long, deep-seatedhatred betweenthe Jews and
the Samaritans. You may remember that the Jews viewedthis particular
people group as both religious and ethnic half-breeds. You see, whenthe
Assyrians conquered Israel 800 years before the birth of Christ, they deported
a greatpart of the Jewishpopulation from the land and replacedthem with
strangers from other countries. The Jews who remained intermarried with
these foreigners and the product was the Samaritan race. The Jews who
returned from the deportation years later consideredthe Samaritans impure
traitors-collaboratorswith the enemy. And, the Samaritans compounded the
problem by building their own temple on Mt. Gerizim-something that was
prohibited in the Old Testament. They gotaround this infraction of God's law
by REJECTINGthe part of the Old Testamentwhere this law was mentioned
and ACCEPTING onlythe first five books as Scripture.
Well, for all these reasons there was a great wallof hostility betweenthe Jews
and the Samaritans-a wall that had been growing ever higher for hundreds of
years. But now when Philip shared the gospel, Samaritans respondedand
became Christians! A revival broke out in that regionand in this way God
built a bridge betweenthese two peoples and made them ONE in Christ. So-
an incredibly GOOD thing happened-a horrible wrong was righted-because of
this time of persecution. But that's not all. Here's a secondGOOD thing that
came from all this BAD.

220. B.. This persecutionhelped turn Saul into PAUL-the greatestmissionarythe
world has ever known.
Acts 20:22 tells us that Paul never forgot Stephen's death. It apparently had a
profound impact on his life. Paul's first exposure to the Gospelcame through
Stephen. I for one think the memory Stephen's teaching and the wayhe lived
his brief life and the way he died was part of the catalystthat led Saul to
decide to become a believerhimself when he met Jesus onthe Damascus road.
I believe this memory helped fire his passionfor missions. So, by killing
Stephen, the Sanhedrin SILENCED a voice that was upsetting a CITY but
without realizing it at the same time they AWOKE a voice that would upset
an EMPIRE.
C.. And then, a third GOOD thing that came from this BAD was the fact that
it causedthe early Christians to GROW and MATURE spiritually.
You see, whenthey left Jerusalemthey were forced to depend on God instead
of the Apostles. Perhaps this is why God kept Peterand John and the others
in Jerusalem. It was kind of like a mother bird urging her children to leave
the nestso they could learn to fly on their own! And that's what happened!
Out on their own, awayfrom Jerusalem, these new believers began to "fly"
spiritually. They developed their gifts of evangelism, witnessing, helps,
knowledge, teaching, prophecy, miracles-allthose gifts of the Spirit that had
been made available to them.
This reminds me of something we learned in the 40 Days-thatGod allows us to
go through tough situations to help us develop the FRUITS of the Spirit. For
example, He teaches us LOVE by putting some UNLOVELY people in our
path. He teaches us JOY in the midst of SORROW.
He develops PEACE within us, not by making things go the way we planned
but by allowing times of CHAOS and CONFUSION. You see, the truth is no
TOOL is better at shaping us into the image of Jesus than PERSECUTION,in
one form or another.
So these three examples serve as abundant proof that GOD is able to use BAD
for GOOD!

221. And we would do well to remember this as we serve God here in Montgomery
County. When tough times come our way-and they will-we must remember
that God is sovereign, evenover our tough times. He RULES over our
sufferings and uses them for our benefit. In his book, Reaching forthe
Invisible God, Philip Yancey writes,
"When goodthings happen I acceptthem as gifts from God, worthy of
thanksgiving. When bad things happen, I do not take them as necessarilysent
by God....Rather, I trust that God an use even those bad things for my
benefit....Faithallows me to believe that, despite the chaos of the present
moment, God does reign; that regardless ofhow worthless I may feel, I truly
matter to a God of love; that no pain lasts forever and no evil triumphs in the
end. [After all,] Faith sees eventhe darkestdeedof all history, the death of
God's Son, as a necessaryprelude to the brightest."
So WHEN you go through trials and tribulations-follow Yancey's example
here. Trust God's heart; trust His wisdom; trust His sovereignty;trust His
power...andask yourself:
"Is my Heavenly Father allowing this to motivate me to mature spiritually? Is
God allowing this temporary persecutionto teachme eternal truth? Is He
showing me that I can rely on Him no matter what comes?" Is He using this to
give me a platform to share my faith in a place that I've never been before?"
Remember the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 4:17-18:
"Forour light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternalglory
that far outweighs them all. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seenis temporary, but what is unseenis eternal."

222. So, looking back on this early chapter of church history shows us that GOOD
COMES FROM BAD but this backwardglance shows us something else...
2. It also shows us that in the Kingdom of God, BAD often comes with GOOD.
I mean, when God is doing a goodthing-when God is at work-satanwill
attempt to oppose it by sending his bad our way. You cancount on it. When
something GOOD is happening, he'll try to stopit. Jesus taught this principle
in His parable of the weeds. Remember? In Matthew 13:24-25 He said,
"The kingdom of heavenis like a man who sowedGOOD SEED in his field.
But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowedWEEDSamong
the wheat, and went away."
Our Lord was warning us here that whereverGod sows His true believers,
satanwill eventually sow his counterfeits. Think of it his way: The enemy
comes first as a LION to DEVOUR and when that approachfails, he comes as
a SERPENTto DECEIVE. I want you to note that in the other half of this
chapter-which we'll look at next week-Luke cites anexample of GENUINE
faith in Philip's experience with the Ethiopian eunuch. But first he contrasts it
with an example of FALSE faith-counterfeit faith-here in verses 9-24. And the
false faith I'm referring to-satan's deceptive "weedamong the wheat" at this
point-was as sorcerernamed, Simon. Tradition says that he calledhimself
SIMON MAGUS and "magus" is the Latin word for "great." It would be like
someone in our day calling himself, "Simon the Magnificent" or "Simon the
Great." Think of him as the David Copperfield of his day. In any case, he had
been the big show in Samaria until Philip came along.
Well, when Philip showedup and did his miracles he beganto draw a crowd,
so Simon went to investigate and he was amazed! In Philip he saw GENUINE
powerand he wantedit. You see, the feats Simon had been doing were
LIMITED. They were a combination of slight of hand tricks-andof demon-

223. powered"miracles" that did not last. In short Simon had exhausted the limits
of his ability and he knew it so when Philip came to town and beganto do
genuine, lasting miracles poweredby the Holy Spirit of God, well, Simon
immediately had a "professional"interestin Philip. He thought to himself,
"If I am going to advance in my professionor even just recapture the
following that I have had until this guy showedup, I better getmy hands on
the powerthat he has."
Apparently in an effort to claim this power for his ownverse 13 says that
Simon "...believedand was baptized" and followedPhilip around like some
sort of sorcerer's apprentice, "...astonishedby the greatsigns and miracles he
saw..."Goddo through Philip.
Well, when the apostles in Jerusalemheard about the revival that had broken
out in Samaria, they sentJohn and another Simon-Simon PETER-to
investigate. And when these two laid their hands on these new believers, they
receivedthe Holy Spirit-sort of a "SamaritanPentecost" andTHAT display
of power impressedSimon even more.
Now-Idon't believe Simon's faith was genuine for two reasons.
First, in verses 21-23 SimonPetertalked to him and discernedthat his heart
was not right. He saw that it was, "full of bitterness and captive to sin." And
my secondreasonformaking this judgement is the fact that church history
says Simon Magus went on to become an arch-heretic-the founder of
Gnosticism, a heresywhich greatlyplagued the EARLY CHURCH and seems
to be rearing its ugly head AGAIN through Dan Brown's popular novel, The
Da Vinci Code, whose plot is basedon gnostic philosophy and is spurring a
renewedinterest in false gospels and gnostic thought. By the way, tradition
also says that Simon made himself the adversaryof Simon Peterand dogged
him from Antioch to Rome.

224. Now-where did Simon go wrong? How could he come so close and still miss
out on genuine salvation? I mean think of it-he sat under the teaching of
Philip and Simon Peter.
How did he end up as a tool of satan insteadof a greatman of God?
I can think of three errors he made and I want us to understand them not just
so we'll be able to recognize false faith when we see it-after all, satanstill sows
"weeds"in God's wheatfield-but also so that we will avoid these same errors
ourselves.
A. Okay-Simon's first mistake was the factthat he embraceda false view of
SELF.
The most important person in SIMON'S life was SIMON. Verse 9 says, "He
boastedthat he was someone great."To put it in modern vernacular, "Simon
thought he was all that-and then some." And the fact is Simon went beyond
mere conceit. Look back at verse 10 where it says that Simon referred to
himself as "The Great Power."The notes in my study Bible say that this
phrase means Simon claimed to be either God Himself or more likely His chief
representative.
Early church fathers like Irenaeus and Hippolytus say that Simon Magus
claimed to be the earthly manifestationof the Greek god, Zeus or Yahweh, the
Old Testamentname for God. In any case, itwould be an understatement to
say that Simon was a little stuck on himself. He went way beyond that and
mimicked the sin of his master, satan, by putting himself equal with God.
And, as you should know, a proper view of self is just the opposite. I mean,
before we can come to GENUINE faith in Jesus we must humble ourselves-
admitting that we are sinners, hopelesslylostwithout God's grace. We must
understand that even our best attempts at goodnessand greatnessfall far
short of God's holy standard. But that is not the only mistake Simon made.
B.. You see, he also embraceda false or flawed view of SALVATION.
Simon seems to have thought that being baptized and hanging around Philip
was all it took to be a followerof Jesus. He made the same mistake that many
people do today-people who assume that salvationis a result of religious

225. activity. And its an easymistake to make because we just naturally think that
in order to receive something as WONDERFULas eternallife and as
POWERFULas the Spirit of God living in us. Well, to get all that we think
we'd have to do something in return-something to earn all this. I remember
years ago asking teens to write out their testimony-to tell me how they became
a Christian and 9 times out of 10 they'd begin by saying, "I walkedthe
aisle..." And they said that because the hardest thing they could imagine doing
would be to walk an aisle in front of hundreds of people but by doing that
HARD thing they would deserve salvation. That's not the wayit works is it?!
No-salvationis never the result of any external actlike being baptized or
taking communion or attending church or even walking the aisle. Salvationis
the result of an inner act-asking Jesus to forgive us of our sin, committing to
follow His will in our lives. Salvation is the result of faith in what Jesus has
done-not in what we do. So Simon had a flawedview of selfand of salvation,
but his greatesterroris seenin the fact that...
C. ...he had a false or flawed view of God Himself.
Remember? Simon wantedto buy the Spirit of God-as if He was an "it"-some
impersonal powerthat he could purchase and then manipulate. In fact,
Simon's offer led to a whole new form of being sin named after him-a sin
known as "simony" which is basicallydefined as "buying or selling God's
blessings." Look atverse 20-and be sure to note Peter's strong rebuke of this
assumption. He told Simon, "Mayyou and your money perish with you!" But,
J. B. Philips' translation words it even more forcefully. He has Petersaying,
"You and your money cango to Hell!" and I for one believe this is a more
accurate translationof Peter's words, because that's exactly where this line of
thinking will send you! You see, there is no greatersin than the presumption
of thinking you could buy and use Godlike some genie in a bottle. We don't
manipulate God-NO!We bow at His feetand serve Him! He uses us-not the
other way around!
But, before we "AMEN!" Peter's rebuke of Simon too self-righteously, let's
examine our own presumptions about our Heavenly Father. I mean have you
ever tried to "buy" His power? Teens, have you ever said, "God, help me pass
this testand I'll come to church every Sunday for the rest of my life!" Adults

226. have you ever prayed, "God, take awaythis illness and I'll do whateverYou
want!" I mean, how many times have you told God, "Getme out of this mess
and I'll follow You whereveryou lead." The sad fact is all of us have been
guilty of simony in one form or other. We all try to BUY God's powerful
blessings with our obedience.
Invitation:
We come now to our time of invitation and as we do I would urge eachof you
to ask God another "WHY" question-namely:
"WHY have You brought me to this service this morning, God? Why have I
had to hear these truths? How do I need to apply them to my own life?"
Let us pray.
Father God,
I pray that You'll answerthis question. Speak to eachof us and tell us how we
can apply the lessons these earlyChristians learned to our own situations.
Help us to trust You in Bad times-evento thanking You for sending them,
knowing You love us too much to allow anything into our lives that will not
benefit us in some way. Help us to look to You in Goodtimes as well so that
we will be ready when satansends his counterfeits...andforgive us God for
those times when we have repeatedSimon's mistakes. Speak to us now Father
and guide us to the very center of Your will. I ask all this in Jesus'name.
AMEN
As we sing, I invite you to respond publicly if you feel so led-to come and
pray-to come and confess yourfaith in Jesus-orto come and join our church

227. family.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100624042721/http://www.redlandbaptist.org/s
ermons/sermon20040523.php
The First Christian Martyr
Acts 6:8-7:60
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, August 16, 1998
Copyright © 1998, P. G. Mathew
This passageofScripture teaches us about the witness of the first Christian
martyr, Stephen. Now the name Stephen, or Stephanos in Greek, means
“garland.” We find another man in the Bible, Ichabod, who was the grandson
of the high priest Eli. In the Hebrew the name Ichabod means “no glory.” The
name “Ichabod” describes the state of Jewishritual worship after the coming
of Jesus Christ. The system of sacrificialworship at the temple of Jerusalem
was rendered obsolete by the death and resurrectionof Jesus Christ. Stephen
was killed for his bold declarationof the truth that God’s glory was no longer
found in the temple but in God’s church and in its head, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Background
Judaism had always prided itself in the holy land, in the law of Moses, andin
the temple, but the coming of Jesus the Messiahbrought fulfillment of what
the law and the temple had stoodfor. In Jesus Christthe kingdom of God
came, bringing with it a new age and a new order. In this new order there is
no need for the temple because Jesus Christis the temple of God, together

228. with us who are his body, the church, and through his once-for-allsacrifice
the wayto God the Father has been opened up for all who put their trust in
him. In other words, Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s law by offering the final,
acceptable sacrificeofhimself through which men can be reconciledto God.
But the leaders of the nation of Israel, the Sanhedrin, rejectedtheir Messiah,
Prince and Savior, Jesus. Theyaccusedhim of blasphemy and killed him
because their high veneration for the land, the law, and the temple left no
room for God’s further saving activity in Jesus. As far as these people were
concerned, spirituality had been captured in externalities. They were proud of
being circumcisedin the flesh, just as some Christians are proud of being
baptized, but they were not regenerate. Theywere not circumcisedin their
hearts, which alone counts in the presence ofGod. Although they offered
sacrifices to Godin the temple, they did not truly love him. They were trusting
in external observances,not in God.
Jesus himself spoke about these things. He declared the temple a den of
robbers and then predicted its destruction, saying, “Look, your house is left to
you desolate.”In other words, Jesus was saying, “You will be Ichabod, those
from whom the glory departed, because you are refusing to acceptGod’s plan
of salvationthrough me. You think that God will stick with the temple and the
land, in spite of your disobedience and refusal to believe in me, but that is
utterly false. It will all be destroyed.”
We must trust in God, not in buildings or religious observances.Eventoday
many people regularly assemble in churches, but to presume that God is
always in their midst is not a given. The question is whether these people are
assembling in God’s name to worship him his way.
Stephen understood more clearly than any of the apostles the implications of
the death, resurrection, ascension, andsessionofJesus Christ on Judaism. He
knew that Judaism must give way to Christianity because Jesus Christis the
fulfillment of what Judaism stoodfor. He recognizedthat Christ is the end of
the law so that there may be righteousness foreveryone who believes, which
Paul later wrote in Romans 10:4. He realized that accessto God was no longer
through earthly sacrificesbut through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

229. Additionally, Stephen understood that God is not limited by geography or by
a building; rather, anyone anywhere canworship God in Christ. Stephen
comprehended what Jesus saidto the Samaritan woman: “Godis spirit, and
his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Stephen
realized the time had come when people could worship the Father wherever
they were, not just on Mount Gerizim, as the Samaritans did, or in Jerusalem.
When Stephen began to declare these greattruths, the Jews chargedhim with
blasphemy. They saidhe was speaking againstMoses, againstGod, againstthe
law, and againstthe temple. They misrepresentedthe teaching of Stephen just
as they misrepresentedthe teaching of Jesus Christ when he said, “Destroy
this temple and I will raise it up in three days.” Jesus had been speaking about
his ownbody and the body of his church, but the Jews saidhe was speaking
about the temple.
Let us examine this first Christian martyr, Stephen. We will look at the type
of man he was, his message before the Sanhedrin, and his martyrdom.
Stephen the Man
Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew who had been ordained by the apostles to
oversee fooddistribution to the poor of the church. Before his conversionto
Christianity, Stephen may have been a frequent worshiper at the synagogue of
the Libertines, one of the perhaps 480 synagoguesin Jerusalemat that time.
Libertines were descendants ofthe Jews whomPompey had captured, taken
to Rome and sold as slaves in 63 B.C. Eventually freed, these former slaves
came to Jerusalemand establisheda synagogue where Jewsfrom Cyrene,
Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia worshiped. It is possible that Saul of Tarsus also
attended this synagogue becausehe was from Cilicia in Asia Minor.
Stephen may have been among the three thousand who repented and trusted
in Jesus Christ alone and were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost. Although he was a young man, Stephen was a brilliant student of
the Scriptures like Saul of Tarsus and Apollos of Alexandria.
In Acts 6 and 7 we see just what type of man Stephen was:

230. He was full of the Holy Spirit. Stephen was not a double-minded person. The
Bible says he was full of the Holy Spirit, meaning he was fully controlledby
God, possessing anundivided heart and trusting and loving God with all his
heart, mind, soul, and strength. Every believer is commanded to be filled with
the Holy Spirit, and Stephen was in that state.
He was full of wisdom. Acts 6 and 7 tell us how those who argued against
Stephen could not stand up againsthis wisdom. Stephen was not only a
practicalman but he was also one who could interpret Scriptures correctly,
which requires wisdom.
He was full of faith. Stephen trusted in Jesus Christ alone for his salvationand
on a daily basis. He believed in the biblical affirmations that Christ died for
his sins, that Christ was raisedfor his justification, that Christ was glorified,
and that Christ is Lord of the universe, governing every aspectofit at all
times.
He was full of power. Jesus promised his disciples that they would receive
powerwhen the Holy Spirit came upon them. Stephen experiencedthis power
daily–powerto live a Christian life, powerto proclaim the gospelwith
confidence and without shame, and power even to perform miracles and
wonders, which we read about in Acts 6:8.
He was full of the grace ofGod, as we also read in Acts 6:8. God smiled upon
Stephen and he experiencedGod’s favor. Thus, when Stephen was dragged
before the Sanhedrin and they lookedintently upon his face, his face was
brilliant, like the face of an angel, as we read in Acts 6:15.
Stephen was not full of gold and silver or rich in material things, but he was
full of what mattered: full of God, full of wisdom, full of faith, full of power,
and full of grace. Stephenwas a man approved by God, in other words.
Stephen Declaresthe Gospel
After Stephen became a Christian he visited the synagogue ofthe Libertines
in Jerusalem. Why do you suppose he went? Because he recognizedthat the
people there neededJesus Christ. Stephen knew that Jesus Christ was the
fulfillment of all the Old Testamentstoodfor, and so he went to the synagogue

231. to declare the gospelwith greatpower, boldness, confidence, and wisdom. In
Acts 6:9-10 we read that no one could oppose his wisdom and the Spirit with
which he spoke. We canpresume that Saul of Tarsus, the brilliant young
student of the greatprofessorGamaliel, was presentbut even he could not
successfullyrefute Stephen.
Imagine Stephen’s words:“Brothers, I have wonderful news for you! Jesus of
Nazarethis the promised Messiah, the Christ. He alone fulfilled God’s law
and sacrificedhimself on the cross for our sins. Jesus Christwas raised for
our justification and now anyone anywhere who calls upon God through him
will be saved. Not only that, Christ’s death and resurrectionrendered the law
and the temple obsolete. Faithin Jesus Christ alone is all that matters. We
must all realize that salvationis not by works and the keeping of external
traditions but by grace through faith for all.”
Stephen declaredGod’s truth to the Sanhedrin, preaching what Jesus Christ
himself preached. The Sanhedrin could not refute Stephen’s arguments so
they resortedto deception and lies. They chargedStephen with blasphemy
and soughtto kill him just as they had killed the Messiah, the Lord of the
universe. They stirred up the people againstStephen and finally produced
some false witnesses to speak againstStephen. These witnesses, however,
could only bring ad hominem arguments againstStephen. When reasonfails,
mud prevails.
It is interesting to note that we find no mention of any apostle or believer
standing with Stephen at this time. Just as no believers were with Jesus when
he was tried, so they were not with Stephen. Additionally, just as the Pharisees
and Sadducees united againstJesus, they also united againstStephen. Why do
you think they opposedhim so vigorously? Becauseboth the Phariseesand
Sadducees veneratedthe law and the temple. Their entire position in life,
power, and income depended upon this type of worship.
The Pharisees andSadducees joinedforces to put a stop to Stephen’s
preaching. They would not tolerate any apparent depreciation of the law and
the temple, especiallyStephen’s claim that the law and the temple had become
obsolete since the resurrection, ascensionand sessionof the Lord Jesus Christ.

232. These were their orthodoxies, and far be it from them to change their
thoughts to align them with God’s truth!
I sincerelyhope that we will not to be like these Pharisees andSadducees in
our thinking. We must abandon our own particular orthodoxies in favor of
the gospel. We must always be ready to ask ourselves, “Whatdoes Jesus
Christ say? What does the Bible say?” because the important thing is not
what we saybut what God says. We must be ever ready to repent, change our
thinking, and acceptthe thinking of God that we may be saved. May we never
pretend, like the Sanhedrin did, that we are right and the Messiah, the Bible,
Stephen, and the apostles are wrong.
As Stephen preached the gospel, he was draggedviolently from the synagogue
to stand in the midst the Sanhedrin. There, as the Sanhedrin lookedat
Stephen, they noticedhis face was “like the face of an angel.” Just as the face
of Moses shone and radiated with glory, here we read that the face of Stephen
was also shining with a brilliance put there by God. That brilliance was a sign
of God’s approval, God’s smile, but the Sanhedrin did not recognize it as such
nor could they tolerate it.
In Psalm 34:5 we read, “Those who look to him are radiant.” If we are in
communion with the God of glory, there ought to be some glory on our faces,
even in the midst of trouble, persecution, and attack. We must never run to a
cave and hide. Why? The Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength
and that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christour Lord.
Stephen’s Defense
Second, let us examine the messageofdefense that Stephen gave before the
Sanhedrin. The thrust of Stephen’s defense was this:
That the God of glory is not limited to Jerusalembecausehe is the God of all
the earth;
That the temple, or any manufactured dwelling place, cannotcontain God the
Creatorbecause he is the MostHigh, infinite, personal, invisible, eternalGod;
That the law pointed to the Messiahand therefore was not an end in itself;

233. That the fathers of the present leaders of IsraelrejectedGod’s chosenleaders,
rejectedkeeping of the law, and rejectedtrue worship of God;
That the temple in Jerusalemdid not guarantee piety of the people. In fact, it
was because oftheir sin againstthe glorious God who put his name in the
temple that God kickedthem out of their country and sentthem first to
Assyria and then to Babylon;
That people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses metwith and worshipedGod
outside of Palestine;and
That Jesus of Nazarethis the prophet Moses spoke about, but instead of
listening to him and obeying him, these people rejectedhim and put him to
death.
This was the defense Stephen made before this augustbody, the Supreme
Court of Israel. In Acts 7:1 we read that the high priest, probably Caiaphas,
askedStephen, “Are these charges true?” In other words, “Is it true that you
spoke againstthe law of Mosesand againstthis temple? How could you? This
is our life, and we will not tolerate it!” Then Stephen began his greatdefense,
and in my view his face glowedthe whole time he was speaking.
No Boundaries for God
First of all, Stephen said, God is not limited to one location. In Acts 7:2
Stephen declared, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while
he was still in Mesopotamia.”In other words, God was not limited to
Palestine. Thenhe said the God of glory himself appearedto Abraham. This
was not an angelic visitation–Abraham met with the true and living God.
Then Stephen said Abraham did not inherit any land in Palestine, “noteven a
foot of ground” (Acts 7:5).
“Members of the Sanhedrin,” Stephen was saying, “you glory so much in your
land, but your father Abraham did not own even one foot of ground in
Palestine.” In fact, Stephen said, the greatpatriarch Abraham was a pilgrim
all his life. We read about this also in Hebrews 11:9-10, “Byfaith [Abraham]
made his home in the promised land like a strangerin a foreign country; he

234. lived in tents . . . for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architectand builder is God.”
God has never been limited to Jerusalemor the temple. In fact, Abraham may
never have anticipated a temple in Palestine, but he did look forward to a city
with foundations whose builder and maker is God. That city is described to us
in Hebrews 12:22-24, “Butyou have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly
Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon
thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose
names are written in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to
the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood
of Abel.”
Whenever believers want to gather in Christ’s name, they do not have to go to
a temple in Jerusalemor anywhere else. Why? Becausewhenthey come
together, they are coming togetherto the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion, to
meet with God the judge of all men, with Jesus Christ the mediator of a new
covenant, and with the spirits of all just men made perfect. Stephen was
describing this communion to the Sanhedrin.
God’s Deliverers
Then Stephen told the Sanhedrin that God had a plan of deliverance for his
people, but they resistedhis plan. God raisedup Josephthe sonof Jacobto
deliver his people, but, filled with envy and hatred, the patriarchs sold Joseph
as a slave. That, Stephen implied, was exactly what these Jewishleaders had
done to their greaterdeliverer, Jesus Christ himself.
Next, Stephen said that when God raisedup another deliverer in the person of
Moses,God’s people rejectedhim too. In Acts 7:30-34 Stephen told the
leaders that Godhimself appeared in the burning bush in the wilderness to
Moses andordered him to take off his shoes because the ground that he was
standing on was holy ground. This was anotherreminder to the Sanhedrin
that the sanctuary or temple where God meets with his people can be
anywhere, whether in Mesopotamia, Egypt, or Midian–it makes no difference.
No one can lock God MostHigh into a land, a building or certaintraditions.

235. In Acts 7:37 Stephen said, “This is that Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God
will send you a prophet like me from among your own people.'” “In other
words,” Stephenwas saying, “the Moses ofthe Old Testamentprophesied
about the coming of a new Moses,the Messiah, a prophet like him from his
own people.” What were they to do when this prophet came? They must listen
to him and obey him. Remember how God the Father said about Jesus, “This
is my beloved Sonin whom I am well-pleased;hear ye him”? That is what
God said to the Jews andthat is what he is saying to all of us as well. If we
haven’t heard him and done what he says to do, we must change today. Why?
There is a final judgment. Human beings are grass;like the flowers we will
fade and fall and be buried, but then will come the judgment. We must never
hide behind sociology, psychology, philosophy, or other religions. Everyone
who has everlived will have to face the God of glory, to whom we must give
an account.
A History of Rebellion
Then Stephen challengedthe Sanhedrin, in essencesaying, “Now letme tell
you how goodour fathers were.” In Acts 7:39 we read, “But our fathers
refused to obey him,” meaning they did not obey Moses. In other words,
Stephen was saying, “Our fathers refused to obey God. They pretended they
were God’s people, revering him and keeping his law, but they didn’t.
Remember how they rejectedGodin their hearts and wanted to turn back to
Egypt?” Why did Stephen saythis to the Sanhedrin? Becausethey, like their
fathers, were hypocrites who pretended to keepthe law even while they
despisedit. In fact, they despisedand persecutedall of God’s prophets and
murdered the Messiah, JesusChrist.
Jesus himself spoke in John 5:45-47 about this matter of God’s law and
whether or not his people obeyed: “But do not think I will accuse youbefore
the Father. Your accuseris Moses,onwhom your hopes are set. If you
believed Moses,you would believe me for he wrote about me [Deut. 18:15].
But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what
I say?” This same argument was leveledagainstthe Sanhedrin by Stephen,
whose face was glowing becausehe was full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom,
full of power, full of faith, and full of grace.

236. Next, in Acts 7:40-43 Stephen told the Sanhedrin their fathers became
idolaters. Not only did they rebel againstGod by rejecting his law; they also
rejectedthe Godof glory and beganto worship idols. As a result, Stephen
said, Godturned awayfrom them and gave them over to their idolatry.
Then Stephen rejectedthe Sanhedrin’s argument that the temple was the only
physical dwelling for God. In effect, Stephensaid, “Members of the
Sanhedrin, let me tell you something about the temple. Before it was built by
Solomon, there was the tabernacle built according to the pattern shown on the
mount by Moses.But this tabernacle moved whereverthe people of God went,
and wheneverit moved, there was a manifestation of God, whether in the
pillar of fire or of cloud, and in the glory above the ark on top of the
cherubim. In other words, God moved with his people. Don’t say God is stuck
in a permanent building.
“Besides,”Stephencontinued, “even when the temple was built, God’s people
disobeyed him, denied him, and became idolaters. The truth is, Solomon’s
temple did not guarantee people’s faithfulness to God. So God expelled his
people from his presence and his glory departed from the temple. Don’t ever
presume that because you have the temple and the law, you have God and are
approved and savedby him. You are not.”
Then Stephen quoted Isaiah66:1-2, “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is
my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting
place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into
being?’ declares the Lord.” In other words, Stephen was saying, to pretend
that the Creator, infinite, personal, invisible, almighty God can be captured in
a building made by human hands is the height of stupidity and foolishness!
What is the summary of Stephen’s sermon? That God is God of all the earth,
not just of Palestine;that he appeared severaltimes outside of Palestine to the
forefathers of the people of Israel; that their fathers rebelled againstGod’s
appointed leaders, rejecting the law of Mosesby disobeying it; that not only
did they rejectthe God of glory himself, they also beganto worship the
creation, in particular the stars;and that Moses toldtheir fathers that a
prophet would rise up among them whom they must listen to, obey and follow,

237. and that if anybody did not obey, he would be cut off from the community of
the people of God.
Closing Arguments
In Acts 7:51-53 we find Stephen’s concluding arguments. Up until this point
he had been defending himself, but now he beganto accusethe Sanhedrin.
“You stiff-neckedpeople, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!You are just
like your fathers: You always resistthe Holy Spirit! Was there evera prophet
your fathers did not persecute?”In other words, Stephen was saying,
“Members of the Sanhedrin, you have accusedme of speaking againstthe
temple, the law and God, but I am not the one who neglectedtrue worship of
God. You did it!” In the Greek, it is secondpersonplural, meaning, “All of
you are stiff-neckedpeople!”
Here is a young man looking at this august, scholarlybody of older men,
including the greatGamaliel, and saying, “You stiff-neckedpeople!” meaning,
“You who never surrendered your neck to bear the yoke of a master!” I used
to plow the fields when I lived in India and I know what a yoke is. We would
put a yoke on the neck of two oxen and make them pull the plow. What
Stephen was saying to these people was, “You never surrendered to God
Almighty. Your necks are stiff and need to be broken.”
There are two ways to deal with a stiff neck. First, it can be broken. But,
second, it can bend and receive God’s yoke, as Jesus invited us to do when he
said, “Come unto me and take my yoke upon you.” There is no third
alternative, brothers and sisters. You can either yield to God’s rule or you can
remain a stiff-necked, yokelesspersonwho insists on your own way and never
surrenders to God’s demands, even though God himself createdyou and you
are but a man of one breath. But one day we shall all stand before God and
there will be no argument we canmake to justify ourselves. On that day all
mouths will be shut before the glorious God who judges righteously.
Not only did Stephen say these people had stiff necks but also he said they had
uncircumcised hearts. That is an interesting appellation. The Jews called
Gentiles uncircumcised dogs, saying they were like those who were made as
fuel for the fire. But here Stephen was saying, “You, the leaders and elite of

238. the Jewishnation, are Gentile dogs.” In fact, the apostle Paul uses the same
word in Philippians 3 to describe the Jews also.
What was Stephen’s messageto these leaders? “Eventhough you are
circumcisedoutwardly, you are dogs like the paganGentiles. Why? Because
you are not circumcisedin your hearts, in your minds, in your wills and in
your affections–inthe centerof your human existence. Additionally, you are
not circumcisedin your ears. When the prophets spoke, youput your fingers
in your ears and refused to allow the word of God come into you, affect your
hearts, and change them around.”
This is not smoothpreaching, is it? I have been told many times, “Pastor, you
should be nicer and smile when you preach. Many flies can be caught by
honey, you know.” But I don’t see Stephencatching any flies with these
words. What did he say about these people? That they were stiff-neckedand
uncircumcised in their hearts and ears, just like their fathers. We are
supposedto be like our fathers in a goodsense, but here Stephen was saying,
“Gamaliel, I know you are a greatprofessorand the head of the seminary of
Hillel. Caiaphas, Annas, and everybody else, you are respectedleaders of the
community and high in the sight of all people. But you are just like your
fathers,” meaning, “You are just like those who rejectedGod and his word
and who killed the prophets of God.”
As modern people, we can easilysay these things about the Sanhedrin, but we
must apply the Scriptures to ourselves as well. May God help us to be sober
and think about what Stephen said next: “You always resistthe Holy Spirit!”
The Bible tells us to resist the devil and submit to God, but these people
resistedthe Holy Spirit and submitted to the devil. In fact, they were
demonized–filled with the devil–and became his spokespersons while opposing
the Holy Spirit of God.
Then Stephen asked, “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not
persecute?”Thatis a rhetorical question. Their fathers always persecutedthe
prophets of God. Then Stephen said, “Theyeven killed those who predicted
the coming of the Righteous One.” In the Old Testament“the Righteous One”
stands for the God of glory, the God of Israel, God Almighty. Jesus Christ was

239. this Righteous One, the Prophet of God Almighty, who came for the sake of
making us righteous by his work of redemption. Their fathers even killed
those who predicted his coming.
And finally Stephen said, “And now you have betrayed and murdered him,”
meaning the Righteous One, their own Messiah. And he concluded, “You who
have receivedthe law that was put into effect through the angels but have not
obeyed it.” In other words, although the Sanhedrin accusedStephenof not
honoring God’s law or the temple, the truth was that they had never obeyed
God’s law themselves.
No Room for Repentance
What a powerful sermon! It echoedwhatJesus Christ himself preachedin
Matthew 23:29-37 and Peterpreached in Acts 3. But, whereas Petertold the
people, “You acted in ignorance,” Stephendidn’t saythat. Why? These people
had heard these things time and time again–firstfrom Jesus, then from Peter
and John, then from all the apostles, andnow, finally, from Stephen. They
could no longerclaim ignorance as an excuse. And when we carefully examine
this sermon, we notice there is no command to repent. The opportunity for
repentance for these people was gone.
How does Stephen’s sermon apply to us? As part of the Holy Scriptures, these
things are written for our rebuke, correction, comfort, consolation, hope and
admonition. Therefore, we must rid ourselves ofall pretension and carefully
examine our own hearts in the light of this passage. We cansaythat the
Sanhedrin was crazy, and it was, but the question here is, does any of this
apply to us? Let me assure you, the members of the Sanhedrin thought they
were God’s people doing God’s will. They stoned Stephen to death out of
obedience to the Bible, meting out capital punishment as they did to Jesus
Christ.
We must examine our own hearts and see whetherwe are stiff-necked,
uncircumcised, and unclean in the centerof our personality–in our intellect,
our mind, our will and our affections. We must ask whether we have put our
fingers in our ears, not wanting to hear when the word is proclaimed. We
must ask if we demonstrate antipathy or animosity toward the word of God

240. when it tells us we are sinners, even though God will save us only when we
confess that we are sinners. We must realize that God will never save a person
who is trusting in his own “righteousness,”because Jesus Christalone is the
Righteous One. He was sentinto the world to make us righteous, but the only
way that will happen is if we repent and trust in him and are given his perfect
righteousness.
Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, he was full of the
Scriptures. He was a diligent student of the Bible, and God gave him great
brilliance to understand the whole Old Testament!My prayer is that we all
emulate Stephen and commit ourselves to diligent study of God’s doctrines,
God’s truths. Then, when God speakswe will say, “Yes, Lord, your servant
heareth,” going when he says go and coming when he says come. Then we will
be people who do not resistand fight againstthe Holy Spirit, but resistthe
devil and yield to the Holy Spirit. And if you are not a Christian, may you
even now yield to the Holy Spirit that you may be saved. Ask God to perform
a supernatural work in your heart so that darkness will become light, death
will be made alive, flesh will become spirit, disobedience will become
obedience, enmity againstGodwill become love of God, and the arrogance
will become humility.
Like the Sanhedrin we may have heard these things many, many times. May
God help us today to bend our neck willingly and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to
put his yoke upon us–the yoke and rule of his word. May we ask God, “O
God, circumcise our hearts that we may think your thoughts, love your ways,
and decide for you.”
Stephen the Martyr
The third point we want to examine is Stephen the martyr. The word martyr
comes from a Greek word martus which means to bear witness. But in the
English language martyr also means one who dies for his or her faith or
beliefs. Perhaps you have heard of Palestinianboys and girls who are
recruited by politicians to carry bombs on their bodies, go into the busy
streets of Israeland explode. These children are assuredthey will go to
paradise when they die because oftheir martyrdom.

241. Many people, Christians as wellas Moslems, have been martyred for their
faith in this century. In fact, more people have been killed for their faith,
especiallythe Christian faith, in this century than at any other time. Around
the world Christians have losttheir jobs, had their properties confiscated,
been put into prison, sent to labor camps, sold into slavery, and, in some
countries, had their organs harvestedand sold.
Stephen was the first Christian to die for his faith. In Acts 7:54 we read,
“When they heard this,” meaning when the Sanhedrin heard the reasoned
argument of Stephen, “they were furious and gnashedtheir teeth at him.”
What did Stephen say that so aggravatedthe Sanhedrin? He saidthat it is not
he who had violated the law of Moses and spoke againstthe God of Israel, but
the Israelites, specificallythe Sanhedrin. He said it was the Jewishleaders
who had always persecutedGod’s prophets and killed them. He said they
were the stiff-neckedones, uncircumcisedin their hearts and ears, who had
always resistedthe Holy Spirit.
This young man, full of the Holy Spirit, saidthese things as he summarized
the history of Israel in his long sermon. What was the reactionof the
Sanhedrin? “When they heard this, they were furious.” The Greek word for
“furious” means they were sawnasunder, cut in two. The logic of Stephen’s
argument cut them in two and they were filled with pain. But this was not the
pain of conviction. These people didn’t cry out in agony, “What must we do to
be saved?” Theywere in pain because they hated what Stephen was saying.
They were in so much pain that they beganto gnash their teeth, which is also
what people will be doing in hell–gnashing and grinding their teeth. These
people were demonized and actedlike wild animals in their animosity toward
Stephen.
But verse 55 tells us Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the
Comforter and Counselorsent to us by God, is always with God’s people and
during this time of greattrial the Holy Spirit was with Stephen. I don’t know
what happened to the apostles, orthe twenty thousand or so other believers
who lived in Jerusalemat the time. They are not mentioned as standing with
Stephen during this trial. Probably Stephen stood alone just as the Lord Jesus
Christ, abandoned by all, stoodalone before Pilate. But Stephen was not

242. alone. He was full of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Godhimself was with
Stephen.
Heaven Opens
Acts 7:55 tells us Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, lookedup to heaven. . .” Let
me assure you, there is a heaven. We only see and understand that which can
be touched and felt and analyzed and measured–in other words, the created
world, the visible world, that which is seen. That is all that an unbeliever sees
and, tragically, that is all many Christians see also–the visible world of gold,
silver, money, power, and position. But there is a heavenas well as a hell, and
at just the right moment heavenopened to encourage Stephen. The Holy
Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ came to Stephen’s aid. Heavenopened and
he saw the glory of God.
Remember the word Ichabod? The glory of God had departed from the
temple long ago and it had become Ichabod, meaning its glory was gone. The
glorious God who had appearedto Abraham in Mesopotamia,to the
patriarchs in Egypt, to Moses onMount Sinai, now appeared to Stephen, but
he was in heaven, not in the temple.
In Acts 7:55 we read that Stephen lookedup and saw “the glory of God and
Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” With face still glowing Stephen told
the Sanhedrin, “Look at this! What I have been preaching is not false. It is the
truth. Look, I see heavenopened and the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God. You murdered him, but he is risen, exalted, ascendedinto the
heavens, in heaven and I see him standing on the right hand of God.”
Then Stephen told the Sanhedrin, “I see the Son of Man.” Stephen was the
only person other than Jesus in the New Testamentwho used the title, “Sonof
Man” to refer to Jesus Christ. We also find this title in the book of Daniel,
especiallyin Daniel7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before
me was one like a sonof man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He
approachedthe Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given
authority, glory and sovereignpower;all peoples, nations, and men of every
language worshipedhim. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will
not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” In other

243. words, Stephen was saying Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is divine. He is God
and has all authority in heaven and on earth.
Jesus himself said the same thing when he facedthe same Sanhedrin. In
Matthew 26 we read, “Thenthe high priest stoodup and said to Jesus, ‘Are
you not going to answer?’Jesus remainedsilent. The high priest said to him,
‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the
Son of God.'” What is the answer? “‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I
say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right
hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven'” (Matt. 26:62-
64). That was now being fulfilled when Stephen declared, “I see the Sonof
Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Heaven opened! This passagetells us there is a heaven, there is a God in
heaven, and there is the Son of Man who has receivedall authority in heaven
and on earth standing at the right hand of God the Father. But he is standing
in heaven, not in the temple. Can the temple save anyone? No. Only by
believing on the Lord Jesus Christ can we be saved.
Stephen Is Stoned
How did the Sanhedrin reactto Stephen’s words? In Acts 7:57 we read, “At
this they coveredtheir ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all
rushed at him. . .” The members of the Sanhedrin could not stomachthe idea
that Jesus, whomthey murdered as a blasphemer, was the Lord and God who
possessedall authority in heaven and on earth, as Stephen was declaring.
What animosity, what hatred, these people demonstrated againstJesus
Christ! They coveredtheir ears so they wouldn’t hear anything else. The Bible
tells us, “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your
heart that God raisedhim from the dead, you shall be saved,” but these
people didn’t want to hear anything about Jesus Christ. They hated the
gospel.
“Yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him.” These people
concluded Stephen was a blasphemer who must be killed, so they rushed at
him. If you study the Greek word for “rushed at him,” you will find it used

244. also in Luke 8:33, to describe how the legions ofdemons went into the pigs
and causedthem to rush into the lake and drown. The members of the
Sanhedrin were similarly demonized and rushed toward Stephen. Why do I
say they were demonized? Becauseanytime people oppose Jesus Christ, it
demonstrates the activity of demons.
“Theyall rushed at him, draggedhim out of the city and beganto stone him.”
We don’t know exactly how stoning was carried out in the first century, but
we gain some understanding of from the Mishnah, the Jewishwritings of the
secondcentury, as recorded in F. F. Bruce’s commentary on Acts: “‘The hand
of the witnessesshallbe first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the
hand of all the people’: so ran the ancient law (Deut. 17:7). In the second
century A.D. this was interpreted as follows in the Mishnah: ‘When the trial is
finished, the man convicted is brought out to be stoned. The stoning place was
outside the court. . . When ten cubits from the stoning place, they say to him,
“Confess:for it is the customof all about to be put to death to make
confession;and every one who confesseshas a share in the world to come.”‘”
What do you think Stephen and other early Christian martyrs were supposed
to confess? ThatJesus Christis not Lord and God, but a blasphemer. Do you
think Stephen confessedthat? No.
What happened next? “Fourcubits from the stoning place the criminal is
stripped. . . The drop from the stoning place was twice the height of a man.
One of the witnessespushes the criminal from behind, so that he falls face
downward. He is then turned over on his back. If he die from this fall, that is
sufficient. If not, the secondwitness takes the stone and drops it on his heart.
If this cause deaththat is sufficient; if not, he is stonedby all the congregation
of Israel,'” until he is dead. (F. F. Bruce,Commentaryon the Book of Acts,
[Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1979]170-1).
Stephen’s words infuriated the Sanhedrin and they rushed out, covering their
ears. They could not stand to hear any mention of the name of Jesus, letalone
hear Stephen’s declarationthat he is Lord, that he has all authority in heaven
and on earth, that he is the Son of Man, and that he is standing at the right
hand of God, the place of honor. So they draggedStephen out of the city and

245. beganto stone him, and verse 58 tells us, “Meanwhile the witnesses laidtheir
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Stephen Sees Jesus
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit'” (Acts 7:59). Isn’t that interesting? Stephen was being pelted by stones,
but what was he doing? Praying. Some of us have a hard time getting out of
bed in the morning to pray. Maybe if we were pelted by stones we would pray
more. We are not like Jesus, who prayed from the cross;Paul and Silas, who
prayed in the middle of the night while they were in the Philippian jail, or
Stephen, who prayed while he was being stoned.
Why do you think Stephen was able to pray in these conditions? Becausehe
was full of the Holy Spirit and saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God
the Fatherin heaven.
Stephen saw Jesus standing. In other places in the New Testamentwe are told
that Jesus ascendedinto heaven and is seatedon the right hand of God the
Father. Therefore, it is logicalto ask, “Why is Jesus standing?” One answeris
that he was standing to welcome Stephenhome. “Come on, Stephen,” the
Lord was saying. “I will receive your spirit.”
This word to Stephen should encourage us also. We will all face death if the
Lord tarries. My prayer is that we, like Stephen, will be filled with the Spirit
so that we will see heavenopened and the glory of God and the Lord Jesus
Christ, our greathigh priest who sympathizes with us, standing and telling us,
“Come on in. Welcome home!”
Another possible reasonStephen saw Jesus standing is that while Stephen was
witnessing and confessing Jesus Christbefore men, Jesus was confessing him
before the Father. As Christians we have two intercessors:the Holy Spirit on
earth and the Lord Jesus Christin heaven. In Matthew 10:32 we read,
“Whoeveracknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledgehim before
my Fatherin heaven.” Perhaps Jesus was saying, “As Stephen confesses my
name before the Sanhedrin, I will confess his name before the Father.”

246. Thus, even as he was being pelted by stones Stephen could pray, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.” Jesus Christ himself prayed that prayer from the cross, but
he did so to God the Father. Stephen prayed to Jesus because Jesus Christis
God. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
We must note one more thing about the state of mind of this greatpreacher.
Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem.” Again, he was
following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Stephen knew how to pray
at all times in all situations, even while he was being killed, because he was
energizedby the Spirit of God.
The Sleepof Death
Then we are told, “Whenhe had saidthis, he fell asleep.”The Greek word for
“fall asleep” is koimaomai, from which we get the word “cemetery.”
If you are a Christian, you need not fear death. Deathfor a Christian is
sleeping in Jesus, which tells us something about peacefulsleep. Don’t you
look forward to sleepwhen your work is done? In the same way, if we are
born of God and full of the Holy Spirit, we will look forward to the sleepof
death, as the apostle Pauldid.
A Christian need not fear death because it is the beginning of a peacefulrest
and the end of all pain. But beyond that, death for a Christian means instant
entrance into the very presence of God. There is no soul sleep, purgatory or
any other intermediate state. If you are a Christian, the moment you die you
will be ushered into the very presence of God by God’s holy angels, and the
Lord Jesus Christ will welcome youthat you may commune with God forever.
Didn’t Jesus tellthe thief on the cross, “Todayyou will be with me in
paradise”? He said today–not sevenyears from now.
Knowing these things the apostle Paul wrote, “We are confident, I say, and
would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor.
5:8) and “I am torn betweenthe two: I desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is better by far. . .” (Phil. 1:23). And let me tell you, we will be conscious
in heaven, as we read in Revelation6:9-11. We will worship God in heaven, as
we read in Hebrews 12, togetherwith the church on earth. Isn’t that

247. wonderful? It will not be a life of inactivity. No, it will be an glorious life of
greatworship, praise, and fellowshipwith God!
Application
What can we learn from this passage?First, we must note the hardness of
heart of the Sanhedrin and their refusalto repent. The members of this
Sanhedrin heard the gospelfrom Jesus, from Peterand John, from all the
apostles, andfrom Stephen. They saw the glory of God on Stephen’s face.
They heard Stephen say, “Behold, the glory of God and Jesus standing on the
right hand of God.” Yet they did not repent. Yes, they were cut into two and
gnashedtheir teeth, but they did not repent. Their hearts were hardened,
which means they were experiencing divine judgment.
Let me ask you: Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ?
Or are you still in your unbelief? If so, you are in serious danger. As Jonathan
Edwards said, you are a sinner in the hand of an angry God. You must think
about these things because soonyou will die and then comes the judgment.
There is a heavenand a hell, and what we do when we are alive determines
our destination. Therefore, I urge you to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and you shall be saved.
Second, if you are a Christian, are you a witness to Jesus Christ in your
generationas Stephen was? Here was a man who was unashamed, bold, and
powerful. What does that tell us? That Stephen was truly converted. He did
not merely confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord; he also believed it in his
heart. God workedmightily in Stephen, regenerating him and making him a
true Christian. A true Christian cannot but proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, are you full of the Holy Spirit? That is not a privilege just for Stephen;
it is a privilege for us too. In Ephesians 5:18 Paul tells us, “Be filled with the
Spirit,” or in the Greek, “be being filled,” meaning coming under his complete
control and power. Full of the Holy Spirit!
Fourth, are you full of wisdom? Do you understand God’s truth enoughto
give an answerto anyone who asks concerning the hope that is within you as
this man did? Have you engaged in serious study of the Scripture so that you

248. can setforth the heart of the gospel? Thatis what it means to be full of
wisdom.
Fifth, are you full of poweras Stephen was? Stephengothis powerfrom the
Holy Spirit. He became bold and powerful, unafraid to share the gospel.
Sixth, are you full of faith? Do you have total trust in Jesus Christ? Full
saving faith is putting yourself wholly into the hands of God Almighty. When
you do that, you will be taken care of. You will be guided, you will be provided
for, you will be held up, you will be strengthened, you will be delivered, and
nothing in all creationwill be able to separate you from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus.
Seventh, are you full of grace? Graceis the smile of God upon us. It is God’s
favor that flows from the cross to us. Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth,
and from his fullness we receive grace upon grace upon grace. Someone
recently askedme, “Pastor, pray that I may receive grace.”“Sister,” Isaid,
“you pray. He will give you grace.”Canyou imagine praying for grace and
God not giving it to you? God gives grace to the humble. The question is not
whether God will give grace but if you are ready to receive it. Are you ready
to humble yourself so that you can receive God’s grace? There is a God who is
always extending his hand to give us grace.
Eighth, are you full of the knowledge ofGod? Stephen was full of the
knowledge ofthe Scriptures and God, as we see when we read his sermon. He
had an amazing ability to understand the whole Bible and condense it.
Ninth, are you willing to become a fool for Christ? Stephen was. We know
that every person who is outside of Christ is the real foolbecause he says there
is no God, but in the world’s eyes, we are fools. Are you ready to be a fool for
Christ?
Tenth, are you ready to die for your faith and be a martyr? Are you better
than the modern Palestinians who eagerlyand willingly give their lives for
falsehood? Theyare manipulated by leaders who themselves don’t want to go
and die in the streets of TelAviv so they recruit naive and gullible young

249. people by promising them entrance into paradise if they go and self-destruct.
Are we willing to die for the gospelofJesus Christ?
The Purpose of Stephen’s Martyrdom
Finally, you may wonder what purpose there was in Stephen’s martyrdom.
Yes, he preacheda goodsermon, but then he was killed. What was the
purpose of it all?
Luke mentions there was a young man named Saul who was present, watching
over the garments of those who were throwing stones at Stephen. Although he
was young, Saul was an official of the Sanhedrin. He had heard Stephen’s
sermon and seenthe glory of God in the face of Stephen. He had probably
argued with Stephen in the synagogue ofthe Libertines and been among those
who were not able to refute Stephen’s arguments. But God was working in
Saul’s heart. In due course, Godarrested Saulof Tarsus and savedhim. He
became knownas the apostle Paul, and through him the gospelwentout into
all the world.
Although he did not know it at the time, Stephen was serving as a mentor for
Paul in his faithful witness to Christ. We forget that Paul was influenced by
Stephen’s great address to the Sanhedrin and his death, but Paul never forgot
it. Much later in his life, when he was about to be arrestedin Jerusalemfor
preaching the gospel, he mentioned that long-ago day. Speaking ofhis
conversion, Paulsaid, “When I returned to Jerusalemand was praying at the
temple, I. . . saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem
immediately, because they will not acceptyour testimony about me.’ ‘Lord,’ I
replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to
imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your
martyr Stephen was shed, I stoodthere giving my approval and guarding the
clothes of those who were killing him.'” Paul never forgotthe witness of
Stephen.
We never know how God will use us. The other day someone told me that he
had sharedthe gospelwith a bank officermany years ago. Some time later the
bank officer became a Christian and is now enrolled in a seminary, studying
to become a minister.

250. I urge you, therefore, keeppreaching the gospel. Be filled with the Holy Spirit,
filled with wisdom, filled with power, filled with faith, filled with grace, and
continue to share the word of Godunashamedly with everyone you meet. Tell
people that there is a heavenand a hell. Let them know there is a Lord Jesus
Christ who has receivedall authority in heaven and on earth and there is no
salvationoutside of him. Tell them that Christ and Christ alone died on the
cross and removed the wrath of God that was againstus by receiving its full
impact on himself. Tell them that this same Jesus Christ offers us his salvation
by grace and urge them to receive it. Then pray that God’s Holy Spirit will
open people’s eyes to see hell as well as heavenso that they may cry out to
God, saying, “God, have mercy upon me, a sinner!” and trust in Jesus Christ
alone and be saved.
I pray that God will help us to be martyrs for Jesus Christ. May we believe
the gospeland declare it, even at the costof our own death. May we take
comfort in knowing that death is falling asleepin the Lord and coming into
the very presence of God as we are welcomedby the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Even now may the Spirit of the living God fall upon us and grant us
faith, power, grace, andwisdom, and make us witnesses ofGod’s saving grace.
Amen.
Copyright © 1998, P. G. Mathew
THE BLOOD OF THY MARTYR STEPHEN
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Acts 7:51-60
7-10-77 7:30 p.m.

251. On the radio, KRLD, the great, clear, channelstation of the Southwest, and
on KCBI, you are sharing the service of the First BaptistChurch in Dallas.
This is the pastorbringing the messageentitled The Bloodof Thy Martyr
Stephen.
Turn in your Bible to the Book of Acts chapter 7, the Book ofActs chapter 7;
this morning we left off at the latter part of that chapter. The sermon this
morning was entitled The Apologia, The Defense ofStephen; his defense of the
gospelof the grace of the Son of God [Acts 7:1-53]. Tonightwe are going to
pick up where we left off at the morning service, and we are going to preach
about the martyrdom of this first man who laid down his life for the faith.
Now having turned to the seventh chapter of Acts, we begin reading at verse
51 [Acts 7:51]; and reading it out loud, we read to the end of the chapter. Acts
chapter 7, beginning at verse 51, now all of us together:
Ye stiffneckedand uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resistthe
Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain
them which showedbefore of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have
been now the betrayers and murderers:
Who have receivedthe law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashedon
him with their teeth.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, lookedup steadfastlyinto heaven, and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Sonof Man standing on
the right hand of God.
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon
him with one accord,

252. And casthim out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laiddown
their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
And they stonedStephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit.
And he kneeleddown, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
[Acts 7:51-60]
How beautiful was the providence that gave him the name of Stephanos;
Greek word for “garland” or “crown.” And this layman, this deacon, was the
first one to receive from the hands of our Savior the martyr’s crown[Acts
7:59-60].
First, he testified as a Christian ought to testify: fearlessly, boldly,
courageously, unflinchingly [Acts 7:51-53]. This Sanhedrin and all of the
leaders of the temple worship, scribes, Pharisees,Sadducees, officers,leaders
of the Jewishreligion, he addressedhimself to a subject that of all things in
their minds was obnoxious and opprobrious: he was speaking in his defense of
the temporary characterof all Jewishworship. To them, to the Jewishpeople,
the Levitical law, the Mosaic legislationwas forever. To them that temple
would stand there until the end of the ages. Itwas the place in all the world
that God had chosenfor worship [Exodus 15:17;Deuteronomy 12:11;Psalms
132:13]. And the institutions that had been given to them by Moses, to them
were eternal and unchanging institutions. And for this man Stephen to stand
in the presence ofthe counciland speak of the temporary and intermediate
characterof all of that Jewishritual and worship in the temple was to their
ears unthinkable blasphemy [Acts 7:46-50]. And not only that, but to add to it
that Moses himselfwas not the final word from God, but that Moses had
pointed to Someone who should follow after him, to whom the people were to
listen [Acts 7:37], all of it was in the ears of his hearers an accursedthing; it
was blasphemous.

253. Not only did he fearlesslyand courageouslyspeak the truth of God in the
temporary characterofall the Mosaic legislation, andthe temporary house,
the temple at Jerusalem, but he confrontedthem with the same kind of a
castigation, condemnation[Acts 7:51-53], as John the Baptist did when he was
preaching down in the river Jordan. He called those people who came out to
listen to his message“a generationofvipers” [Matthew 3:7], warning them to
flee from the wrath to come, saying that the ax had already been laid at the
root of the tree [Matthew 3:10], and if any man did not repent and find
redemption in the coming Messiahthathe said was in their midst, they also
would be as lost as the heathen. He castin his preaching the entire race of
Israeloutside of the covenantof God, saying that God of these stones could
raise up children unto Abraham [Matthew 3:9], and that they must repent,
turn, getright with God, confess their sins, or they had no part in the
kingdom [Matthew 3:2, 7-11]. Thatwas an astonishing doctrine to the Jew in
that day, as it is an astonishing doctrine to the Jew of today.
I listened to a learned rabbi in New York City, who said, “The great
difference betweenthe Jew and the Christian is this: to us there is no need of
salvation, by virtue that we are the children of Abraham we are saved;there
is no such thing as having to be saved.” But the preaching of John the Baptist,
and the whole group of men who followedafter him, was this: that we all are
sinners alike, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female;and we must
repent of our sins [Mark 1:4; Romans 3:9, 23], and find forgiveness in Christ
Jesus [John 1:29; Acts 3:18-19]. Thatwas the preaching of John the Baptist
[Matthew 3:1]. That was the preaching of Jesus Himself [Matthew 3:17].
And to these very people, in the twenty-third chapterof the Gospelof
Matthew, He called them, “whitedsepulchers” [Matthew 23:27], men who
encompassedheavenand earth, to make one convert, and when they do, he is
more a child of Hades, of damnation, than he was before [Matthew 23:15].
These are the men to whom Stephen addresses his climactic word:
Ye stiffneckedand uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resistthe
Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so are you doing. Which of the prophets have
not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain Him of whom Moses spoke;

254. you are now the betrayers and murderers of the Son of God: you who have
receivedthe law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
[Acts 7:51-53]
Those are awesome words ofcondemnation and judgment. Should a man
speak like that? Should a Christian tell the truth like that? You see, the
reasonthat it is startling to us is, we don’t do that. There is not that fearless
courage in us today to stand before a sinful, and gainsaying, and Christ-
rejecting world. We mollify our witness, and we extenuate our apology, and
we compromise with the evil in the world. It is a rare man who will stand up
and deliver a message ata cost, to say the truth at a price. It is so much easier
for us to say sweetwords, and mollifying words, and complimentary words,
and compromising words, rather than oppose evil, and unbelief, and rejection,
and sin, and wrong, and iniquity. Oh!
The Lord said, “Woe unto you, when all men speak wellof you!” [Luke 6:26].
When everybody has a tendency to praise you, “Woe unto you!” The reason
they do that is because you are not opposing their sin. You are not standing
up for what is right, and you are not presenting the truth of God as it is in
Christ Jesus. Why, I would think the most unusual witness that we’d find in
our modern world would be a man to stand up and say, “If you don’t believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the forgiveness ofyour sins, and if you do not
repent and turn to Him, you forever will be damned in hell.” Who says that?
Yet the Bible witnesses to that eternaltruth from the beginning of the first
verse in the Book ofMatthew, to the end of the benedictory prayer in the
Revelation;that outside of Christ there is no other salvation[Acts 4:12], that
outside of Him there is no entrance into heaven, that He alone is the way, and
the truth, and the life [John 14:6]. There’s no other wayby which a man can
come to God except through the Lord Jesus Christ [John 14:6]. But that note
of courageouspreaching of the gospelofChrist is almostalien and foreign and
unheard. But that was Stephen: he testified as a Christian ought to testify;
boldly and courageouslyand unflinchingly [Acts 7:1-53].

255. I often think how it characterizes the modern pulpit to be soft, and amenable,
and malleable, and compromising. I one time heard one of the craziestthings:
they were having a greatservice in the church, and there many, many, many
visitors present. And a deaconwas back there with the pastor, just before the
service began. And the deaconcrackedopen the door just a little bit, so he
could see who was seatedoutthere. So he lookedoverthe congregation, and
he said, “Well, I see some Presbyterians here. Don’t sayanything about the
Presbyterians.” And he looked, and he said, “I see some Methodists out there.
Don’t see anything about the Methodists.” Thenhe lookedand he said, “I see
a few Catholics out there. Don’t say anything about the Catholics.” Thenhe
scannedthe audience very carefully and said, “I don’t see a Mormon.
Preacher, give ‘em fits. Let ‘em have it.”
Ah! What an insult to the truth of Almighty God that we shape our message
according to the response of the people who might be present to listen. That
was not Stephen. He testified as a Christian ought to testify: truthfully,
courageously, unflinchingly, boldly [Acts 7:1-53]. God bless that man
anywhere in the earth who, without thought of the persons of those who are
listening, declares the whole truth and the whole counselof God; that is
Stephen.
Second, he died as a Christian ought to die: with a vision of heaven in his
heart [Acts 7:55-56]. He was executedaccording to Jewishcustom. They
deliberately planned the executionof the Lord Jesus, becausethey took it to
the Romanprocurator [Matthew 27:1-2]; they never had the powerof capital
punishment, the Roman government had takenit out, takenit out of Judeans’
hands. This was something that in anger they took in their own hands, and
they never bothered to sayanything one way or another to the officers of the
Roman legions, much less to the Roman procuratorPontius Pilate [Acts 6:12,
7:57-58]. This was something they did out of the bitterness of their hearts.
Now, a Jewishexecutionwent like this. First, before the culprit there went the
witnesses. And they proclaimedaloud, they cried aloud, the crime of the
victim. In the case ofStephen it was this: “He hath blasphemed this holy
place” [Acts 6:13-14], and again, “He has cursedGod,” and again, “He has
defamed Moses”[Acts 6:11]. Do you remember the executionof Naboth;

256. when Jezebelsuborned witnesses, andthey came togetherand cried in the city
of Jezreel, “Nabothhas blasphemed God, Naboth hath cursedGod”? And
upon those suborned witness and their testimony, they stoned Naboth to death
[1 Kings 21:5-13].
It was an exactthing as you find here: the witnesses go in front of the
criminal, and they cry aloud his crime [Acts 6:10-11]. They took him out of,
and what in Jerusalemis there today, St. Stephen’s Gate, that leads on the
eastside, down to the rocky bed of the Kidron Valley. And, after they come to
the place of execution, the two main witnesses take the victim, and hurl him
down violently from a height at leasttwelve feet. Then they casttwo great
stones upon him, at which they pause for the culprit to confess his sin unto
God. Thenthe multitudes pick up the rocks and stone the criminal. They
pause for him once more to have opportunity to confess his crime to God
before he dies. Then they dispatch him summarily, with heavy hurled, cast
stones;thus it was with Stephen, and you canfollow the outline of that
executionexactly here.
First, he is standing before the Sanhedrin. And suddenly, as Stephen stands
before the council, and all the officers and guard, and leaders of the temple,
and of the people, suddenly all of the temple—its sturdiness, its tremendous
structure, and the Levites, and the priests, and the scribes, and the leaders—
all fade awayas a part of this material world. And looking up into heaven, he
sees it open wide, rolled back like a scroll;and there at the throne of glory,
stands the Lord Jesus Christ. “Behold!” He cried, “I see the heavens opened,
and the glory of God and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of the
Majestyon High” [Acts 7:55-56]. What a glorious vision; when this world
fades away, and there before him is the exalted and living Lord!
Then they seize him, and casting him out of the city, down to the Kidron on
the eastside, those witnesses go before saying, “He has defamed Moses [Acts
6:11]. He has cursedGod. He has blasphemed this holy place” [Acts 6:13-14].
And they come, and then it says, “And the witnesseslaid down their raiment
at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul” [Acts 7:57-58]; they are girding
themselves to lift up Stephen and to hurl him down from the height, and then
to castthe two greatstones upon him. And as they did that, they pause for his

257. confessionbefore God, and this was his confession. And they stoned Stephen
as he calledupon God, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” [Acts 7:59].
Then the multitude picked up stones, and they castthem and hurled them
againsthim, beat down now to his knees. He lookedup and saw their
murderous faces;and knowing that he soonwould die, he cried this prayer,
“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” [Luke 7:60]. Then the multitude
dispatched him summarily with those heavy and jaggedstones [Acts 7:59],
and Stephen fell asleep[Acts 7:60].
That’s the Christian wayof describing the death of a sainted child of the
Lord. We don’t die and they can’t kill us; we fall asleepin Jesus. MayI show
you how completelythat has entered into our language? The Greek wordfor
“to fall asleep” is koimaō and the Greek word for “a sleeping place” is
koimētērion. And when you take the Greek wordfor “sleeping place” and
spell it in English language, it comes out “cemetery.” A “cemetery” is a
Christian word; it is invented by the Christian faith and the Christian
message. And we place our sainteddead not in a graveyard; we place them in
a koimētērion, a sleeping place. These have fallen asleepin the Lord, awaiting
the day when Godwill raise them up, awakenthem [1 Thessalonians 4:14-15].
“And he fell asleep” [Acts 7:60]. Stephen died as a Christian died: with the
vision of heavenin his heart [Acts 7:55-56, 60].
And last, Stephen’s life and influence endured as a Christian’s life and
influence always endures. It never fails, it never fades, it never falls into
uselessnessorvanity or futility or frustration; God sees to that. As Hebrews
11:4 says, “He being dead yet speaketh.” No wordfor Christ ever falls to the
ground; it has its repercussionin the purposes of God, and no life ever laid
down for Christ was ever laid down in vain. God blesses it. Look at this man
Stephen. It seems it would look as if; his life was lost, stoned to death. But
look what God did with it. Those who were crying the defamation and
condemnation of Stephen laid down their clothes at the feetof a young man
named Saul [Acts 7:58]. This young fellow was from Cilicia [Acts 22:3]; he
was in the synagogue disputing with Stephen, and unable to stand before the
wisdom, the heavenly unction by which he witnessedto the grace ofGod in
Christ Jesus [Acts 7:1-53]. He was the one that told Luke every syllable of

258. this long address;it burned like fire in his memory. And he presided overthe
stoning, the martyrdom of that layman, Stephen [Acts 7:58].
But a strange thing happened, and it’s a strange psychological turn of mind in
human life. When a man is convicted, when he sees a truth that he doesn’t
like, he doubly wars againstit; it’s doubly hateful to him, it’s doubly bitter to
him. And Saul of Tarsus—andwe’ll begin that with the eighth chapter—Saul
was consenting unto his death [Acts 8:1]. And breathing out threatening and
slaughteragainstthe church [Acts 9:1; Galatians 1:13], he haled into prison
men and women, he persecutedthese Christians unto strange cities” [Acts
26:9-11]. He says “he was exceedinglymad againstthem” [Acts 26:11]. Why?
I can tell you exactly why! When the Lord appeared to him in the wayon the
road to Damascus, the Lord said to him, “Saul, Saul, it is hard for thee to kick
againstthe pricks” [Acts 9:3-5]. What is that? “It is hard for thee to kick
againstthe pricks.” What it was, was this: every time Saul got quiet, every
time he got to himself, every time he was alone, just his soul and God, he lived
againthat day that he presided over the executionof Stephen [Acts 7:58, 8:1].
He never saw a man die like that man died, with the light of heaven on his face
[Acts 6:15]. He never heard a man pray like that man prayed, asking Godto
forgive those who were stoning him to death [Acts 7:60]. Norhad he ever
heard a man speak in the wisdom and unction of heaven as Stephen spoke in
the Ciliciansynagogue [Acts 7:1-53]. And Saul, in the quiet of his life, in the
nakedness ofhis soul, Saul would say, “That’s not true! That’s blasphemy;
Jesus is not the Sonof God. What he says is falsehoodand a lie; that’s not
true.” And then, his heart would say, “But look at his face and look how he
died. And look at the words that he said, and look at the greatapologythat he
delivered from God’s Holy Word. Saul, Saul, Saul.” And finally, when the
Lord appeared to him, Saul said, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
[Acts 9:6]. And in the twenty-secondchapter of the Book of Acts, when Saul
is standing before these same people years later, recounting his conversion, he
says, “I wanted to go back to Jerusalem, and lay down my life in the place
where I executed Stephen, that my blood might stain the same ground that his
blood stained” [Acts 22:20]. You see, Godnever lets a faithful witness fail,
fade, fall into futility, fall to the ground. God blesses itand forever, as He did
the testimony of Stephen.

259. “Preacher, do you really believe that?” Dr. Joe Underwood, there is not a
missionary under our ForeignMissionBoardover which you so largely
preside, that has sacrificedfor Christ on a foreignfield but that God has seen
it and watchedover it. And there is not a missionary grave but that God has
marked the spot. He saw them, and markedthat dust, though to us it is how
vain and how futile, laying down their lives in a nation like China, or in a
nation like Angola. Godblesses it ultimately, and finally, and in ways that we
never know, never realize.
There was a young fellow that the doctor said to him, “You cannotgo. If you
go to the mission field, you will immediately die. You cannot go.” The young
fellow said, “But I’m going.” And the doctor said, “Why? You are not
physically able to face the hardships of those assignments. Youwill certainly
die. Then why?” And the young fellow said, “Doctor, did you ever see a great
ridge over a vast chasm, a broad river?” He said, “The reasonthe bridge is
there, and the reasonit stands is because waydown hidden in the earth there
are greatstones that are buried, that nobody sees,nobody knows. They’re the
foundation stones upon which the bridge rests.” And he said, “I am going to
be one of those hidden, buried foundation stones.” And he went. And he died,
as the doctorsaid. But God saw it, and God marked the place.
I went to schoolwith a wonderful friend. He was president, later, of our
Southern Baptist Convention, and he was telling me about a friend that he
had. I didn’t go to the same schoolthat he attended before seminary days. He
went to another school. And in that school, he said, “I had a wonderful friend.
And he gave his life to be a missionary for Christ, and trained in another
nation acrossthe sea, trained in Europe. And then was appointed to the
BelgianCongo.” And he said, “All during the time that he was training, I
heard from him regularly. We wrote letters back and forth. And then his
going to the Congo, then,” he said, “of a day, no other letters ever came. They
just stopped. And I wonderedwhat and why.” Then he said, “We learned, as
he was going up to his missionstation in the BelgianCongo, he contracteda
jungle fever, and died before he reachedhis mission station. And the natives
buried him under a greatspreading tree on the banks of the Congo River.”
And he said to me, “Whenword came back to our school, whathad happened
to him,” he said, “there were more than threescoreyoung men and women

260. volunteered to take his place.” And he said, “When word came back to his
home church that he had died on the way to his mission station, there were
thirteen boys and girls who volunteered to prepare themselves to take his
place.” Godsees to it that any witness, any sacrifice, anyword that we ever
do, make, offer to God, never falls to the ground. God blesses itand
multiplies it and forever.
Ah, Lord, that there might be in us that faithful witness;the Greek word is
martyr, that there might be in us that faithful witness to what Jesus means to
us; and through us, we pray, to a lostand judgment bound world.
I pray tonight that the messagefrom God’s Book will encourageyou to give
your heart to the wonderful Savior. This message is come to us at greatcost.
These have laid down their lives that we might know the truth of the grace of
God in Christ Jesus. He Himself, our Lord, died for our sins according to the
Scriptures [1 Corinthians 15:3]; raised for our justification [1 Corinthians
15:4; Romans 4:25]; and waits in heavenfor our obedience, and love, and
worship, and repentance, and faith in Him [Acts 20:21].
O God, may we not disappoint Thee by not being there when the roll is called.
Master, may it be that the sacrifice ofthe Son of God [Ephesians 5:2], finds
repercussionin my heart, and these who have brought to us the messageofthe
grace ofGod find in us a willingness to answerwith our lives.
Does the Lord speak to you? Does the Holy Spirit invite you? Does Godsay a
word of invitation to you? Make it tonight, that you answer, “Lord, here I
am, I’m coming to Thee.” Some ofyou accepting Jesus as Savior[Romans
10:9-13], some of you putting your life with us in this dear church; maybe
some of you answering God’s call with your life, “The Lord has spokento me,
and I’m on the way. Here I am, Lord, and here I come.”
In a moment when we stand to sing our hymn of invitation, on the first note of
the first stanza walk down that stairway from the balcony, “I’m coming,
Lord; I’m on the way, pastor.” In the throng on this lower floor, into that
aisle and down to the front, “Here I am, preacher, I’m coming now.” On the
first note of the first stanza, take that first step. Bring your family with you;
your wife and your children, “Pastor, we’re all coming tonight.” If it’s a

261. couple you, take her by the hand, “Sweetheart, let’s go.” If it’s just one
somebody you, answerwith your life [Romans 10:9-10]. When we stand up to
sing, stand up answering, walking, coming. Do it now. May angels attend you
and God bless you in the way as you come, while we stand and while we sing.
SPROUL
The First Christian Martyr
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, lookedup to heavenand saw the glory of
God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (v. 55).
- Acts 7
Preeminent among the sevendeacons setaside in Acts 6 was Stephen. Stephen
workedhard to make converts among other GrecianJews. Manysuch Jews
converted, but opposition arose from members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue,
the synagogue ofthe GrecianJews. Theytried to debate Stephen, but were
always defeated. Thus, they decided to bring false charges againsthim, and
Stephen was arrestedand put on trial before the Sanhedrin. He was falsely
accusedofspeaking againstthe law of Mosesand againstthe temple.
Acts 7 records Stephen’s defense. Stephen rehearsedOld Testamenthistory
and then applied it. He pointed out that God had given the Jewishpeople
greatpromises and privileges (Acts 7:4–8). He called attention to the factthat
their ancestors hadpersecutedJoseph, but God made Josephruler over Egypt
(v. 10), and later Josephsavedhis brethren (vv. 9–16). He pointed out that
Moses tried to deliver Israel from bondage, thinking that the people would
want such a deliverance, but he was rejected. The hostility of the Israelites
drove Moses out, and he went to foreigners (vv. 17–29).

262. God eventually sentMoses back, but the people rebelled againsthim, both
when he first appeared and then repeatedlyafter he had led them out of
Egypt (vv. 30–39). The people turned from God and worshipped idols, and
God gave them over to it (vv. 40–43). All of this, said Stephen, applied to the
present situation. “You Jews have persecutedevery prophet ever sent to you,
and now you have murdered the Messiah(vv. 51– 53). You have receivedthe
Law, but you have not obeyedit. I am a defender of the Law,” saidStephen.
“It is you who hate it, not me.”
Stephen was also chargedwith speaking againstthe temple. In answerhe
pointed out that the tabernacle and temple of the old covenant were only types
and symbols of God’s heavenly temple, and that in the new covenantthe types
have been replacedwith the reality (vv. 44–50). ThenStephen said that he
could see heavenopened, and the Son of Man standing as true High Priestat
the right hand of God (vv. 54–56). Infuriated, the Jews stonedhim to death.
Coram Deo
Three things in Stephen’s speechenragedthe Jews:He pointed out (1) that
they had always persecutedthe prophets; (2) that the prophets had often gone
to the Gentiles and been better received;(3) that the Greater Temple and
Priesthad arrived. ReadActs 7 and take careful note of these themes and how
they are presented.
DevotionalHours with the Bible, Volume 8: Chapter 8 - Stephen the First
Martyr
By J.R. Miller
Acts 6:1-8, 7:54 to 8:2

263. Stephen is one of the most interesting characters in the New Testament.
His story is short--but intense. His work belongs to a few days, and he makes
but one speech--but his influence belongs to all after time! He was the first
deaconand the first Christian martyr.
Stephen's fiery eloquence touched many hearts--but it also arousedthe
members of the Jewishsynagogues, who setthemselves againsthim. We must
not be surprised if our efforts to do good, awakenopposition. The more we try
to honor Christ and build up His kingdom, the more opposition we shall
encounter. So long as we keepquiet about people's sins and connive at their
wrongdoings, they may not seriously oppose us. But when we assaultthe evil
we see in them and openly condemn it--we shall certainly stir up enmity and
antagonismand bring upon ourselves oppositionand possibly persecution.
Stephen's opponents were no match for him in argument. "Theywere
unable to stand up againstthe wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke."It
was not Stephen with whom they had to contend; there was an unseen One
beside him all the while who helped him. The Spirit in Stephen whom his
proponents could not resist--was the Holy Spirit. Stephen was an inspired
man when he stoodbefore his opponents and declaredto them the words of
God. He was filled with God, as were the apostles on the day of Pentecost. If
we go out in Christ's name to speak for Him, there will always be One with us
whom no man canwithstand. If only we remembered this, it would make us
brave, resistless,in speaking the truth.
False witnesseswere brought to testify againstStephen, to try to convict
him, as the rulers had tried to convictJesus. False witnessesare continually
testifying againstChristianity, in the effort to prove that it is not a divine
religion. The world is full of books which seek to castdoubts upon divine
revelation. In all life, too, there is a dispositionto bear false witness.
Reputations are made and unmade, in certaindrawing rooms.
In the council before which Stephen was standing, there was intense
bitterness. The faces ofthe men grew dark with rage, as they lookedupon him
and heard his words, which they could not answer. Theywere little like
honorable judges sitting in a court of justice. Their hearts were full of rage

264. and fury. In contrastwith all this, Stephen himself was calm quiet. The peace
of God was in his heart. He was sustainedand strengthenedby the trust,
which nothing could disturb.
The recordsays, "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin lookedintently at
Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." Whatis the
face of an angel like? We cannot tell--but we know that those who live in
God's presence, in the light of God's love, must have shining faces. No doubt
Stephen's face shone. The secretof the shining was in his heart. The peace of
God was there, and even amid the excitements about him, with enraged
enemies glowering upon him, he had no fear--but was kept in perfectquiet.
An angel's face must be gentle and loving, for angels never know the feeling of
angeror bitterness of hate--and we know that Stephen's heart was full of love.
There was no unforgiveness in Stephen--he had learned from his Masterthe
lessonof patience under injustice or wrong--to make dark lines upon his
countenance. An angel's face must have marks of strength in it. Stephen was
strong. Even with all the people againsthim, he had no fear. He was strong in
God.
The contrastbetweenthe members of the Sanhedrin and Stephen is most
striking. His quietness and sweetnessenragedthem the more. "When they
heard this, they were furious and gnashedtheir teeth at him." They became
like infuriated wild beasts as they listened to Stephen's words. But while the
rulers were so furious, Stephen was calm and full of peace. He had found
refuge from the strife of tongues in the presence of God. The secretis given in
the words, "full of the Holy Spirit." When God is in a man, filling him--there
is no room in him for fear or anger, or for any earthly passion.
Stephen "lookedup steadfastlyinto heaven." That was well. If he had not
lookedup--he would not have seenthe vision of glory, which he now beheld. If
he had lookeddown, he would have seendanger and would have been afraid.
He lookedup and saw not the human rage and fury--but the sweetpeaceof
heaven above him. Like Moses, "he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."

265. We should train our eyes to look up-ward, heaven-ward, God-ward--for there
are our blessings, our goal, our home, God Himself, and all fair and beautiful
things.
The members of the Sanhedrin lostall self-control, all dignity, and in their
rage became an ungoverned mob. They cried out with a loud voice, stopped
their ears, and, rushing upon Stephen, draggedhim out of the courtroom,
through the gate, out of the city, and stonedhim! Thus the eloquent voice was
hushed, so that no more could it be heard on the earth. His life, cut off so
suddenly, so violently, when only beginning its usefulness, seems a failure. But
it was not a failure. Someone says that Stephen's mission in this world was to
deliver only one speechof half an hour. But if his words had reachedor
impressed no other life, they fell upon the ears of Saul, the persecutor, and he
never forgot them. Stephen died, and Saul was converted. Stephen's preaching
was stopped--but Saul was calledto take up his unfinished work. We owe Paul
to Stephen's martyrdom.
Stephen's dying prayers were like his Master's. He prayed first, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit." To Stephen, dying was only breathing out his soul
into the hands of Jesus Christ! He knew it was not death--but life, that was
before him. His body was being mangled and broken--but his spirit, his real
self, could not be harmed. Beyond the strange mystery of death--Jesus waits to
receive the departing spirit. Deathis only a gatewaythrough which the soul
passes,and then life and glory burst upon the vision of the emancipated spirit.
Stephen's other prayer was also like his Master's. Jesusprayed for His
murderers, "Fatherforgive them; for they know not what they do." Stephen,
with the same spirit of forgiveness, pleadedfor his murderers, "Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge."It is the old lessonoflove for enemies taught over
again.
Very beautiful is the picture of death which is given here: "He fell asleep."
Sleepis death's new, sweetname!What a picture of peace the word suggests,
right here in the heart and fury of the mob! In the midst of all the wild scene--
Stephen fell asleep!

266. We think of a tired child creeping into the mother's bosom and falling
asleep. Sleepis not a terrible experience;it is nothing to be dreaded. We sleep
when we are weary--and we awakerefreshed. Sleepis not the cessationoflife.
We expectto awake, afterwe have slept. As we part for the night, we do not
say, "Farewell,"but "Goodnight," for we expectto meet again in the
morning.
This beautiful Scriptural designationof death tells us, therefore, of life
beyond, of resurrection, of immortality. We shall awake from this sleepof
death--and our life shall go on again. We shall awake refreshed, lying down
weary--and rising strong; lying down sick, or old, or deformed, or worn-out--
and rising well, young and radiant in heavenly beauty!
The lastscene in our passageshowsus the burial of Stephen. It was quiet--
but impressive. He was greatlybeloved, and the sorrow overhis death was
sincere. His body was laid awayin the grave--but they could not bury his
influence. Martyrdom did not destroy his life. No doubt he did more by dying
than he could have done if he had lived on for years, preaching Christ.
Back to J.R. Miller index.
STEPHEN - THE MAN, HIS MESSAGE & HIS MARTYRDOM
Acts 6:7 - 7:60
Up to this point, our focus in the book of Acts has been upon the Twelve and
upon Peterand John. But now there is a change. With the appointment of the
first sevendeacons in Acts 6:1-6, there are new leading figures within the
church. Luke will introduce us to two of them.
Acts 6:7 - 7:60

267. Acts 8:4-40
Stephen
Philip
Confronts the Jews in Jerusalem
Preaches to the Samaritans
Faces false accusations
Faces a false magician
Addresses the JewishSanhedrin
Shares the gospelwith an Ethiopian eunuch
Stoned to death
Is snatchedaway by the Holy Spirit
Stephen was the president of the Jerusalemboard of deacons. He was a leader
in the church. He seems to have been an eloquent and fiery preacher. But he
was also a man just like you and me. He had the same sorts of problems that
you face and the same sorts of struggles. The fact that he was used by God is a
matter of GRACE.
We have a tendency to look for Christian heroes. We find them and we put
them up on pedestals. But there are no super-Christians. The closeryou getto
your Christian heroes, the more you will see that they are just like you. They
have the same faults and the same struggles. And that means you can identify
with Stephen. As you identify with him, you will be able to learn from him.
STEPHEN THE MAN.

268. We were first introduced to Stephen in the first verses of Acts 6. He was one of
the men chosenby the church to oversee the equitable distribution of food to
the needy widows. His name is a Greek name meaning "crown."
1. The Setting.
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples
continued to increase greatlyin Jerusalem, and a greatmany of the priests
were becoming obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7).
The church had seena greatdeal of growth. It had begun with an explosion
and it continued to see growing numbers. This is stated in three ways:
The word of God kept spreading.
The reasonthat the deacons had been appointed was so that the Twelve could
focus upon their ministry of prayer and the Word of God.
The number of the disciples continued to increase.
However, this increase hadnot yet extended outside the city of Jerusalem.
This was the home of the early church and its children had not yet left home.
A greatmany of the priests were coming to the faith.
The entire priesthood was divided into 24 separate courses. Eachcourse was
given the responsibility of serving in the Temple twice a year. On an
additional 4 weeksout of the year at the specialfeastdays all of the priests
would come togetherto serve.
As these priests rotated through Jerusalem, they had the opportunity to hear
the gospel, the goodnews that Jesus had died and had risen from the dead.
Many believed and became a part of the growing church. It was this factor
that would lead to an intensifying of the persecution.
2. The Signs.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing greatwonders and
signs among the people. (Acts 6:8).

269. The qualifications for the position of deaconhad been that they be full of the
Spirit and of wisdom. This is now seenis Stephen who was full of grace and
power.
6:3
Sevenmen... full of the Spirit and of wisdom
6:5
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit
6:8
Stephen, full of grace and power
From where do you getgrace and power? You getit from the same place you
get the Spirit and wisdom and faith.
You getit from God. This isn’t something that Stephen workedup on his own.
It was given to him by God. The Christian faith involves living in such a way
that Jesus lives through us. If you desire these qualities, then go to the Lord
and ask Him for them.
3. The Slander.
9 But some men from what was calledthe Synagogue ofthe Freedmen,
including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia,
rose up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to cope with the
wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
11 Then they secretlyinduced men to say, "We have heard him speak
blasphemous words againstMosesand againstGod." (Acts 6:9-11).
Stephen’s ministry to the Hellenistic widows put him into contactwith many
of the Greek-speaking Jews. While there were many who believed the gospel,
there were many others who did not and who viewedthis new sectof

270. Christians with suspicion. The debates betweenthe two parties grew heated
and the Jews beganto castaccusations atthe church and specificallyat
Stephen.
These antagonists came from the Synagogue ofthe Freedmen, literally, the
Synagogue ofthe Libertarians. This was evidently a synagogue whichhad
been started for Greek-speaking Jewswho had once been Roman slaves but
who had now been releasedandallowedto return to Palestine to live. There
were men from a number of countries.
Cyrenians - locatedin north Africa.
Alexandrians - from Alexandria on the Nile Delta.
Cilicia - In southwesternTurkey, the province from which the apostle Paul
came.
Asia - locatedin centralTurkey.
These men spoke the same common language as Stephen. And yet, there was a
greatand bitter disagreement. Stephenwas accusedofblasphemy and this
soonled to civil proceedings.
4. The Charges.
12 And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came
up to him and draggedhim awayand brought him before the Council.
13 They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantlyspeaks
againstthis holy place and the Law; 14 for we have heard him saythat this
Nazarene, Jesus,will destroythis place and alter the customs which Moses
handed down to us."
15 And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his
face like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:12-15).
There are two crimes for which Stephen is charged. They are charges of
blasphemy. To blaspheme is to speak againstGod. Stephen is accusedof
speaking againstGodas He relates to two areas.

271. This man incessantlyspeaks against...
this holy place
and the Law
For we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus...
will destroy this place
and alter the customs which Moses handeddown to us
The charges are remarkablylike those which were leveledagainstJesus when
He was arrested, tried and turned over to the Romans for crucifixion. Indeed,
there is a correlationbetweenthese two events.
Both were arrestedand brought before the Sanhedrin. Both are accusedby
false witnesses.Bothwere accusedofspeaking againstthe Temple and the
Law. Both were put to death.
Stephen is on trial for having taught what Jesus taught. And as he stands
before the Sanhedrin, his countenance appears almostheavenly. Why?
Becausehe is filled with the Spirit of Christ.
STEPHEN:HIS MESSAGE
Before studying the sermon of Stephen in greaterdetail, it is best to stepback
and examine it as a whole and get the bigger picture.
(1) What this Sermon is NOT.
a. It is not a Defense.
Given the context, we would have expectedStephen to give a defense for his
faith. After all, he is on trial for his life. Instead we see not a defense, but a
indictment of the Jews themselves.

272. The charges leveledagainstStephenhad to do with his allegedattack against
the Temple and the Law of Moses.These are the two main themes in his
sermon. But instead of trying to defend himself, he shows how that the Temple
and the Law both serve to show the sin of those who claim to worship in the
temple and who claim to keepthe Law.
b. It is not an evangelistic appeal.
In this, the content of Peter’s sermon is completely different from any other
sermon given in the book of Acts. There is almost no mention of either Jesus
or of His resurrection. Neither is there any call for repentance, but only a
strong accusationofguilt.
(2) What this Sermon IS.
This sermon is the longestrecordedsermon in the Book ofActs - twice as long
as Peter’s sermon at Pentecost.
It is Scriptural.
It is basicallya retelling of the entire story of the Old Testament. Much of it
consists ofdirect quotations from the Scriptures. His conclusionis merely
applying the messageofthose Scriptures to his hearers.
It has a geographicalorientation.
Stephen focuses onthe land, the Temple and the Law. The charge againsthim
was that he spoke against"this holy place." He speaks ofthe places where
God dealt with Israel.
m He begins in Mesopotamia where he was first called.
m He then takes us to Haran by the Euphrates River.
m He takes us to the Promisedland and then to Egypt in the days of Joseph.
m He returns us to Shechemfor Jacob’s burial and back to Egypt..
m He retells how the Lord appearedto Moses onMount Sinai.
m He recaps the Exodus from Egypt through the Red Sea.

273. m He tells of the 40 years in the Wilderness.
m He mentions the Tabernacle andthe Temple, but issues a disclaimer that
the Lord does not dwell in a house made with hands.
It has a "rejectionmotif."
m God choosesto use Joseph, eventhough he had been rejectedby his
brothers.
m God choosesto use Moses,eventhough he had been disownedby his fellow
Israelites.
m God choosesHis prophets, but they are persecutedand killed by the
Israelites.
m God chose "the Righteous One" who was betrayed and murdered by the
very Sanhedrin who now sits in judgment over Stephen.
It is Spirit-filled.
Stephen was describedin Acts 6:3 as a man who was "full of the Spirit and of
wisdom," in Acts 6:5 as a man "full of faith and the Holy Spirit," and in Acts
6:8 as "full of grace and power." At the time of his death he was saidto be
"full of the Holy Spirit" (7:55).
Yet though this was a Spirit-filled sermon, no one came to Christ as a result of
hearing it. Instead, it brought about Stephen’s death.
It is not a goodsermon that brings people to Christ. Even a sermon from God
does not accomplishthis without the regenerating work ofthe Holy Spirit.
In spite of the theme of judgment evident in this sermon, it was not motivated
by anger or resentment, but by love and grace. Verse 8 says that Stephen was
"full of grace." His last words will be a prayer of intercessionon behalf of
those who are putting him to death.
Now we are ready to go through this sermonand to examine all of its
particulars.
1. The Question of the High Priest.

274. The high priest said, "Are these things so?" (Acts 7:1).
This is the question which brought forth this sermon. What are the "these
things" about which the high priest asks? Theyare the things which had been
said of Stephen by the false witnesses in Acts 6:13. Stephen had been charged
with speaking againstthe holy place and againstthe Law. His sermon will
now deal with those two issues.
2. God’s Covenant with Abraham.
2 And he said, "Hearme, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to
our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3
and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the
land that I will show you.’
4 "Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there,
after his father died, Godhad him move to this country in which you are now
living.
5 "But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet,
even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a
possession, andto his descendants afterhim.
6 "But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants wouldbe aliens in a
foreign land, and that they would be enslavedand mistreatedfor four
hundred years.
7 "‘And whatevernation to which they will be in bondage I myself will judge,’
said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’
8 "And He gave him the covenantof circumcision;and so Abraham became
the father of Isaac, and circumcisedhim on the eighth day; and Isaac became
the father of Jacob, and Jacobof the twelve patriarchs. (Acts 7:2-8).
The Jews were impressedwith the Land of Canaan. They referred to it as the
"Holy Land." They thought of it as the land where God lived. But God had
first spokento Abraham long before he ever came to Canaan. God spoke to
him when he was still living in Mesopotamia - the land betweenthe Tigris and
the Euphrates Rivers. Furthermore, even when Abraham did leave

275. Mesopotamia, he did not immediately come to Canaan, but insteadlived for a
time in Haran. It was only after the death of his father that he came and lived
in the land.
But Abraham was not given any of the land. It was promised to him, but it
was not given to him. The promise was that his descendants would live here.
But before they would live here, they would first live in a foreign land.
Here is the point. God is not limited to a PLACE. He is able to speak and
work apart from a land and apart from a Temple. Stephen has been accused
of blasphemy because he said the Temple will be destroyed, but that is not
blasphemy because it is possible for God to work perfectly well without a
Temple.
3. Joseph- Rejectedby his brothers but Acceptedby God.
9 "The patriarchs became jealous of Josephand sold him into Egypt. Yet God
was with him, 10 and rescuedhim from all his afflictions, and granted him
favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him
governorover Egypt and all his household.
11 "Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with
it, and our fathers could find no food.
12 "But when Jacobheardthat there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers
there the first time.
13 "On the secondvisit Josephmade himself known to his brothers, and
Joseph’s family was disclosedto Pharaoh.
14 "Then Josephsentword and invited Jacobhis father and all his relatives to
come to him, seventy-five persons in all.
15 "And Jacobwentdown to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.
16 "From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which
Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in
Shechem. (Acts 7:9-16).

276. Notice the sin of the patriarchs. There are many which could have been
mentioned, but the one which Stephen points out is that of JEALOUSY. The
patriarchs were jealous of Joseph. And it is evident in the Scriptures that God
was on Joseph’s side.
There is a reasonthat Stephen mentions the jealousyof Joseph’s brothers.
The sin which they committed is now being repeatedby the members of the
Sanhedrin. They were motivated by a spirit of jealousy(Acts 5:17). And they
are doing to Stephen the very thing that Joseph’s brothers wished to do to
him. His brothers had originally planned to murder him. It was only
happenstance that causedthem to sell him into slaveryin Egypt. The
Sanhedrin has the same murderous attitude toward Stephen. They are going
through the motions of a trial, but there is already murder in their heart.
Sanhedrin
Stephen
Filled with Jealousy.
Filled with the Spirit.
Following in the footsteps of the brothers of Josephwho planned to murder
their own brother.
Following in the footsteps of Joseph. Insteadof rising to the throne of Egypt,
he will have a vision of the throne of God.
God was with Joseph, not only when he was in Canaan, but even when he was
sold into slaveryin Egypt. Indeed, the salvationof everyone in the family of
Israelwas found in Egypt. When a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, it
was in Egypt that they were able to find food. The entire family of Jacob
eventually moved into Egypt and lived there.
4. Moses- Rejectedby Israelbut Acceptedby God.

277. 17 "But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured
to Abraham, the people increasedand multiplied in Egypt, 18 until there
arose anotherking over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.
19 "It was he who took shrewd advantage ofour race and mistreatedour
fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive.
20 "It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of
God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home.
21 "And after he had been setoutside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and
nurtured him as her own son.
22 "Moses waseducatedin all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a
man of power in words and deeds. (Acts 6:17-22).
Moses was deemed"lovelyin the sight of God" from his very birth. When the
Pharaohof Egypt calledfor the death penalty of all male Hebrew children,
little Moses was setadrift in a basketon the Nile - a rejection by his own
family.
It was not his own family who raised him, but the daughter of the Egyptian
Pharaohwho adopted him and raisedas her own son.
22 "Moses waseducatedin all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a
man of power in words and deeds.
23 "But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit
his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being treated
unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance forthe oppressedby striking
down the Egyptian. 25 And he supposed that his brethren understood that
God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not
understand.
26 "On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together,
and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why
do you injure one another?’

278. 27 "But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying,
‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 28 You do not mean to kill me as
you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’
29 "At this remark, Moses fled and became an alien in the Land of Midian,
where he became the father of two sons. (Acts 6:22-29).
When Moses defendedan Israelite who was being beaten and killed the
Egyptian taskmaster, his own fellow Israelites failedto understand that he
had been calledby Godto liberate them and they rebuffed him, threatening to
turn him over to the Egyptian authorities. Because ofthis, Moses wasforced
to flee the land of Egypt.
Stephen is continuing to tell of the rejection of the Israelites in the past. The
contrastis still obvious. The Sanhedrin is guilty of doing the same thing that
Israeldid in the days of Moses.Theyhad rejectedthe SecondMosesin the
person of Jesus. Theyhad essentiallyaskedthe same question: Who made you
a ruler and judge over us?
30 "After forty years had passed, an angelappearedto him in the wilderness
of mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning horn bush.
31 "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approachedto
look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’Mosesshook withfear
and would not venture to look.
33 "But the Lord said to him, ‘Take offthe sandals from your feet, for the
place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seenthe
oppressionof My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have
come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’" (Acts
7:30-34).
It was not in Israelor in a temple where the Lord appeared to Moses,but on a
mountain in the Sinai wilderness. This place was designatedby God as "holy
ground." And it was from here that Moses was sentwith the messageof
freedom.

279. 35 "This Moseswhom they disowned, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a
judge?' is the one whom God sentto be both a ruler and a deliverer with the
help of the angelwho appearedto him in the thorn bush.
36 "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of
Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.
37 "This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you
a prophet like me from your brethren.’ 38 This is the one who was in the
congregationin the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to
him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he receivedliving
oracles to pass on to you." (Acts 7:35-38).
Moses,the very one whom the Israelites had rejectedas being a "ruler and a
judge" was chosenby God to be both ruler and judge and law-giver.
There is a reasonthat Stephen is relating this. He gives it for the purpose of
contrastand comparison. His hearers are supposedto see themselves in the
story. They are the leaders of the nation of Israel. And they are to identify
themselves with the actions of their forefathers.
Israelin Moses’Day
Israelin Stephen’s Day
DisownedMoses
Disownedthe Prophet who was like Moses - Christ (Verse 37).
God sent Moses to be both a ruler and a deliverer.
God sent Christ to be both a ruler and a deliverer.
Moses performedwonders and signs.
Christ and His followers have performed wonders and signs.

280. Stephen continues, showing that the Israelite rejectionof Moses did not end
with the deliverance from Egypt.
39 "Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and
in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods
who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt -- we
do not know what happened to him.’
41 "At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were
rejoicing in the works of their hands.
42 "But God turned awayand delivered them up to serve the host of heaven;
as it is written in the book of the prophets, "It was not to me that you offered
victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel?
43 You also took along the tabernacle of Molochand the star of the god
Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you
beyond Babylon.’
44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He
who spoke to Moses directedhim to make it according to the pattern which he
had seen.
45 "And having receivedit in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua
upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until
the time of David. (Acts 7:39-45).
This time the Israelites rejectedMosesand the God whom he represented
when Moses wentup into Mount Sinai to receive the Law. While he was away,
the people approachedAaron and had him make for them a golden calfwhich
they proceededto worship.
Stephen had been accusedofspeaking againstthe Temple and againstthe
Law. But he now shows that it is the nation of Israel as representedby the
Sanhedrin to whom he speaks who has been guilty of profaning the Temple
and breaking the Law.
It was that same spirit of idolatry that would eventually lead to the
destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Captivity (verse 43).

281. In the same way, it will be this same spirit of idolatry and the refusal to
recognize God’s Righteous One which will result in the destruction of the
SecondTemple at the hands of the RomanEmpire.
5. The Temple.
46 "David found favor in God's sight, and askedthat he might find a dwelling
place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomonwho built a house for Him.
48 However, the MostHigh does not dwell in houses made by human hands;
as the prophet says:49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstoolofMy
feet; what kind of house will you build for me?’ says the lord, ‘or what place is
there for my repose? 50 Was it not my hand which made all these things?’"
(Acts 7:46-50).
God never demanded that a Temple be built. He ordained the Tabernacle, but
the Temple was David’s idea. He DID permit the Temple to be built in His
honor. He gave permissionfor Solomonto build the Temple. And when it was
completed, God sanctionedit by moving the ShekinahCloud into the Temple.
But even Solomonrecognizedthat God cannot be confined to a house. The
Temple was not for God’s benefit but for man’s. God does not need men to
build Him a house since it was Godwho built everything.
Why does Stephen mention this? Becauseback in Acts 6:13 he was accusedby
the Sanhedrin of "speaking againstthis holy place." He shows that, even if the
accusationhadbeen true, it did not constitute blasphemy because the Temple
was not synonymous with God because Goddoesn’tlive in a house built with
hands.
6. Indictment upon the Leaders of Israel.
51 "You men who are stiff-neckedand uncircumcised in heart and ears are
always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
52 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? Theykilled
those who had previously announcedthe coming of the Righteous One, whose
betrayers and murderers you have now become;53 you who received the law
as ordained by angels, and yet did not keepit" (Acts 7:51-53).

282. Stephen draws his sermon to a conclusion, stating his indictment againstthe
leaders of Israelin no uncertain terms. He charges them with acting in the
same way their forefathers acted. They take greatpride in their circumcision,
but there is a hardness around their heart that has never been cut away. They
have takengreatpride in having the Law, but he charges them with not
keeping the Law.
The Sanhedrin has sinned in the same way as their ancestors -not merely
putting to death the prophets, but murdering the Messiah.
STEPHEN:HIS MARTYRDOM
1. The Reactionof the Court.
54 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began
gnashing their teeth at him.
55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazedintently into heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens openedup and the Son of Man standing at the
right hand of God."
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and coveredtheir ears and rushed at
him with one impulse. (Acts 7:54-57).
The Sanhedrin lostall semblance ofa court of law. They begin to take on the
appearance ofone who is demon-possessed. Stephen, on the other hand, is
seento be full of the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, at this very moment he has a heavenly vision. He sees two things:
a. The glory of God.
Do you remember how Stephen beganhis sermon? He began by referring to
the "Godof glory." Now he SEES the glory of God.

283. The prayer of Moseshad been that he might see the glory of God. Moses had
only been permitted to see God’s "after-glow."Stephengotto see the rest of
it.
b. Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Hebrews tells us that Christ "satdown at the right hand of the Majestyon
high" (Hebrews 1:3). This is also taught in Mark 16:19, Hebrews 8:1; 10:12
and 12:2.
But this time we see Jesus standing. It is as though the King is giving His loyal
witness a standing ovation.
Can you imagine it? Stephen is standing before the Sanhedrin as they are
preparing to pass judgment upon him, but he isn’t even looking at them.
Instead, his eyes are focusedelsewhere. There is a look of blessedawe over his
features. He sees Jesus.
This would have driven the crowdwild. They had heard Jesus standin this
same place and tell them that "from now on the Son of Man will be seatedat
the right hand of the powerof God" (Luke 22:69). Now Stephen bears
testimony that the promise has been fulfilled.
2. The Stoning of the Witness.
When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the
witnesses laidaside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. (Acts
7:58).
Just as Jesus had been crucified outside the city (Hebrews 13:12), so also
Stephen was driven outside the city to be stoned. It was the mandate of the
law that the witnesses forthe prosecution castthe first stones.
The hand of the witnessesshallbe first againsthim to put him to death, and
afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your
midst. (Deuteronomy 17:7).
It was the custom that the chief witness for the prosecutionwould be given the
duty of pushing the offender to the ground where the stoning was to take. The

284. secondwitness would then castthe first stone and the restof the crowd would
join in until the offender was dead.
3. The Plea for Forgiveness.
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit!"
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold
this sin againstthem!" Having said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60).
Stephen cries out twice more before he dies. Both of these cries are echoes
from the death of Christ. They are both prayers which Jesus prayed while He
was on the cross.
a. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
Jesus had prayed for His spirit to be given into the hands of His heavenly
Father. Stephen directs his prayer to Jesus. He has seenthe glory of God and
he is ready to be receivedinto the presence ofthat glory.
b. "Lord, do not hold this sin againstthem!"
This is also a prayer which Jesus prayed. He died in order that our sins might
not be held againstus. Stephen prays the same prayer. And that prayer will
be ultimately answeredin the life of one who was there - Saul of Tarsus.
About the Author
Return to the John StevensonBible Study Page
ALEXANDER MACLAREN
THE DEATH OF THE MASTER AND THE DEATH OF THE SERVANT

285. ‘And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit. 60. And he kneeleddown, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge. And, when he had said this, he fell asleep.’—ACTSvii.
59, 60.
This is the only narrative in the New Testamentof a Christian martyrdom or
death. As a rule, Scripture is supremely indifferent to what becomes ofthe
people with whom it is for a time concerned. As long as the man is the organ
of the divine Spirit he is somewhat;as soonas that ceasesto speak through
him he drops into insignificance. So this same Acts of the Apostles—ifI may
so say— kills off James the brother of John in a parenthesis; and his is the
only other martyrdom that it concerns itselfeven so much as to mention.
Why, then, this exceptionaldetail about the martyrdom of Stephen? Fortwo
reasons:because it is the first of a series, and the Acts of the Apostles always
dilates upon the first of eachset of things which it describes, and condenses
about the others. But more especially, I think, because if we come to look at
the story, it is not so much an accountof Stephen’s death as of Christ’s power
in Stephen’s death. And the theme of this book is not the acts of the Apostles,
but the acts of the risen Lord, in and for His Church.
There is no doubt but that this narrative is modelled upon the story of our
Lord’s Crucifixion, and the two incidents, in their similarities and in their
differences, throw a flood of light upon one another.
I shall therefore look at our subject now with constantreference to that other
greaterdeath upon which it is based. It is to be observedthat the two sayings
on the lips of the proto-martyr Stephen are recordedfor us in their original
form on the lips of Christ, in Luke’s Gospel, which makes a still further link
of connectionbetweenthe two narratives.
So, then, my purpose now is merely to take this incident as it lies before us, to
trace in it the analogies andthe differences betweenthe death of the Master
and the death of the servant, and to draw from it some thoughts as to what it
is possible for a Christian’s death to become, when Christ’s presence is felt in
it.

286. I. Consider, in generalterms, this death as the last act of imitation to Christ.
The resemblance betweenour Lord’s last moments and Stephen’s has been
thought to have been the work of the narrator, and, consequently, to cast
some suspicionupon the veracity of the narrative. I acceptthe
correspondence,I believe it was intentional, but I shift the intention from the
writer to the actor, and I ask why it should not have been that the dying
martyr should consciously, and of setpurpose, have made his death
conformable to his Master’s death? Why should not the dying martyr have
sought to put himself (as the legend tells one of the other Apostles in outward
form sought to do) in Christ’s attitude, and to die as He died?
Remember, that in all probability Stephen died on Calvary. It was the
ordinary place of execution, and, as many of you may know, recent
investigations have led many to conclude that a little rounded knoll outside
the city wall—not a ‘greenhill,’ but still ‘outside a city wall,’ and which still
bears a lingering tradition of connectionwith Him—was probably the site of
that stupendous event. It was the place of stoning, or of public execution, and
there in all probability, on the very ground where Christ’s Cross was fixed,
His first martyr saw ‘the heavens openedand Christ standing on the right
hand of God.’ If these were the associationsofthe place, what more natural,
and even if they were not, what more natural, than that the martyr’s death
should be shaped after his Lord’s?
Is it not one of the great blessings, in some sense the greatestofthe blessings,
which we owe to the Gospel, that in that awful solitude where no other
example is of any use to us, His pattern may still gleambefore us? Is it not
something to feel that as life reaches its highest, most poignant and exquisite
delight and beauty in the measure in which it is made an imitation of Jesus, so
for eachof us death may lose its most poignant and exquisite sting and
sorrow, and become something almostsweet, if it be shapedafter the pattern
and by the powerof His? We travel over a lonely waste atlast. All clasped
hands are unclasped; and we setout on the solitary, though it be ‘the
common, road into the greatdarkness.’But, blessedbe His Name!‘the
Breakeris gone up before us,’ and across the waste there are footprints that
we

287. ‘Seeing, may take heart again.’
The very climax and apex of the Christian imitation of Christ may be that we
shall bear the image of His death, and be like Him then.
Is it not a strange thing that generations ofmartyrs have gone to the stake
with their hearts calm and their spirits made constantby the remembrance of
that Calvary where Jesus died with more of trembling reluctance, shrinking,
and apparent bewildered unmanning than many of the weakestofHis
followers? Is it not a strange thing that the death which has thus been the
source of composure, and strength, and heroism to thousands, and has lost
none of its powerof being so to-day, was the death of a Man who shrank from
the bitter cup, and that cried in that mysterious darkness, ‘My God! Why hast
Thou forsakenMe?’
Dearbrethren, unless with one explanation of the reasonfor His shrinking
and agony, Christ’s death is less heroic than that of some other martyrs, who
yet drew all their courage from Him.
How come there to be in Him, at one moment, calmness unmoved, and heroic
self-oblivion, and at the next, agony, and all but despair? I know only one
explanation, ‘The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’ And when He
died, shrinking and trembling, and feeling bewildered and forsaken, it was
your sins and mine that weighedHim down. The servant whose death was
conformed to his Master’s had none of these experiences becausehe was only
a martyr.
The Lord had them, because He was the Sacrifice for the whole world.
II. We have here, next, a Christian’s death as being the voluntary entrusting
of the spirit to Christ.
‘They stoned Stephen.’ Now, our ordinary English idea of the manner of the
Jewishpunishment of stoning, is a very inadequate and mistakenone. It did
not consistmerely in a miscellaneous rabble throwing stones atthe criminal,
but there was a solemnand appointed method of executionwhich is preserved
for us in detail in the Rabbinical books. And from it we gatherthat the modus
operandi was this. The blasphemer was takento a certainprecipitous rock,

288. the height of which was prescribedas being equal to that of two men. The
witnesses by whose testimony he had been condemned had to casthim over,
and if he survived the fall it was their task to roll upon him a greatstone, of
which the weight is prescribedin the Talmud as being as much as two men
could lift. If he lived after that, then others took part in the punishment.
Now, at some point in that ghastly tragedy, probably, we may suppose as they
were hurling him over the rock, the martyr lifts his voice in this prayer of our
text.
As they were stoning him he ‘called upon’—not God, as our Authorised
Version has supplied the wanting word, but, as is obvious from the context
and from the remembrance of the vision, and from the language of the
following supplication, ‘called upon Jesus, saying, Lord Jesus!receive my
spirit.’
I do not dwell at any length upon the fact that here we have a distinct instance
of prayer to Jesus Christ, a distinct recognition, in the early days of His
Church, of the highest conceptions ofHis person and nature, so as that a
dying man turns to Him, and commits his soul into His hands. Passing this by,
I ask you to think of the resemblance, andthe difference, betweenthis
intrusting of the spirit by Stephen to his Lord, and the committing of His
spirit to the Father by His dying Son. Christ on the Cross speaksto God;
Stephen, on Calvary, speaks,as I suppose, to Jesus Christ. Christ, on the
Cross, says, ‘I commit.’ Stephen says, ‘Receive,’orrather, ‘Take.’The one
phrase carries in it something of the notion that our Lord died not because He
must, but because He would; that He was active in His death; that He chose to
summon death to do its work upon Him; that He ‘yielded up His spirit,’ as
one of the Evangelists has it, pregnantly and significantly. But Stephen says,
‘Take!’ as knowing that it must be his Lord’s powerthat should draw his
spirit out of the coilof horror around him. So the one dying word has
strangelycompactedin it authority and submission; and the other dying word
is the word of a simple waiting servant. The Christ says, ‘I commit.’ ‘I have
powerto lay down My life, and I have power to take it again.’Stephen says,
‘Take my spirit,’ as longing to be awayfrom the wearinessand the sorrow

289. and the pain and all the hell of hatred that was seething and boiling round
about him, but yet knowing that he had to wait the Master’s will.
So from the language I gather large truths, truths which unquestionably were
not presentto the mind of the dying man, but are all the more conspicuous
because they were unconsciouslyexpressedby him, as to the resemblance and
the difference betweenthe death of the martyr, done to death by cruel hands,
and the death of the atoning Sacrifice who gave Himself up to die for our sins.
Here we have, in this dying cry, the recognitionof Christ as the Lord of life
and death. Here we have the voluntary and submissive surrender of the spirit
to Him. So, in a very real sense, the martyr’s death becomes a sacrifice, andhe
too dies not merely because he must, but he accepts the necessity, and finds
blessednessin it. We need not be passive in death; we need not, when it comes
to our turn to die, cling desperatelyto the last vanishing skirts of life. We may
yield up our being, and pour it out as a libation; as the Apostle has it, ‘If I be
offered as a drink-offering upon the sacrifice ofyour faith, I joy and rejoice.’
Oh! brethren, to die like Christ, to die yielding oneselfto Him!
And then in these words there is further containedthe thought coming
gleaming out like a flash of light into some murky landscape—ofpassing into
perennial union with Him. ‘Take my spirit,’ says the dying man; ‘that is all I
want. I see Thee standing at the right hand. For what hast Thou started to
Thy feet, from the eternal repose ofThy sessionatthe right hand of God the
Father Almighty? To help and succourme. And dostThou succour me when
Thou dost let these cruel hands castme from the rock and bruise me with
heavy stones? Yes, Thou dost. For the highestform of Thy help is to take my
spirit, and to let me be with Thee.’
Christ delivers His servant from death when He leads the servantinto and
through death. Brothers, can you look forward thus, and trust yourselves,
living or dying, to that Masterwho is near us amidst the coilof human
troubles and sorrows, andsweetlydraws our spirits, as a mother her child to
her bosom, into His own arms when He sends us death? Is that what it will be
to you?

290. III. Then, still further, there are other words here which remind us of the final
triumph of an all-forbearing charity.
Stephen had been castfrom the rock, had been struck with the heavy stone.
Bruised and wounded by it, he strangelysurvives, strangelysomehow or other
struggles to his knees eventhough desperatelywounded, and, gathering all his
powers togetherat the impulse of an undying love, prays his last words and
cries, ‘Lord Jesus!Lay not this sin to their charge!’
It is an echo, as I have been saying, of other words, ‘Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do.’ An echo, and yet an independent tone! The one
cries ‘Father!’ the other invokes the ‘Lord.’ The one says, ‘They know not
what they do’; the other never thinks of reading men’s motives, of
apportioning their criminality, of discovering the secrets oftheir hearts. It was
fitting that the Christ, before whom all these blind instruments of a mighty
design stoodpatent and nakedto their deepestdepths, should say, ‘They know
not what they do.’ It would have been unfitting that the servant, who knew no
more of his fellows’heart than could be guessedfrom their actions, should
have offered such a plea in his prayer for their forgiveness.
In the very humiliation of the Cross, Christspeaks as knowing the hidden
depths of men’s souls, and therefore fitted to be their Judge, and now His
servant’s prayer is addressedto Him as actually being so.
Somehow or other, within a very few years of the time when our Lord dies,
the Church has come to the distinctest recognitionof His Divinity to whom the
martyr prays; to the distinctest recognitionof Him as the Lord of life and
death whom the martyr asks to take his spirit, and to the clearestperception
of the fact that He is the Judge of the whole earth by whose acquittalmen
shall be acquitted, and by whose condemnationthey shall be condemned.
Stephen knew that Christ was the Judge. He knew that in two minutes he
would be standing at Christ’s judgment bar. His prayer was not, ‘Lay not my
sins to my charge,’but ‘Lay not this sin to their charge.’Why did he not ask
forgiveness forhimself? Why was he not thinking about the judgment that he
was going to meet so soon? He had done all that long ago. He had no fear
about that judgment for himself, and so when the last hour struck, he was at

291. leisure of heart and mind to pray for his persecutors, and to think of his Judge
without a tremor. Are you? If you were as near the edge as Stephen was,
would it be wise for you to be interceding for other people’s forgiveness? The
answerto that question is the answerto this other one,—have you soughtyour
pardon already, and got it at the hands of Jesus Christ?
IV. One word is all that I need say about the last point of analogyand contrast
here—the serene passageinto rest: ‘When he had said this he fell asleep.’
The New Testamentscarcelyeverspeaks ofa Christian’s death as death but
as sleep, and with other similar phrases. But that expression, familiar and all
but universal as it is in the Epistles, in reference to the death of believers, is
never in a single instance employed in reference to the death of Jesus Christ.
He did die that you and I may live. His death was death indeed—He endured
not merely the physical fact, but that which is its sting, the consciousnessof
sin. And He died that the sting might be blunted, and all its poisonexhausted
upon Him. So the ugly thing is sleekedand smoothed;and the foul form
changes into the sweetsemblance ofa sleep-bringing angel. Death is gone. The
physical fact remains, but all the misery of it, the essentialbitterness and the
poison of it is all suckedout of it, and it is turned into ‘he fell asleep,’as a
tired child on its mother’s lap, as a wearyman after long toil.
‘Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages.’
Deathis but sleepnow, because Christhas died, and that sleepis restful,
conscious,perfectlife.
Look at these two pictures, the agony of the one, the calm triumph of the
other, and see that the martyr’s falling asleepwas possible because the Christ
had died before. And do you commit the keeping of your souls to Him now, by
true faith; and then, living you may have Him with you, and, dying, a vision of
His presence bending down to succourand to save, and when you are dead, a
life of rest conjoinedwith intensestactivity. To sleepin Jesus is to awake in
His likeness, andto be satisfied.